Start your Zamboni, Maple Leafs 2022-23 schedule released

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Who knows what awaits the Maple Leafs in 2022-23?

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Perhaps a seventh straight trip to the playoffs with a long-awaited first-round win. Maybe failure to advance or even qualify, which would result in many changes.

But at least they can make plans for the seven-month regular season, with the release Wednesday of the  82-game schedule. Let’s hope it is uninterrupted by outside factors that have vexed the NHL since March of 2020.

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Toronto, trying to stop the league’s longest Stanley Cup drought, begins its 105^th season on Oct. 12 in Montreal, a back-to-back with the home opener next night at Scotiabank Arena versus the Washington Capitals. October will feature the first of a trio of five-game road trips leading to November, the schedule’s busiest month for the Leafs with 15 games.

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While the closing weeks of last season saw the calendar jam up when COVID-19 cancellations were factored in, March will be the busiest road month with nine games. The April schedule has eight games in 13 nights, with a Florida-Tampa Bay-New York Rangers road swing that concludes the slate April 13 at Madison Square Garden.

Toronto will play 14 sets of back-to-back games in the course of the schedule. There are 22 Saturday night dates, 12 of those on the road.

Notable schedule events:

Oct. 12 – Season opener in Montreal, first time since 2014.

Oct. 13 – Home opener vs. Washington, as Alex Ovechkin continues his chase of Wayne Gretzky’s goal record.

Nov. 11 – Pittsburgh visits for the Hall of Fame game.

Dec. 3 – First post-playoff rematch with Lightning, at Tampa Bay.

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Dec. 22 – Last home game before Christmas vs. Flyers.

Jan. 23 to Feb. 1 – Longest home stand, five games, precedes NHL all-star break.

Feb. 26 to March 4 – Four games out West, starting with a 4 p.m. PT Sunday faceoff in Seattle.

March 11 – Connor McDavid and the Oilers at Toronto.

March 15 – Cale Makar and the Cup champion Avalanche at Toronto.

April 13 – Final game of regular season at New York Rangers.

lhornby@postmedia.com

2022-23 MAPLE LEAFS SCHEDULE

Oct. 12 at Montreal, 7 p.m.
Oct. 13 Washington, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 15 Ottawa, 7 p.m.
Oct. 17 Arizona, 7 p.m.
Oct. 20 Dallas, 7 p.m.
Oct. 22 at Winnipeg, 7 p.m.
Oct. 24 at Vegas, 10 p.m.
Oct. 27 at San Jose, 10:30 p.m.
Oct. 29 at Los Angeles, 7 p.m.
Oct. 30 at Anaheim, 8 p.m.
Nov. 2 Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
Nov. 5 Boston, 7 p.m.
Nov. 6 at Carolina, 5 p.m.
Nov. 8 Vegas, 7 p.m.
Nov. 11 Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.
Nov. 12 Vancouver, 7 p.m.
Nov. 15 at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.
Nov. 17 New Jersey, 7 p.m.
Nov. 19 Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Nov. 21 N.Y. Islanders, 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 23 at New Jersey, 7 p.m.
Nov. 25 at Minnesota, 2 p.m.
Nov. 26 at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.
Nov. 28 at Detroit, 7 p.m.
Nov. 30 San Jose, 7 p.m.
Dec. 3 at Tampa Bay, 7 p.m.
Dec. 6 at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.
Dec. 8 Los Angeles, 7 p.m.
Dec. 10 Calgary, 7 p.m.
Dec. 13 Anaheim, 7 p.m.
Dec. 15 at N.Y. Rangers, 7 p.m.
Dec. 17 at Washington, 7 p.m.
Dec. 20 Tampa Bay, 7 p.m.
Dec. 22 Philadelphia, 2 p.m.
Dec. 27 at St. Louis, 8 p.m.
Dec. 29 at Arizona, 9 p.m.
Dec. 31 at Colorado, 7 p.m.
Jan. 3 St. Louis, 7 p.m.
Jan. 5 Seattle, 7 p.m.
Jan. 7 Detroit, 7 p.m.
Jan. 8 at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
Jan. 11 Nashville, 7 p.m.
Jan. 12 at Detroit, 7 p.m.
Jan. 14 at Boston, 7 p.m.
Jan. 17 Florida, 7 p.m.
Jan. 19 Winnipeg, 7 p.m.
Jan. 21 at Montreal, 7 p.m.
Jan. 23 N.Y. Islanders, 7 p.m.
Jan. 25 N.Y. Rangers, 7 p.m.
Jan. 27 Ottawa, 7 p.m.
Jan. 29 Washington, 5 p.m.
Feb. 1 Boston, 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 10 at Columbus, 7 p.m.
Feb. 11 Columbus, 7 p.m.
Feb. 15 Chicago, 7 p.m.
Feb. 18 Montreal, 7 p.m.
Feb. 19 at Chicago, 6 p.m.
Feb. 21 at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Feb. 24 Minnesota, 7 p.m.
Feb. 26 at Seattle, 7 p.m.
March 1 at Edmonton, 8 p.m.
March 2 at Calgary, 9 p.m.
March 4 at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
March 7 at New Jersey, 7 p.m.
March 11 Edmonton, 7 p.m.
March 13 Buffalo, 7:30 p.m.
March 15 Colorado, 7 p.m.
March 17 Carolina, 7 p.m.
March 18 at Ottawa, 7 p.m.
March 21 at N.Y.I., 7:30 p.m.
March 23 at Florida, 7 p.m.
March 25 at Carolina, 7 p.m.
March 26 at Nashville, 6 p.m.
March 29 Florida, 7:30 p.m.
April 1 at Ottawa, 7 p.m.
April 2 Detroit, 7 p.m.
April 4 Columbus, 7 p.m.
April 6 at Boston, 7 p.m.
April 8 Montreal, 7 p.m.
April 10 at Florida, 7 p.m.
April 11 at Tampa Bay, 7 p.m.
April 13 at N.Y. Rangers, 7 p.m.