There are only a handful of days left in the 2022-23 NHL regular season.
All 32 clubs will have completed their regular season schedules by next Friday. There are five or fewer contests left to be played for every team and soon, the Stanley Cup playoffs will begin and half of the league will be hitting the links or the beaches.
With so few games left in the season, a Friday night would be a perfect opportunity for fans to catch their team in action before the regular season closes out. However, they will be disappointed to find out that tonight is not the night to head to the arena.
There are no games on the NHL schedule today. All 32 teams have April 7 off this year, a day that happens to also be Good Friday, the Friday before Easter.
Hockey fans are used to scratching their heads at the NHL schedule makers. From stacking games on one day to begin all at the same time, to having multiple nights throughout the week with very few contests to watch, the NHL is notorious for failing to maximize the marketing of its product.
It makes even less sense considering the lone conflict this week, the NCAA Frozen Four, has Friday as its off day. The two semifinal games were on Thursday and the national championship is on Saturday night. The NHL would not have had to worry about the NCAA taking away certain audiences from the second-to-last Friday of the regular season.
Nonetheless, fans will have to find other events tonight to watch in order to get their sports fill.
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Here is a look at why there are no NHL games being played today.
Why are there no NHL games on Friday?
The NHL has not specifically stated a reason why no games are on the schedule for Good Friday.
In the past, the league has not set aside Good Friday as an off day for all 32 clubs. Last season, there were two games scheduled on Good Friday and the year prior, there were six contests on the Friday before Easter.
However, the league occasionally has days through the regular season where there are no games. Notably, the NHL takes a three-day break for Christmas, taking off either Dec. 23 to 25 or Dec. 24 to 26.
The league resumes play tomorrow, Saturday, April 8, with every team in action. There are 16 games on the schedule, starting with the Hurricanes and Sabres games at 12:30 p.m. ET, and running late into the night with the Kings and Avalanche set to wrap up the action with a 10:30 p.m. ET puck drop.
