Breakdown of the 2024-25 New Jersey Devils Regular Season Schedule

The NHL and its teams released their 2024-25 regular season schedule today. This post breaks down the games by day, month, back-to-backs (just 12!), and highlights some notable dates in the New Jersey Devils 2024-25 schedule.

At noon, the NHL released the full 2024-25 regular season schedule. Some dates for the New Jersey Devils were already known. Such as their season opener being in Prague for a back-to-back set with the Buffalo Sabres on October 4. Home openers came out on July 1, so we knew the Devils’ first game in Newark would be on October 10 against Toronto. As well as a game in Washington D.C. on October 12 as the opponent in the Capitals’ home opener. The other 78 games were revealed today. As with the past few seasons, it came with Dougie Hamilton Professor Douglas D. Admin highlighting parts of the schedule.

Magisterial. Let us go through the schedule for this coming season in more detail.

The 2024-25 Regular Season Schedule by Day

Tradition tells us who you are. The NHL schedule makers continue the tradition of the busiest days of the week being Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Well, they evened out Tuesday and Thursdays but bulked up on Saturdays. Here is a count by day of the week compared with last season.

• Sundays – 9 games: 5 home games, 4 road games, no change in total from last season
• Mondays – 10 games: 5 home games, 5 road games, +4 total from last season
• Tuesdays – 12 games – 5 home games, 7 road games, -3 total from last season
• Wednesdays – 8 games – 4 home games, 4 road games, +1 total from last season
• Thursdays – 13 games – 7 home games, 6 road games, -2 total from last season
• Fridays – 9 games – 5 home games, 3 road games, 1 in Prague, -2 total from last season
• Saturdays – 21 games – 9 home games, 11 road games, 1 in Prague, +3 total from last season

The schedule is definitely more Saturday heavy with a big jump in Monday games. Four more Monday nights compared with last season. Not sure I quite understand that rationale. It is one thing to make the weeknights a big more even. Except that was not quite done as Tuesdays and Thursdays remain at the top. I know Amazon Prime Video is starting a new Monday-night specific broadcast for Canada this season. But the Devils play just one (1) Canadian team on Monday nights this season: Edmonton on November 4. So it cannot be that.

The 2024-25 Regular Season Schedule of Game Times

As far as game times go, the Devils’ own schedule release answers that for us. Most home games will be at 7 PM ET. Approximately 28 games of the home games will start then. Here are the exceptions:

• The Saturday, October 5 game, which is designated as a home game for New Jersey even though it is in Czechia, has a 10 AM start time in the Eastern Time Zone.
• There are seven afternoon matinees: six 1 PM start times including a terrible Monday, October 14 time against Utah (it is not a holiday most people get off for, stop requesting this!) and one 12:30 PM start time on Saturday, January 18 against the Second Rate Rivals.
• Saturday, February 22 against Dallas starts at 6 PM.
• The NHL is having all 16 teams play on Tuesday, October 22 with staggered start times for all 16 games. The Devils are staggered just by 15 minutes earlier at 6:45 PM.
• Lastly, three games have a 7:30 PM start time: Wednesday, January 22 against Boston, Monday, March 24 against Vancouver; and the season ender on Wednesday, April 16 against Detroit. I wonder if they are already tabbed for national television broadcasts. Those schedules have not been announced yet. Expect to see some Devils games on there. People do pay to see The Big Deal.

All together, that is 13 home games (or 12 home games and 1 in Prague) outside of the 7 PM start time.

What about road games? Most are at 7 PM ET as well, but with some more exceptions due to time zones.

