The Canes finally have a regular-season schedule from the NHL.
The team announced Saturday night that it will open the 48-game season at Florida on Jan. 19. The Canes will host their home opener at PNC Arena on Tuesday, Jan. 22, against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Canes will face Washington and Tampa Bay five times each in the Southeast Division. They'll play Winnipeg and Florida four times each.
Pittsburgh fans will have a long wait before welcoming back Jordan Staal. The former Pens center, traded to Carolina in June, and the Canes don't go to Pittsburgh until the April 27 season finale.
The Hurricanes will face nine sets of back-to-back games -- the first a home-and-home with the Buffalo Sabres on Jan. 24 in Raleigh and Jan. 25 in Buffalo. Carolina’s longest road swing comes in February, when it will play six consecutive games away from PNC Arena from Feb. 2-12.
Single-game tickets for all 24 Hurricanes home games will go on sale to at 10 a.m. on Jan. 16 at the PNC Arena Box Office, via all Ticketmaster locations, by phone and online. Season-ticket holders will have access to purchase single-game tickets before the general public via an online Caniac Account Manager presale beginning on Jan. 15 at 10 a.m.
Upon entry to the home opener, all fans will receive a Hurricanes wall flag courtesy of PNC. Once inside PNC Arena, Hurricanes alumni and Stanley Cup champions Cory Stillman and Aaron Ward will sign autographs for fans on the north end of the main concourse from 6-6:45 p.m.
Opening night also will feature “Top Shelf Gifts” at every whistle stop, as more than $50,000 of premium tickets, merchandise and fan experiences will be given away. Fans can buy $1 hot dogs, popcorn and sodas at the team’s first two home games (Jan. 22 and Jan. 24), and all merchandise at The Eye team store will be discounted 50 percent from Jan. 13-24.
The team will have three three-game home stands during the season, and of the team’s 24 home games, 16 fall on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
A Raleigh native, Chip has worked at the N&O since 1979 and is the Canes beat writer. He can be reached at