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Despite the official 48-game schedule not being released until the NHL players’ union ratifies the new collective bargaining agreement, sources told the Orange County Register that the Anaheim Ducks will begin their season on the road against the Vancouver Canucks.
The game is one of 13 that will take place on the NHL’s de facto opening night of Jan. 19 after a 113-day lockout delayed the start of the 2012-13 NHL season. The Ducks should open the schedule on the road because the earliest they can use the Honda Center is Jan. 23 when a DreamWorks show taking place Jan. 17-20 has the arena booked.
Anaheim finished 34-36-12 (80 points) in 2011-12 and was 5th in the Pacific Division. They were 24th out of 30 teams in goals scored with 204 and 20th in goals against. The franchise fired head coach Randy Carlyle after the team got off to 7-13-4 start last season. Bruce Boudreau then became the fastest coach in NHL history to be hired and then subsequently fired.
