2018-19 Minnesota Wild schedule: News and notes

ST. PAUL --On Thursday the NHL and Minnesota Wild
announced
the club's regular-season schedule for the 2018-19 campaign. The Wild will kick off the season on the road in Colorado on Oct. 4, then open Xcel Energy Center against the Western Conference-winning Vegas Golden Knights on Oct. 6 -- the only time the Knights will travel to St. Paul this season.

This year will mark the seventh time in team history the Wild starts the season with a road game and the fifth time Minnesota opens the season against the Colorado Avalanche.
RELATED: To view the Wild's full 2018-19 slate, please visit [wild.com/schedule.]
Fast-forward several months, and the Wild will end its season on the road in Dallas on April 6; its last home game will be against Boston on April 4.
In the middle, it has 78 more games to battle for points.
The Wild's longest -- and likely most difficult -- road trip comes early in the year, spanning a franchise-record seven consecutive road games and a lot of ground from Oct. 29 through Nov. 11. The team will begin the trip in the Pacific time zone, then move ahead to the Mountain time zone and Central time zone before jumping back to finish the markedly difficult California road trip, making for many hours in transit for the team and late nights for Wild fans back home.
On the flip side, Minnesota's longest homestand of the season comes in March, with five games in St. Paul. This stretch includes games against both New York teams as well as two Central Division rivals.
The Wild will also open the season by playing seven of its first 10 games on home ice. Last season, the Wild (27-6-8 at Xcel Energy Center) tied for second in the NHL with 62 home points, the second most in team history.
One place the Wild ran into trouble last season was on the tail end of back-to-back games, of which it played 15 sets. It will again have 15 back-to-backs during the coming season, with eight taking place entirely on the road.

As usual, Minnesota will face its Central Division foes most frequently, followed closely by the neighboring Pacific Division. The Wild will play the Jets and the Stars most often, with five contests apiece. Consequently, the Jets will visit Xcel Energy Center the most of any team, with three trips.
Minnesota will play four games against the remaining Central Division teams and three against each Pacific Division clubs.
The Wild's bye week will take place from Jan. 27-31, immediately following the NHL All-Star Game on Jan. 26. The final game preceding these events will be at Colorado (Jan. 23), and the team will return from its bye week with a game on the road in Dallas (Feb. 1).

Schedule notes

Home Games by Day:Mon. - 3, Tue. - 10, Wed. - 1, Thur. - 9, Fri. - 2, Sat. - 12, Sun. - 4
Road Games by Day: Mon. - 5, Tue. - 7, Wed. - 1, Thur. - 9, Fri. - 8, Sat. - 7, Sun. - 4
Home Games by Month:Oct. - 7, Nov. - 6, Dec. - 7, Jan. - 5, Feb. - 7, March - 7, April - 2
Road Games by Month:Oct. - 5, Nov. - 7, Dec. - 6, Jan. - 7, Feb. - 7, March - 8, April - 1
Games by Conference/Division
Western Conference: Central Division (26 games), Pacific Division (24 games)
Eastern Conference: Atlantic Division (16 games), Metropolitan Division (16 games)
Opponents' Visits To Minnesota (41): Anaheim-2, Arizona-2, Boston-1, Buffalo-1, Calgary-1, Carolina-1, Chicago-2, Colorado-2, Columbus-1, Dallas-2, Detroit-1, Edmonton-1, Florida-1, Los Angeles-2, Montreal-1, Nashville-2, New Jersey-1, New York Islanders-1, New York Rangers-1, Ottawa-1, Philadelphia-1, Pittsburgh-1, St. Louis-2, San Jose-2, Tampa Bay-1, Toronto-1, Vancouver-1, Vegas-1, Washington-1, Winnipeg-3
To sync the schedule to your digital calendar, click [wild.com/downloadschedule.]
Wild Visits To Road Cities (41): Anaheim-1, Arizona-1, Boston-1, Buffalo-1, Calgary-2, Carolina-1, Chicago-2, Colorado-2, Columbus-1, Dallas-3, Detroit-1, Edmonton-2, Florida-1, Los Angeles-1, Montreal-1, Nashville-2, New Jersey-1, New York Islanders-1, New York Rangers-1, Ottawa-1, Philadelphia-1, Pittsburgh-1, St. Louis-2, San Jose-1, Tampa Bay-1, Toronto-1, Vancouver-2, Vegas-2, Washington-1, Winnipeg-2
After the NHL All-Star Game (Jan. 26), Minnesota will have 32 games remaining on its schedule, including 16 home games and 16 road contests. The Wild will play 12 games against the Central Division and six contests against the Pacific Division in the Western Conference, with 14 games against Eastern Conference opponents.
Longest Homestand: Five games -- March 11-19 vs. San Jose, Dallas, New York Rangers, New York Islanders and Colorado
Longest Road Trip: Seven games (franchise record) -- Oct. 29 - Nov. 11 at Vancouver, Edmonton, St. Louis, San Jose, Los Angeles, Anaheim and St. Louis
Back-To-Back Games: 15 sets -- the Wild had 15 sets of back-to-back contests in 2017-18.
Back-to-back on road: 8
Road game followed by home game next day: 5
Back-to-back at home: 1
Home game followed by road game next day: 1
Five-Day Bye Week: Jan. 27-31
Length of Wild's 2018-19 Season: 184 days (Oct. 4-April 6). The 2017-18 season lasted 185 days.
Air miles: The Wild will travel an estimated 48,648 air miles during the 2018-19 season. Minnesota logged 44,783 air miles during the 2017-18 season.
Related:
- Wild announces 2018-19 regular-season schedule - Wild to host Vegas Golden Knights in Oct. 6 home opener - Minnesota announces 2018 preseason schedule