Aug 14, 2007, 22:10 GMT
New York, NY - The National Hockey League announced its preseason slate for the upcoming 2007-2008 campaign on Tuesday.
The 107-game schedule begins September 13 and ends September 30, and has a distinctly international flavor.
The first two exhibition games are a home-and-home set between Southern California rivals the Los Angeles Kings and the defending Stanley Cup champion Anaheim Ducks on the 13th at Honda Center in Anaheim and on the 15th at Staples Center in LA.
Both teams will open the regular season with a two-game series at the new O2 Arena in London, England. It will be the first regular-season NHL games played in Europe.
The Kings will also play exhibitions in Austria and Sweden on September 25 and 26.
Four contests on September 16 kick off the remaining portion of the preseason, and two games on September 17 will be played outside NHL markets, as the Flyers-Devils tilt takes place in Trenton, New Jersey while the Thrashers-Islanders matchup moves to Thunder Bay, Ontario.
Ten more games will be played outside league cities, in locations such as Grand Forks, North Dakota; Las Vegas; Bridgeport, Connecticut; Halifax, Nova Scotia and Winnipeg, Manitoba.
The North American portion of the 2007-2008 NHL regular season commences Wednesday October 3.
© 2007 The Sports Network
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