There are a few reason the current setup bothers me.
1. I'm old. I get up at 4am, so when 7pm rolls around, I get sleepy. 8pm rolls around, I go up and get ready for bed and to watch TV. 9:15pm, lights out. There's no way I'm watching a second of a 10pm game.
When the Flyers played Calgary the other week, the game was a Saturday at 10pm EST. Both teams played 2 or 3 nights prior, and nothing was scheduled at the arena until the game. Why couldn't they play earlier?
2. A few years ago, I think the eagles started the season on a Monday night against the cowboys or another division rival. Everyone was amped for the season. I was excited for the flyers season, but they started against a team that had absolutely no rivalry with the flyers. Nobody cared. That just seems like bad planning.
3. I hate the Christmas season west coast trip also. If I have some days off and want to have a few beers and watch the game, I can't because they're out west for a week or two starting at 10pm against teams I don't care about. That's bad marketing of the sport.