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If you’re wondering why the NHL set a Vancouver Canucks and Chicago Blackhawks game for an 8:15 p.m. ET start time on Tuesday, or why the Tampa Bay Lightning and New Jersey Devils are getting underway at 6:45 p.m., there’s actually a very good explanation.
After a well-received launch in 2023, the NHL Frozen Frenzy is back for another year on Tuesday night. All 32 teams are in action, and all 16 games get their unique start times.
The action will begin with the Washington Capitals visiting the Philadelphia Flyers, starting at 6 p.m. ET, and end with the Los Angeles Kings visiting the Vegas Golden Knights at 11 p.m. ET, making for nearly eight hours of continuous action.
Like last year, ESPN will be the flagship broadcaster for the event. On its main network, it’ll air a tripleheader featuring Capitals/Flyers, the Colorado Avalanche at the Seattle Kraken at 8:30 p.m. ET, then Kings/Golden Knights to wrap up the day’s excitement.
In addition, John Buccigross will host a live five-hour whiparound show with help from analysts Kevin Weekes and P.K. Subban. From 7 p.m. ET to midnight, they’ll bounce from game to game while showing the best goals, saves and plays from all 16 clashes.
The NFL Red Zone-style coverage was a hit with viewers last season — despite going up against the opening night of the NBA regular season and Game 7 of the 2023 NLCS between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Philadelphia Phillies.
I typically just watch 3 NHL games at once, but this experiment with Frozen Frenzy is a hit IMO
Doing a great job with transitions and @KevinWeekes @Buccigross adding insights from game to game
This is hockeys version of NFL Red Zone, my hats off to the entire production
— Daniel Negreanu (@RealKidPoker) October 25, 2023
This year, the NBA is on the docket again, opening its 2024-25 season with a doubleheader. But baseball is on hold until the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers play Game 1 of the World Series on Friday, Oct. 25, so more eyeballs should be up for grabs this year.
The first hour of the whiparound show will air only on ESPN+. Starting at 8 p.m. ET, the final four hours will also run on ESPN2.
Many of Tuesday’s matchups are tasty, too.
The Capitals/Flyers opener will see high-profile rookie Matvei Michkov go up against his legendary countryman Alex Ovechkin for the first time in the NHL. The Canucks and Blackhawks contest will feature North Vancouver native Connor Bedard playing against his hometown team for just the second time in his NHL career.
The Rangers and Canadiens matchup in Montreal is the only Original Six matchup of the evening. Avalanche versus Kraken is a rematch of the 2023 first-round series that saw Seattle knock off the defending Stanley Cup champions in its first-ever playoff appearance. And with their rabid new fans firmly behind them, the Utah Hockey Club will look to remain unbeaten on home ice as the Ottawa Senators stop by to kick off a three-game road trip.
Last year’s slate of games featured 10 wins by the road team and a total of 102 goals, or 6.4 goals per game. The highest-scoring contests were 7-4 wins by the Avalanche (over the New York Islanders) and the Minnesota Wild (over the Edmonton Oilers).
Jonas Johansson of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Jeremy Swayman of the Boston Bruins each earned shutouts. And just two games required more than 60 minutes to be settled. The Kraken’s clutch captain-to-be Jordan Eberle was the overtime hero in his team’s 5-4 road win over the Detroit Red Wings, while Frank Vatrano sealed the deal in the Anaheim Ducks’ 3-2 OT win over the Columbus Blue Jackets.
If fans in Canada want to keep up with all the action, they’ll need to stream Sportsnet+ and run their own remote. Sportsnet will air three national games on its networks: Capitals/Flyers, the Boston Bruins at the Nashville Predators (8:45 p.m. ET) and the Pittsburgh Penguins at Calgary Flames (9:30 p.m. ET).
Canadian fans in the respective broadcast regions will also be able to catch the Rangers at Canadiens (7:15 p.m. ET, TSN2/RDS), the Maple Leafs at Blue Jackets (7:30 p.m. ET, TSN4), the Jets at Blues (8 p.m. ET, TSN3), the Canucks at Blackhawks (8:15 p.m. ET, Sportsnet Pacific) and the Hurricanes at Oilers (9 p.m. ET, Sportsnet West/TVA).
And while there’s no whiparound service for Canadians on Tuesday, hockey fans north of the border will get a weekly taste of the format this season as part of Prime Video’s new NHL coverage. Every Thursday night, host Andi Petrillo and a panel of analysts are keeping fans up to date with all the games around the league on ‘NHL Coast to Coast.’
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