• Again, the season opener in Prague will start at 1 PM ET on Friday, October 4. A later game in Buffalo on Sunday, February 2 also has a 1 PM ET start time.
• The Western Canadian Road Trip from October 30 through November 4 has 10:30 PM (Vancouver), 9:00 PM (Calgary), and 8:30 PM (Edmonton) start times.
• Saturday, November 9 in Long Island has a 7:30 PM ET start time.
• A trip to St. Louis yields an 8 PM ET start time on Tuesday, December 17.
• A trip to Montreal yields a 1 PM ET start time on Saturday, February 8.
• A trip to Nashville yields a 6 PM ET start time on Sunday, February 23. That starts a trip with game times at 9:30 PM (Colorado), 9 PM (Utah), and 8 PM (Las Vegas and Dallas) from February 23 to March 4.
• Black Friday is in Detroit with a 3 PM ET start time.
• The California Trip is kind in that it is at 8 PM ET (Anaheim), 6 PM ET (Los Angeles), and 4 PM ET (San Jose). It does run from December 31 through January 4, though. Seattle is less kind; it is a 10 PM ET start on Monday, January 6. Note: These four road games are bookended by two others. This is part of the team’s longest trip this season.
• The Second Rate Rivals will host New Jersey at 1 PM ET on Sunday, March 9.
• Pittsburgh will host the Devils at 3 PM on Saturday, March 15.
• The last road trip runs from March 26 through March 29 with times of 7:30 PM (Chicago), 8 PM (Winnipeg), and 6 PM (Minnesota)

Out of the 41 road games (or 40 if you’re excluding Prague), 20 will be starting at 7 PM. That is just under half. All the more reason to check the schedule when the Devils are away from home so you do not miss anything.

The 2024-25 Regular Season Schedule by Month

Unlike last season, the Devils will be busy right from the get-go. They will head to Prague, come back for four days off, and then jump right into 11 games for the next 21 days. There is relief in the schedule in the middle, though.

• October – 13 games – 6 home, 5 road, 2 in Prague, 3 back-to-back sets
• November – 14 games, 6 home, 8 road, 2 back-to-back sets
• December – 13 games – 8 home, 5 road, 2 back-to-back sets (one goes into January)
• January – 13 games – 6 home, 7 road, 1 back-to-back set
• February – 7 games – 2 home, 5 road, 1 back-to-back set
• March – 16 games – 7 home, 9 road, 2 back-to-back sets
• April – 6 games – 5 home, 1 road, 1 back-to-back set

The league as a whole will break from February 9 through February 21 for the 4 Nations Face-Off. Which will have seven games played from February 12 through 20. Any Devils involved will certainly not be resting much in that time period.

Still, by month, you can see the grind of the season around that February. The January 2025 schedule has no breaks longer than two days in their games. It opens on the West Coast and while the travel is largely local after, the games just keep happening. Even February before the break is four games in seven days. The March 2025 schedule is brutal with trips (Utah, Las Vegas, Dallas) to start and nearly end (Chicago, Winnipeg, Minnesota) the month. Like January, there are no breaks longer than two days. At least Fridays were off in January. Not so in March. The follow up from that gauntlet is a final month of mostly staying at home.

The 2024-25 Regular Season Schedule by Back to Back Sets

The Devils, who benefit from having four opponents close by in terms of travel, tend to get more back-to-back sets to compensate. 16 is around what they normally get and they got that last season. One of the major takeaways of this season’s schedule is that there are only 12 of these sets. That is very favorable for the Devils. The 12, though, are not exactly easy if only for when they happen.

• Friday, October 4 & Saturday, October 5 against Buffalo in Prague. This is the season opener.
• Monday, October 14 vs. Utah & Tuesday, October 15 at Carolina
• Thursday, October 24 at Detroit & Friday, October 25 vs. Islanders
• Saturday, November 9 at Islanders & Sunday, November 10 vs. San Jose
• Friday, November 29 at Detroit & Saturday, November 30 vs. Washington
• Friday, December 27 vs. Carolina & Saturday, December 28 at Carolina
• Tuesday, December 31 at Anaheim & Wednesday, January 1 at Los Angeles
• Saturday, January 18 vs. Philadelphia & Sunday, January 19 vs. Ottawa
• Saturday, February 22 vs. Dallas & Sunday, February 23 at Nashville
• Saturday, March 1 at Utah & Sunday, March 2 at Las Vegas
• Saturday, March 28 at Winnipeg & Sunday, March 29 at Minnesota
• Tuesday, April 15 at Boston & Wednesday, April 16 vs. Detroit

The timing for some of these are pretty rough. The Devils are opening and closing their regular season with back-to-back sets. They will follow Thanksgiving with a back-to-back set. As well as the Christmas break with a home-and-home with Carolina (only one of its kind this season). A home-and-home that ends with the start of the team’s longest road trip of the season. The Devils will see off 2024 and ring in 2025 with a back-to-back set. They will return from the 4 Nations break with a back-to-back set. They will open their super-busy March with a back-to-back set. And nearly end it with a three-game-in-four-night trip. Do not misunderstand me. It is generous and a positive that the Devils only have 12 of these sets compared with 16 (or more) in the past. The timing of some of them will remind some on and off the ice how tough they can be.

