Flyers 2011-12 schedule is released

As suspected from last night's report, the Flyers will begin their 2011-12 regular season in Boston, on Thursday, October 6.

That, and other treasures to be found along an 82-game circuit were revealed as the NHL unveiled its master schedule along with the individual skeds for all 30 teams.

From the club's web site:

The defending Atlantic Division champion Philadelphia Flyers will open their 45th season in the National Hockey League on Thursday, October 6 at Boston.  The home opener will take place on Wednesday, October 12 when the Flyers host the Vancouver Canucks at the Wells Fargo Center, and the 82-game season concludes on Saturday, April 7, 2012 at Pittsburgh. 

"We're looking forward to getting the 2011-12 season started," said Comcast-Spectacor President Peter Luukko. "We know our fans are just as excited as our players are to get back onto the ice."

The NHL regular season schedule format still sees each Club play the teams in its own division a total of six times (three times at home; three times on the road) and a total of 24 division matchups. The Flyers compete in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference along with the New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins. The Flyers posted a 17-4-3 record against teams in the Atlantic Division in 2010-11, which was the second-best record in the NHL for a team against the other teams in its own division.  The Flyers were also 38-18-8 against the Eastern Conference last year, which tied for the fourth-best record in the NHL for a  team against the other teams in its own conference.

The Flyers will also face off in four games (twice at home; twice on the road) against the remaining 10 non-division teams in the Eastern Conference, which consist of the five teams in the Northeast Division (Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs) and five teams in the Southeast Division (Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Washington Capitals and the recently relocated Winnipeg franchise).

The remaining 18 games make up the team’s slate against the Western Conference.  The Flyers will play a home-and-home series with three Western Conference foes this year – Nashville, Phoenix and Detroit – and will play a single game against 12 other Western Conference opponents. 

Find the whole megillah over here.