B's home opener may be Jan. 21 matinee against Leafs

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While details are still being hashed out between the lawyers for both the NHL and the NHLPA as they put the CBA into a written memorandum of understanding form that will last for a 48-game regular season, the news about the upcoming Bruins schedule is beginning to firm up.
CBCs Elliotte Friedman reported on Sunday night that each of the 30 NHL teams have received a memo from the league indicated that training camp should open no earlier than Saturday and that the shortened 2013 regular season should kick off on Jan. 19. The shortened NHL training will be roughly seven days, with 3-5 invites from the Providence Bruinsjunior hockey. The only exhibition is likely to be a scrimmage against the P-Bruins toward the end of camp.
A couple of NHL players indicated that the paperwork likely wont be ready for NHLPA approval until Thursday, and that could keep them away from their regular NHL practice facilities until then.
As previously reported on numerous occasions, the 48-game regular season will consist of seven games against divisional opponents and home-and-home contests against each of the other 10 Eastern Conference opponents. There will likely be no cross-conference games during the shortened season, which should make for an interesting Stanley Cup Finals.
For the Bruins it would appear that the schedule will remain the same as it originally was for at least their first few games. The Black and Gold are expected to open their season playing the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre on Jan. 19 and will hold their home opener at the Garden against Phil Kessel and the Toronto Maple Leafs in an MLK Day matinee on Jan. 21.
Despite all of the legalities surrounding the opening of the NHL season, Bruins president Cam Neely weighed in with a statement pointing toward the excitement of dropping the puck on NHL hockey at TD Garden.
We are all very excited that the NHL and the NHLPA have reached a tentative agreement, and we look forward to dropping the puck and playing Bruins hockey in front of our fans at the TD Garden soon, said Neely.

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