When Will Game 1 Against Winnipeg Start? It Depends *Updated

Much hinges on how Vegas and L.A. do tonight

First off, who did the NHL schedule this year? Why did we have such a long break this week before the final regular-season game tonight, followed by what could be a Game 1 only 48 hours later?

This is presuming the Avs start their first-round series Saturday in Winnipeg, though it might not be that day at all. The league will announce the full Western schedule at some point tonight. The full Eastern schedule has already been announced, and the NHL always likes to have a Canadian doubleheader if they can for a Saturday night, and this year there are several Canadian teams in the playoffs, not just the Jets.

Toronto at Boston is your first game Saturday night, at 6 p.m. Mountain. But as of yet, there is no second half of a Canadian doubleheader slated for Saturday night. It could be Avs and Jets, or it could be a game between Edmonton and Vegas, or it could be a game between Edmonton and Los Angeles, depending how Vegas and L.A. do in their final game tonight.

*UPDATE: Just as I published this, I was told by a couple of good sources that Games 1 and 2 against Winnipeg will be Sunday-Tuesday.