2023-24 Schedule by Month: October

Month: October
Number of games: 9
First Game: October 10th
Home-Road: 6-3
Conference Breakdown: 3 vs. East/6 vs. West
vs. Metro Division: 1
Back-to-Backs: 1
Highlights: Season opener and home opener on October 10th as Sidney Crosby and Connor Bedard meet for the first time...First and only divisional game of the month against the Capitals...A very West heavy schedule for the Penguins in October with 6 games coming against the opposite conference...Plenty of home cooking for the Penguins in the opening month with six games at PPG Paints Arena including a four game homestand to close out the month.

Quick Thoughts

—When the Penguins last took the ice at home it ended in an embarrassing, season-crippling loss to the Chicago Blackhawks so this is a fitting way to begin the redemption season. First overall pick Connor Bedard will get to face his hockey idol Sidney Crosby in his very first NHL game as Penguins fans will be the first to see Bedard in NHL action. Heck of a way to start the season.

—Last season the Penguins were a dreadful 10-10-6 against Metro division and will need to improve this season if they hope to avoid the same fate. Their sole division game in October comes against the Washington Capitals on October 13th and they won’t see another Metro team until mid-November.

—October is Western Conference heavy but only one of those game is on the road and the furthest west they will have to travel is St. Louis. That changes drastically in November which we will look at next week. Enjoy the early evening starts while you can.

—Going off last season’s standings, October projects as a friendly month for the Penguins with seven of the nine games coming against teams who did not make the playoffs last year. Of course none of that matters once the puck drops.

—Despite their poor season overall last year, the Penguins were still a good home team and will have a chance to use that to their advantage early this season with a home heavy opening month that includes a four game homestand.

—On paper this is about the best schedule the Penguins could have hoped for to open the season knowing there will be more than a few new faces they will have to integrate into the team. Nothing is guaranteed in the NHL but six of nine games at home and only one divisional matchup isn’t much to complain about.

—Next Friday we will take a closer look at November where the schedule starts to ramp up in a major way for the Penguins.

Do you have any thoughts on the October schedule? Any game you are looking forward to? Let’s discuss in the comments.