Incidentally, the Devils will play both of their games against Utah in back-to-back sets. As well as all three of their games against Detroit. They will play three out of their four games against Carolina in back-to-backs too. The only Metropolitan Division teams the Devils do not see in one of these sets are Pittsburgh, Columbus, and Our Hated Rivals. Coincidence? I think so.

The 2024-25 Regular Season Schedule in Terms of Notable Dates

The schedule has additional things of note. Some were covered in the Devils’ own release, such as the longest trip being a six-game trip from December 28 through January 9 with California and Seattle bookended by Carolina and Our Hated Rivals. Needless to say, you should keep that in mind if you are gifting someone tickets to a Devils game. As well as the fact that Lindy Ruff and the Buffalo Sabres will not be coming to the Rock this season. The non-Czechia game is on February 2 in Buffalo. Here are some other notable dates that I think may be worth your interest:

Here are some other days of note on the 2023-24 schedule that you may or may not want to circle on your calendar. As ever, times are subject to change as needed:

• Season Opener in New Jersey: October 10 vs. Toronto. This will be hyped up as Sheldon Keefe coaches against his former organization for the first time. I will be hoping Matt Murray does not conveniently have his goalposts moved on him. Please do not throw things on the ice either way. (Other games against Toronto include December 10 in Newark and January 16 in Toronto, commence the whining out of Toronto about how Keefe comes back for one but not two games.)
• My Predicted Worst Home Attendance: October 14 vs. Utah. Not only does the “new” team carry the Arizona non-hype with them, this is an afternoon game on a non-holiday Monday. No, John Marino’s return to the Rock will not draw a lot.
• Brett Pesce’s & Stefan Noesen’s Former Team Games: October 15 in Raleigh, November 21 in Newark, December 27 in Newark, December 28 in Raleigh
• Brenden Dillon’s Most Recent Former Team Games: March 7 in Newark, March 28 in Winnipeg
• Tomas Tatar’s Most Recent Former Teams Games: December 6 against Seattle, December 8 against Colorado, January 6 in Seattle, and February 26 in Denver.
• Jacob Markstrom’s Former Team Games: November 1 in Calgary, March 20 in Newark.
• Alex Holtz Returns: February 6, March 2 is in Las Vegas
• Travis Green Returns: January 19 and March 22. The October 17 game is in Ottawa.
• The Hughes Bowls: October 30 in Vancouver, March 24 in Newark.
• The Last Original Opponent: Minnesota. Devils do not see them until March 29 in Minneapolis-St. Paul. This is also their final road game against a Western Conference opponent. Their second game against them is in Newark on March 31. Also their last Western Conference opponent of the season.
• Our Hated Rivals Dates: December 23 and April 5 at the Rock. December 2 and January 9 at the World’s Most Overrated Arena.
• Second Rate Rivals Dates: January 18 and January 29 in Newark, January 27 and March 9 in Philly.
• The Islanders Dates: October 25 in Newark, November 9 in Belmont, April 13 in Newark
• The Champions: Devils in Sunrise on November 12 and November 14; Devils hosting Florida on January 14

Expect to pay attention to some dates in the future. Theme nights are yet to be announced and I know some are really into some of those. I think they are fun. If anything, the Devils staff could lift a finger and just write on their website what they are instead of the bigger ones they want to promote. But that is a topic I will repeat later on in the season.

Your Take

The Devils do get a big favor in the schedule through 12 back-to-back sets instead of 16 from last season. The timing for some of them are inconvenient but back-to-back sets are rarely welcomed in the season. It is a bit odd that Buffalo is not coming to the Rock at all. And that both Winnipeg and Minnesota are unknown to the Devils until March 2025. And that February is in between two rough months. With 12 back-to-back sets (and dare I suggest a favorable April schedule too), though, I am not complaining too loudly.

Now that you read this breakdown, I want to know what you think. What do you think of the Devils’ 2024-25 schedule overall? What traits about this season’s schedule do you like and dislike? Which dates are you looking forward to? Please leave your answers and other thoughts about the Devils’ schedule for this coming season. Thank you for reading.