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HERE’S HOW REALIGNMENT AFFECTS PITTSBURGH’S SCHEDULE…
In total, the Penguins will play regular-season games this season — 30 against their seven fellow Metropolitan Division foes; 24 games against the eight teams from the Atlantic Division; and 28 games against the 14 teams from the Western Conference.
Pittsburgh will play five games against the Philadelphia Flyers (3 home; 2 away) and Columbus Blue Jackets (2 home; 3 away), and four games (2 home; 2 away) against the other five Metropolitan Division teams.
The Penguins will play three games each against the eight teams in the Atlantic division — either two at home and one away or once at home and twice away. Teams that the Penguins will play twice at home and once away are Buffalo, Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto. Pittsburgh will play Boston, Detroit, Florida and Tampa Bay just once at home.
And finally, for the first time since the 1997-98 season, the Penguins will play each of the 14 Western Conference teams once at home and once on the road. 178 continued on page 162
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