Chirps from Center Ice

For the third year in a row, the AHL released its playing schedule for the upcoming season in the second week of July instead of late August.

We already know from yesterday three of the 76 games that the Penguins will play in the upcoming season, so it’s time to look at the rest of the schedule that goes all the way to April 2020.

League release here, Penguins release here.

I always do a question and answer session with these schedule releases. They are simple because they are the same questions I ask when unwrap the schedule every season looking at everything. So here we go:

1) Alright, so the Penguins didn’t put out a schedule matrix of opponents this season like they did the last two seasons. Is there one off the hop I can look at?

Yep, here it is.

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No games with Belleville, Laval or Toronto this season. No visits this year to Milwaukee, Grand Rapids or Chicago either. And the Pacific Division? Ha! What’s that!?

2) Oh wow, there are some new teams I don’t recognize there!

Right, the Penguins head to Texas in January for four games against both the Texas Stars and San Antonio Rampage. This also includes the Penguins trip to Charlotte to visit the Checkers. The Rampage come in twice in October while the Stars visit in December.

3) Longest road trip? Longest home stand?

It’s the month of January, basically.

Home stand of six straight games (the New Years Eve game against Springfield gets lumped in here) starts off the Penguins home stand which goes to January 11. Then it’s on the road for six straight against the Stars, Rampage and Checkers.

4) How many three in threes?

5) Sunday home games! We know how much you love hate those! How many this year?

Just two. I don’t know how they managed this, but I love them for it. They are in the month of March (8th vs. Binghamton) and April (5th vs. Lehigh Valley) and start at 3:05.

6) Any more charts?

Here you go.

7) Are the Penguins playing any workday afternoon games?

They played in three last year, one in Springfield and two in Bridgeport. They aren’t playing in any this year.

8) The AHL All-Star Classic this year is where again?

That would be in Ontario, California on January 26 and January 27, 2020.

9) Did the Penguins do away with themes? They did away with themes, didn’t they?

It would appear as such since there hasn’t been one in the last three seasons. Other than the first week to ten days of a given season, when was the last time you remember what the theme was for a Penguins season in November or December? Smart marketing strategy if you ask me, why waste summertime brainpower to come up with a gimmick if you aren’t going to follow through on it for the entirety of the season?

10) Are the Penguins playing in any special venues this year?

No, it doesn’t seem to be that much of a fad anymore if you look at the schedule. Other than four dates across town in Toronto at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto that the Marlies are playing against various opponents, everyone is playing their schedule in their home arenas. No outdoor games either.

11) Anything else I need to know?

I can’t think of anything. Pretty standard schedule with your Lehigh Valley’s and Hershey’s dominating the majority of the schedule. I don’t like the fact we don’t play everyone in the Conference, but it’s like that for a lot of teams and but for novelty of seeing a team that you don’t always see, it doesn’t really have that much of an impact on your playoff hopes since everyone plays out of their division to get to the playoffs. Pretty standard start times too but for the New Years Eve 3:05 start and that one Wednesday road game in Providence in April which starts at 6:05.

You can sync the Penguins schedule here and then select whichever platform applies to you.

Now go back to your summer because October will be here before you know it.