The Rangers have presumably been thinking about the 2023-24 season for longer than they would’ve liked to, after they bowed out of the first round of the playoffs nearly two months ago.
Now, they have the regular-season roadmap for their next campaign to win the Stanley Cup.
To open next season, the Rangers will start with two games on the road.
They venture to Buffalo on Oct. 12 before facing the Blue Jackets in Columbus two days later.
Of their first 10 opponents, the Rangers face only three teams (the Kraken, Oilers and Hurricanes) who competed in the most recent postseason.
The Rangers were chosen to participate in the NHL’s Stadium Series at MetLife Stadium, where they will take on the Islanders on Sunday, Feb. 18, at 3 p.m.
This is relatively soon after the All-Star break, when the Rangers will not play from Jan. 28-Feb. 4.
All-Star Weekend will be hosted by Toronto from Feb. 2-3.
Getting their longest road trip of the season out of the way early, the Rangers will head out west to play the Kraken, Flames, Oilers, Canucks and Jets from Oct. 21-30.
They have just two other longer stretches on the road, in late November and late January. Both of which are four-city swings.
All four of the Rangers’ meetings with the Islanders are in the second half of the season.
The first time the teams meet will be at the Stadium Series, while the final three are packed into the regular-season’s final five weeks.
Those contests could have some serious playoff implications and make for some riveting competition.
Only one Rangers-Islanders game will take place at UBS Arena, however.
The Rangers play the Devils for the first time since they were eliminated in seven games in Round 1 on Nov. 18 at Prudential Center.
That’s a game that should be circled on the Rangers’ calendar.
Islanders get taste of home to start season
The Islanders’ 2023-24 schedule was officially released on Tuesday, starting with a home date against the Sabres on Oct. 14 and ending with the Penguins visiting UBS Arena on April 17.
The Post offers some quick takes on the 82-game marathon:
Home warriors
Two years after starting the season with a 13-game road trip, the Islanders will go almost a month before their first multi-game road trip, which is Nov. 13-18 in Edmonton, Vancouver, Seattle and Calgary. The Islanders have one-game trips to Buffalo, Columbus, Washington and Boston, but those will be their only four road games in the first 13 matches.
Mistake rectified
The last of three Rangers-Islanders matchups last season took place in December; this year, the first of four will happen at MetLife Stadium on Feb. 18.
Nevertheless, because the Rangers cannot be the home team at any venue other than Madison Square Garden due to their tax status, this will be the second straight year with just one Battle of New York home date for the Islanders.
Tough stretches
As payback for the home-heavy start to the season, the Islanders will spend much of the back end on the road.
January includes two week-long trips while February and March feature multiple swings to the Midwest and a week on the road in California and Buffalo.
