On Tuesday, Oct. 22, the NHL will have the Frozen Frenzy for the first (and as of now, the last) time this season. All 32 teams will be in action and there will be games throughout the night with each one starting at a different time, all of which can be seen on ESPN.
Related: Canadiens Face Huge Test on Tuesday Versus Rangers
With 16 games, there will be more than enough action to try to follow. There are plenty of matchups, storylines, and highlights that will come from the games. With this in mind, below is a rundown of what to watch in each game.
Capitals vs Flyers (6:00 PM Eastern Start Time)
This is the second home game of the season for the Philadelphia Flyers as they are coming back from a grueling Pacific Division road trip. They’ve stumbled out of the gate and things won’t be easy in their homestand as they face a Washington Capitals team that has looked great to start the season, boasting a 3-1 record with an offense that is scoring 4.00 goals per game leading the way.
Wild vs Panthers (6:30 ET Start Time)
When John Hynes was hired by the Minnesota Wild, the hope was that he’d bring defense and more physicality to the otherwise fast-paced team. He’s done that early on as the Wild are winning games and doing so with defense and forechecking. They’ll have a tough test up ahead as they face the Florida Panthers, a team known for playing a similar style but without Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk being a question mark. Expect a tough game with hard hits and a lot of defense.
Lightning vs Devils (6:45 ET Start Time)
Nikita Kucherov leads the league with seven goals scored. On top of that, the Tampa Bay Lightning and New Jersey Devils possess two of the best offenses in the league. Expect a lot of goals in this game with the Devils exposing a Lightning team that will be playing the second game of a back-to-back.
Stars vs Sabres (7:00 ET Start Time)
The Dallas Stars have the best defense in the NHL, allowing only 1.50 goals per game. They are facing a Buffalo Sabres team with an offense that is in the bottom half of the league. This game could be one of the lower-scoring ones of the night.
Rangers vs Canadiens (7:15 ET Start Time)
Igor Shesterkin is on a mission to be the highest-paid goaltender in the league. Through four starts, he’s lived up to the billing as one of the game’s best with a .935 save percentage (SV%) and a 1.97 goals-against average (GAA) on 124 shots with 4.7 goals saved above average (GSAA).
He’s leading the New York Rangers on a road trip to the Bell Centre to face the Montreal Canadiens. In the previous generation, they had the league’s version of Shesterkin as Carey Price was one of the few world-class goaltenders in the NHL and was the highest-paid as a result. Maybe this becomes another statement game for Shesterkin.
Maple Leafs vs Blue Jackets (7:30 ET Start Time)
The Toronto Maple Leafs are one of the two teams playing the second game of a back-to-back. They are heavy favorites against the Columbus Blue Jackets, but this could be a trap game for them. The Blue Jackets are 2-3 and have played above expectations early on.
Red Wings vs Islanders (7:45 ET Start Time)
Both the Detroit Red Wings and New York Islanders have been carried by top-end talent early on this season. The question is if either team has enough star power to make the playoffs. For the upcoming game, the more relevant question is whether Dylan Larkin, Alex DeBrincat, Lucas Raymond, and Moritz Seider can lead the Red Wings to victory or will Mathew Barzal, Bo Horvat, Brock Nelson, Noah Dobson, and Ilya Sorokin allow the Islanders to eke out a win?
Jets vs Blues (8:00 ET Start Time)
The Winnipeg Jets are the last unbeaten team in the NHL, just as everyone predicted before the season began. To be fair, they’ve looked great at both ends of the ice and have outscored teams 24-8 through five games. Will they remain unbeaten as they face a St. Louis Blues team that has been a pleasant surprise early on? We’ll find out!
Canucks vs Blackhawks (8:15 ET Start Time)
The Vancouver Canucks stumbled out of the gate but have found their footing with consecutive wins. They’ll look to make it three wins in a row as they face the Chicago Bedards (oops, Blackhawks). Interestingly, the generational talent Connor Bedard only has one goal on the season so far so this could be the game he starts piling them up, after all, the Canucks defense has only allowed two goals in the last two games.
