Blue Jackets have Dec. 31 date

COLUMBUS (AP) -- The Blue Jackets will host the Chicago Blackhawks on New Year's Eve, the fifth time in the franchise's six years that it has played at home on Dec. 31.
The Blue Jackets also enjoy their longest homestand ever when they play six games in a row at Nationwide Arena, starting with Phoenix on Feb. 6 and ending with a rare showdown against Montreal on Feb. 18.
The Blue Jackets said Wednesday that they will open the season Oct. 6 against Vancouver, marking the fourth time they have started the season at home.
The Blue Jackets finish the regular season with home games on April 5 and April 7 against Dallas and Anaheim, respectively. Before that, they play home and away with the Detroit Red Wings on April 1 and April 3.
Once again, the NHL schedule is heavy on division rivalries, with each team playing four games at home and away against each division opponent, four games against 10 non-division rivals and 10 inter-conference games.
In addition to the Canadians, the Blue Jackets will host Boston, Buffalo, Ottawa and Toronto.
The club also announced its preseason schedule, starting with a home game on Sept. 17 against Nashville and finishing with a match on the road against the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes on Sept. 29.
The Hurricanes play at Columbus on Sept. 24.