Back on Dec. 23, the National Hockey League released its regular season schedule for all 31 teams across the league with three weeks remaining until the start of the 2020-21 season. However, as part of the release, the league announced that all start times for games in the season were to be announced at a later date.
The league finally announced on Monday the start times for every game this season, as the puck is set to drop on Wednesday, Jan. 13.
For the Buffalo Sabres, they will open the 2020-21 season on Thursday, Jan. 14 against the Washington Capitals with a 7 p.m. EST at KeyBank Center.
Most of Buffalo's games this upcoming season will take place at either 7 p.m. or 7:30 p.m. However, there are few exceptions with two 6 p.m. games this season on Tuesday, Feb. 2 against the New York Islanders and Sunday, April 25 against the New York Rangers. Buffalo's only 8 p.m. ET game will take place on Wednesday, March 24 when the Sabres face the Pittsburgh Penguins as part of NBC Sports' Wednesday Night Hockey.
Overall this season, Buffalo will play 11 games in the afternoon at varying times. Here is the complete rundown of afternoon games this season for the Sabres:
- Saturday, Jan. 30: vs. New Jersey Devils - 1 p.m. EST
- Sunday, Jan. 31: vs. New Jersey Devils - 1 p.m. EST
- Saturday, Feb. 13: vs. Washington Capitals - 1 p.m. EST
- Saturday, Feb. 20: at New Jersey Devils - 12:30 p.m. EST
- Sunday, Feb. 28: vs. Philadelphia Flyers - 3 p.m. EST
- Sunday, March 7: at New York Islanders - 12 p.m. EST
- Saturday, March 20: vs. Boston Bruins - 1 p.m. ET
- Saturday, March 27: at Pittsburgh Penguins - 1 p.m. ET
- Sunday, April 11: at Philadelphia Flyers - 2 p.m. ET
- Saturday, April 17: vs. Pittsburgh Penguins - 3 p.m. ET
- Saturday, May 1: at Boston Bruins - 1 p.m. ET
Under the conditions of the 2020-21 season agreed upon by the NHL and the NHL Players' Association, the Sabres will play the entire regular season schedule against teams only in the newly re-aligned East Division.
Here are the teams the Sabres will face in the East Division:
- Boston Bruins
- New Jersey Devils
- New York Islanders
- New York Rangers
- Philadelphia Flyers
- Pittsburgh Penguins
- Washington Capitals
The Sabres will face the other seven teams in their division a total of eight times this season, and, for the most part, will play each team in two-game increments in one city.
When regular season play has completed, the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs will feature the top-four teams in each division qualifying, with each division also producing a champion for the third round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The third round matchups will be seeded based on regular season points.
The Sabres have not been to the playoffs since 2011, where they lost in seven games to the Flyers in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
If the Sabres do miss out on the NHL postseason in 2021, the franchise will match the NHL record for the longest playoff drought of 10-consecutive seasons with the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers.
You can listen to all 56 games this season on the radio home of the Buffalo Sabres - WGR Sports Radio 550.