Avalanche vs Kraken (8:30 ET Start Time)
Like the Canucks, the Colorado Avalanche found their footing recently. They were 0-4 but are now 2-4 and back in the middle of the Central Division. The bad news is that they are running into the Seattle Kraken, a team that is playing great across the board. They will have to hope that Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, Cale Makar, and some newfound depth can carry them to victory against a Kraken team that has a top-10 offense and is riding a three-game winning streak.
Bruins vs Predators (8:45 ET Start Time)
The Nashville Predators were the big spenders this offseason, signing Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei. They are 0-5. They are desperate for a win and will look to get their first on their home ice against the Boston Bruins who are looking to bounce back after an overtime loss.
Hurricanes vs Oilers (9:00 ET Start Time)
It seems like every season, everyone picks the Carolina Hurricanes and Edmonton Oilers to be in the Stanley Cup Final. So, this could be a preview of the Final since both teams are regarded as two of the best in the league and are expected to only improve as the season goes on. For now, both the Hurricanes and the Oilers are searching for depth scoring and hoping for more offense aside from Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis, and Andrei Svechnikov.
Senators vs Utah (9:15 ET Start Time)
The Utah Hockey Club is the league’s newest franchise, yet they are off to a hot start. They had a rough test on Saturday, Oct. 19 against the Bruins but came back to win in overtime to move to 4-1-1 on the season. Now they have another tough Atlantic Division team to face in the Ottawa Senators, a team that looks poised to snap a playoff drought that goes back to 2017.
Penguins vs Flames (9:30 ET Start Time)
Jonathan Huberdeau will always be tied to the Tkachuk trade, a deal that helped turn the Panthers into a Stanley Cup title winner. He will also be remembered for not living up to the contract he signed in the 2022 offseason. That said, he’s off to a strong start with three goals and three assists to lead a potent Calgary Flames offense and team that is one of the best in the Pacific Division early on.
The Flames face the Pittsburgh Penguins who once again look like a flawed team that at best can sneak into the playoffs. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have scored three goals and 14 assists but the rest of the team hasn’t done much. So, it will be interesting if they can go toe-to-toe with a red-hot Flames team early on this season.
Sharks vs Ducks (10:15 ET Start Time)
This can be classified as the “Rebuilder Cup” of the slate. Both teams aren’t good but they have a promising rebuild going with some young and exciting players. Sure, Macklin Celebrini won’t be in the lineup but this game will feature Leo Carlsson, William Eklund, Will Smith, Pavel Mintyukov, and a handful of other high-upside prospects. It’s what makes this game a fun one to watch.
Kings vs Golden Knights (11:00 ET Start Time)
For the East Coast fans, this game will require a cup of coffee or five. For everyone else, this matchup can be labeled the “contenders or pretenders” game as both teams fall into this unknown category. There are games when the Vegas Golden Knights remind everyone why they won the Stanley Cup in 2023 as Jack Eichel and the star players lead them to victory, but there are some games where the depth is nonexistent. There are games where the Los Angeles Kings look like a team poised to make it to the playoffs and then there are others where they look like one that will finish near the bottom of the Pacific Division. All this to say, this will be a game worth brewing the coffee for.
Other Things to Watch During the Frozen Frenzy
This is the type of night where two screens are necessary. Sure, the Frozen Frenzy will have a whip-around coverage, one that is similar to NFL Redzone, but another TV will be needed to watch another game that is happening at the time. There’s only so much the whip-around style of coverage can show, especially when it comes to hockey when a highlight can happen at any given time.
Four of the 16 games are divisional ones. While it’s early in the season, these are the matchups that could make all the difference by season’s end. The Golden Knights and Kings might fight for a playoff spot and this head-to-head matchup could determine who makes it to the playoffs.
All in all, the night looks to be a fun one for hockey fans and certainly one that will help grow the game. The only hope is that the NHL can do it more often, especially when the games are more intense than the early October ones.
