And Has A Schedule Ever Started Out Busier?

Speaking on the Rangers, I'm astounded at how many games they had scheduled to start the NHL season. Not only had they played two games against Tampa Bay in Prague before 26 of the 30 teams had even gotten one in, but they'll play their 9th game on Monday night... around the time that several teams will be playing their 4th! By my count, they'll have had 7 games (following the 2 overseas) in a stretch of just 11 days (Fri, Oct 10 thru Mon, Oct 20) which seems closer to a baseball schedule than a hockey one to me! The good news, of course, is that they're so far 6-1-1 after the first 8 of those 9 early games, which is a fantastic start by anyone's standard. I'm extremely relieved that they didn't conversely record a 1-6-1 start, as that'd obviously put them behind the 8-ball right off the bat. And who wants that, when you've had a killer schedule to begin the season?