Club also releases 8-game pre-season schedule

OTTAWA - For the second consecutive season, the Ottawa Senators will open their regular-season schedule on the road against the Toronto Maple Leafs. With the NHL releasing today the complete 2006-07 schedule, the Senators will travel to Toronto to open the club's 15th season on Wednesday, Oct. 4. The Senators will then welcome the Maple Leafs to Scotiabank Place the following evening, Thursday, Oct. 5, at 7 p.m. The 2006-07 calendar wraps up in Boston against the Bruins on Saturday, April 7.

The Senators also announced its eight-game pre-season schedule, featuring the Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Senators will play eight regular-season games against each of its Northeast Division rivals and four games against its other Eastern Conference opponents. Against Western Conference teams, the Senators will face the Northwest Division (Calgary Flames, Colorado Avalanche, Edmonton Oilers, Minnesota Wild and Vancouver Canucks) at Scotiabank Place and the Central Division clubs (Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings, Nashville Predators and St. Louis Blues) on the road. The Senators will not play against Pacific Division teams (Anaheim Ducks, Dallas Stars, Los Angeles Kings, Phoenix Coyotes and San Jose Sharks).

The regular-season home schedule features 27 games from Thursday to Sunday as follows: Thursday (11), Friday (2), Saturday (13) and Sunday (1). The early weekday games feature three on Mondays, seven on Tuesdays and four on Wednesdays.

All weekend home games will again be played at 7 p.m. All weekday home games will see 7:30 p.m. face-offs with the exception of the season home-opener against Toronto on Thursday, Oct. 6, which has a 7 p.m. start.

The Senators play four home afternoon games, all in the first two weeks of the new year and all with 2 p.m. start times. On New Year's Day, Monday, Jan. 1, Ottawa welcomes the Atlanta Thrashers. Saturday, Jan. 6, sees Martin Brodeur and the New Jersey Devils at Scotiabank Place followed by a visit from the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday, Jan. 7 - the only home back-to-back games of the season. The Senators will then host the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday, Jan. 13, as part of CBC's Hockey Day in Canada.

While January is the team's busiest home schedule with 10 of 13 meetings at Scotiabank Place, the Senators are on the road the most in November for 10 out of 15 games. The Senators play a total of 11 games in October, 15 in November, 14 in December, 13 in January, 11 in February, another 15 in March and three in April to round out the 82-game schedule.

Other home-schedule highlights for 2006-07:
- Martin Gerber's former team, and the 2006 Stanley Cup champions, Carolina Hurricanes first visit the Senators on Saturday, Nov. 4.
- former Senator Zdeno Chara returns to Scotiabank with the Boston Bruins on Tuesday, Dec. 19
- in the first half of the season, the Senators will play 18 home games and 23 on the road.
- the second half of the season kicks off with Game 42 against the Buffalo Sabres at Scotiabank Place on Wednesday, Jan. 3.

2006-07 Ottawa Senators pre-season schedule
Tuesday, Sept. 19 - Ottawa vs Pittsburgh in Halifax
Wednesday, Sept. 20 - Toronto vs Ottawa at Scotiabank Place
Friday, Sept. 22 - Buffalo vs Ottawa at Scotiabank Place
Saturday, Sept. 23 - Ottawa vs Philadelphia at the Wachovia Center
Sunday, Sept. 24 - Toronto vs Ottawa in Halifax
Wednesday, Sept. 27 - Ottawa vs Toronto at the Air Canada Centre
Thursday, Sept. 28 - Montreal vs Ottawa at Scotiabank Place
Saturday, Sept. 30 - Ottawa vs Montreal at the Bell Centre

