Shea Weber will lead the Nashville Predators through a brutal schedule. (PHOTO: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports)

The Nashville Predators schedule has been released for the 2013 NHL season. With 48 games in three and a half months, there’s hardly going to a break between now and the playoffs. Here’s a month-by-month glance at the Preds’ schedule.

2013 Nashville Predators Schedule

January

Former Pred Ryan Suter faces his old team in the third game of the season. (PHOTO: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports)

After opening at home against Columbus and St. Louis – one of five times they’ll see the Blue Jackets – the Preds will spend the rest of the month on a 7-game Western road trip that runs into the beginning of February. The first of those will be in Minnesota against the departed Ryan Suter, though the former Pred won’t be returning to Bridgestone Arena until later in the year.

February

Will Nashville fans welcome Jordin Tootoo back with open arms? (PHOTO: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports)

After the long road trip to start the season, the Preds will finally get a four-game home stand in February. They’ll face Jordin Tootoo and the Detroit Red Wings for the first of four games between the teams on February 19th. It should be interesting to see how Tootoo, who spent his entire NHL career with the Preds before signing with the hated Red Wings over the summer, is received by Nashville fans.

March

The Oilers gave the Predators fits last season. (PHOTO: Don McPeak-USA TODAY Sports)

The Preds will play five road games in seven days in the middle of March, flying out to Vancouver for the second of those games and facing Columbus in the last. Two days later they begin a one-week, four-game homestand. In both stretches they’ll play against Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and the Edmonton Oilers, who gave Nashville fits during the 2011-12 NHL season.

April

Patrick Kane and the Blackhawks will go home-and-home with Nashville on the 6th and 7th of April. (PHOTO: Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports)

A home-and-home with Chicago, accounting for two of the five times they’ll play the Preds this season, is one of the highlights of an April Nashville Predators schedule that features 13 games. Eight of those are home dates, including Detroit and Vancouver on back-to-back nights, before the Preds wrap up their season in Columbus on the 27th.