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BUFFALO — The Buffalo Sabres and the National Hockey League today announced the team’s 2015-16 regular-season schedule. Among the highlights of the schedule are the team’s 10 afternoon games at First Niagara Center in 2015-16, including seven Saturday games with a 1 p.m. faceoff.

The Sabres open their season at home on Oct. 8 against the Ottawa Senators in the first of three consecutive home games, marking Buffalo’s longest home stand of the season. Two days later, the team will host the reigning Eastern Conference champions, as the Tampa Bay Lightning visit First Niagara Center for Buffalo’s first of 10 afternoon home games in 2015-16.

Following another afternoon home game on Columbus Day (Oct. 12) against the Columbus Blue Jackets, the team will head to Florida and Tampa Bay for their first two road games of the season. With two more home dates against divisional rivals (Toronto and Montreal) immediately following the Florida trip, the Sabres will face Atlantic Division opponents in six of the team’s first seven games.

After opening the season with three straight home games, the Sabres have six more three-game home stands throughout the season, the next of which occurs from Oct. 21 to 24. The longest stretch of away games for the team is also three, with the first of four such road trips taking place from Dec. 6 to 10 in Western Canada.

Other highlights from the Sabres’ 2015-16 home schedule:

• 22 total weekend home games (nine Fridays; 11 Saturdays; two Sundays)
• Three holiday home games (Columbus Day; Thanksgiving Eve; New Year’s Eve)
• Two home games against Toronto (Oct. 21, Mar. 31)
• Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks visit Buffalo Dec. 19

The full season schedule follows:

1. Thursday October 8 OTTAWA 7 p.m.
2. Saturday October 10 TAMPA BAY 1 p.m. 
3. Monday October 12 COLUMBUS 3 p.m. 
4. Thursday October 15 at Florida 7:30 p.m. 
5. Saturday October 17 at Tampa Bay 7 p.m. 
6. Wednesday October 21 TORONTO 7 p.m. 
7. Friday October 23 MONTREAL 7 p.m. 
8. Saturday October 24 NEW JERSEY 7 p.m. 
9. Tuesday October 27 at Philadelphia 7 p.m. 
10. Thursday October 29 at Pittsburgh 7 p.m. 
11. Friday October 30 PHILADELPHIA 7 p.m. 
12. Sunday November 1 at NY Islanders 7:30 p.m. 
13. Thursday November 5 TAMPA BAY 7 p.m. 
14. Saturday November 7 VANCOUVER 1 p.m. 
15. Tuesday November 10 at Tampa Bay 7:30 p.m. 
16. Thursday November 12 at Florida 7:30 p.m. 
17. Saturday November 14 SAN JOSE 7 p.m. 
18. Tuesday November 17 DALLAS 7 p.m. 
19. Thursday November 19 at St. Louis 8 p.m. 
20. Saturday November 21 at Dallas 8 p.m. 
21. Monday November 23 ST. LOUIS 7 p.m. 
22. Wednesday November 25 NASHVILLE 7 p.m. 
23. Friday November 27 CAROLINA 7 p.m. 
24. Saturday November 28 at Nashville 8 p.m. 
25. Tuesday December 1 at Detroit 7:30 p.m. 
26. Friday December 4 ARIZONA 7 p.m. 
27. Sunday December 6 at Edmonton 8 p.m. 
28. Monday December 7 at Vancouver 10 p.m. 
29. Thursday December 10 at Calgary 9 p.m. 
30. Saturday December 12 LOS ANGELES 7 p.m. 
31. Monday December 14 at Detroit 7:30 p.m. 
32. Tuesday December 15 NEW JERSEY 7 p.m. 
33. Thursday December 17 ANAHEIM 7 p.m. 
34. Saturday December 19 CHICAGO 1 p.m. 
35. Saturday December 26 at Boston 7 p.m. 
36. Monday December 28 WASHINGTON 7 p.m. 
37. Wednesday December 30 at Washington 7 p.m. 
38. Thursday December 31 NY ISLANDERS 6 p.m. 
39. Saturday January 2 DETROIT 1 p.m. 
40. Tuesday January 5 FLORIDA 7 p.m. 
41. Friday January 8 at Chicago 8:30 p.m. 
42. Sunday January 10 at Winnipeg 3 p.m. 
43. Tuesday January 12 at Minnesota 8 p.m. 
44. Friday January 15 BOSTON 7 p.m. 
45. Saturday January 16 WASHINGTON 7 p.m. 
46. Monday January 18 at Arizona 10 p.m. 
47. Wednesday January 20 at Colorado 10 p.m. 
48. Friday January 22 DETROIT 7 p.m. 
49. Monday January 25 at NY Rangers 7 p.m. 
50. Tuesday January 26 at Ottawa 7:30 p.m. 
51. Wednesday February 3 at Montreal 7 p.m. 
52. Thursday February 4 BOSTON 7 p.m. 
53. Saturday February 6 at Boston 7 p.m. 
54. Tuesday February 9 FLORIDA 7 p.m. 
55. Thursday February 11 at Philadelphia 7 p.m. 
56. Friday February 12 MONTREAL 7 p.m. 
57. Sunday February 14 COLORADO 12:30 p.m. 
58. Tuesday February 16 at Ottawa 7:30 p.m. 
59. Friday February 19 at Columbus 7 p.m. 
60. Sunday February 21 PITTSBURGH 12:30 p.m. 
61. Wednesday February 24 at Anaheim 10:30 p.m. 
62. Friday February 26 at San Jose 10:30 p.m. 
63. Saturday February 27 at Los Angeles 11 p.m. 
64. Tuesday March 1 EDMONTON 7 p.m. 
65. Thursday March 3 CALGARY 7 p.m. 
66. Saturday March 5 MINNESOTA 1 p.m. 
67. Monday March 7 at Toronto 7:30 p.m. 
68. Tuesday March 8 NY RANGERS 7 p.m. 
69. Thursday March 10 at Montreal 7:30 p.m. 
70. Saturday March 12 CAROLINA 1 p.m. 
71. Wednesday March 16 MONTREAL 7 p.m. 
72. Friday March 18 OTTAWA 7 p.m. 
73. Saturday March 19 at Toronto 7 p.m. 
74. Tuesday March 22 at Carolina 7 p.m. 
75. Saturday March 26 WINNIPEG 1 p.m. 
76. Monday March 28 at Detroit 7:30 p.m. 
77. Tuesday March 29 at Pittsburgh 7 p.m. 
78. Thursday March 31 TORONTO 7 p.m. 
79. Saturday April 2 at NY Rangers 7 p.m. 
80. Tuesday April 5 at New Jersey 7 p.m. 
81. Friday April 8 COLUMBUS 7 p.m. 
82. Saturday April 9 at NY Islanders 7:30 p.m.

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