2006-07 Ottawa Senators regular-season schedule (all times Eastern)
Wed., Oct. 4 at Toronto, 7:30 p.m.
Thur., Oct. 5 Toronto, 7 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 7 Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Thur., Oct. 12 Calgary, 7:30 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 14 at Montreal, 7 p.m.
Thur., Oct. 19 Colorado, 7:30 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 21 New Jersey, 7 p.m.
Tue., Oct. 24 at Toronto, 7:30 p.m.
Thur., Oct. 26 Toronto, 7:30 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 28 at Boston, 7 p.m.
Tue., Oct. 31 at Montreal, 7:30 p.m.
Sat., Nov. 4 Carolina, 7 p.m.
Mon., Nov. 6 at Washington, 7 p.m.
Wed., Nov. 8 at Atlanta, 7 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 10 at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m.
Sat., Nov. 11 at Boston, 7 p.m.
Mon., Nov. 13 Montreal, 7:30 p.m.
Wed., Nov. 15 at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 17 at New Jersey, 7:30 p.m.
Sat., Nov. 18 Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Mon., Nov. 20 Minnesota, 7:30 p.m.
Wed., Nov. 22 at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 24 at Florida, 7:30 p.m.
Sun., Nov. 26 at Tampa Bay, 5 p.m.
Tue., Nov. 28 at Carolina, 7 p.m.
Thur., Nov. 30 Florida, 7:30 p.m.
Sat., Dec. 2 Tampa Bay, 7 p.m.
Tue., Dec. 5 at N.Y. Islanders, 7:30 p.m.
Wed., Dec. 6 at Washington, 7 p.m.
Sat., Dec. 9 N.Y. Rangers, 7 p.m.
Sun., Dec. 10 at Columbus, 6 p.m.
Tue., Dec. 12 at Detroit, 7:30 p.m.
Thur., Dec. 14 at Nashville, 8 p.m.
Sat., Dec. 16 at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Tue., Dec. 19 Boston, 7:30 p.m.
Thur., Dec. 21 Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m.
Sat., Dec. 23 at Philadelphia, 1 p.m.
Wed., Dec. 27 N.Y. Islanders, 7:30 p.m.
Fri., Dec. 29 N.Y. Rangers, 7:30 p.m.
Sat., Dec. 30 at Toronto, 7 p.m.
Mon., Jan. 1 Atlanta, 2 p.m.
Wed., Jan. 3 Buffalo, 7:30 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 6 New Jersey, 2 p.m.
Sun., Jan. 7 Philadelphia, 2 p.m.
Tue., Jan. 9 Boston, 7:30 p.m.
Thur., Jan. 11 at N.Y. Rangers, 7 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 13 Montreal, 2 p.m.
Tue., Jan. 16 Washington, 7:30 p.m.
Thur., Jan. 18 Vancouver, 7:30 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 20 at Boston, 7 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 27 Boston, 7 p.m.
Mon., Jan. 29 at Montreal, 7:30 p.m.
Tue., Jan. 30 Washington, 7:30 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 3 Toronto, 7 p.m.
Wed., Feb. 7 at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Thur., Feb. 8 Montreal, 7:30 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 10 at Montreal, 7 p.m.
Wed., Feb. 14 Florida, 7:30 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 17 Atlanta, 7 p.m.
Tue., Feb. 20 Edmonton, 7:30 p.m.
Thur., Feb. 22 at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 24 Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Tue., Feb. 27 at Carolina, 7 p.m.
Wed., Feb. 28 Carolina, 7:30 p.m.
Fri., March 2 at Atlanta, 7:30 p.m.
Sun., March 4 at Chicago, 3 p.m.
Tue., March 6 Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m.
Thur., March 8 Toronto, 7:30 p.m.
Sat., March 10 at Toronto, 7 p.m.
Tue., March 13 at N.Y. Rangers, 7 p.m.
Thur., March 15 N.Y. Islanders, 7:30 p.m.
Sat., March 17 Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
Sun., March 18 at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m.
Tue., March 20 at St. Louis, 8 p.m.
Thur., March 22 at Florida, 7:30 p.m.
Sat., March 24 at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m.
Tue., March 27 Boston, 7:30 p.m.
Fri., March 30 Montreal, 7:30 p.m.
Sat., March 31 at N.Y. Islanders, 7 p.m.
Tue., April 3 at New Jersey, 7:30 p.m.
Thur., April 5 Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m.
Sat., April 7 at Boston, 7 p.m.
 

- 30 -