NHL Tonight: Game previews, stats, betting info for Saturday - ESPN

· 9 min read

Tuesday was the 2026 edition of the NHL's Frozen Frenzy, with all 32 teams in action. On Saturday, 28 of 32 teams will be competing (including six at the magical start time of 7 p.m. ET), so maybe this is Frenzy Lite?

Regardless of the name, there are a number of fun storylines at play in Saturday's 14 matchups.

Here's a look at what you need to know for each contest, including betting info and broadcast details:

Odds are provided by DraftKings and subject to change.

New Jersey Devils at Washington Capitals

1 p.m. ET (NHL Network) | WSH -125, O/U: 6.5

Two important points will be on the line here for a pair of clubs that missed the 2026 playoffs but have designs on getting back this spring. Will the high scoring keep rolling? The Devils netted seven on the Rangers on Thursday, while the Caps posted five on the Canadiens on Wednesday.

On the other hand, each team is dealing with an early bout with the injury bug. The Caps will be without Pierre-Luc Dubois and Rasmus Sandin, and the Devils will be missing Luke Evangelista and Connor Brown.

Carolina Hurricanes at Winnipeg Jets

3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+) | CAR -170, O/U: 6.5

The defending champs have picked up right where they left off, racing out to a 6-1-1 record, just a point behind Vegas for tops in the league. The Jets have been one of the most pleasantly surprising teams this season, with a 4-1-2 record despite Connor Hellebuyck's continued absence. This will be Nikolaj Ehlers' second trip back to Winnipeg since signing with the Canes in summer 2025; he had an assist in a 4-3 win for the Canes last Nov. 21. What does he have in store for his old friends this time?

Vancouver Canucks at Tampa Bay Lightning

4 p.m. ET (ESPN+) | TB -380, O/U: 6.5

After an impressive opening pair of games against the Oilers, the Canucks have hit quite a skid. They've lost six straight and scored two or fewer goals in each contest. The Lightning have won five of their last six, averaging 3.33 goals in the stretch, and are undefeated at home this season. So in other words, that betting line above is not super surprising.

Seattle Kraken at Florida Panthers

6 p.m. ET (ESPN+) | FLA -185, O/U: 6.5

The Kraken took the Panthers' cross-state rivals to OT on Thursday but wound up with the loss. Can they finish the job on the Southern end of the state?

On the other side, Brady Tkachuk scored natural hat tricks in two straight games after going goalless in his first six games in a Panthers sweater. Can he repeat the feat again Saturday?

New York Islanders at Toronto Maple Leafs

7 p.m. ET (ESPN+) | TOR -142, O/U: 6.5

It's always a special occasion when two recent No. 1 picks face off, and that's exactly what hockey fans will get here. Matthew Schaefer, defending Calder Trophy winner and No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft, is in town to take on Gavin McKenna, Calder Trophy candidate and No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft.

Buffalo Sabres at Montreal Canadiens

7 p.m. ET (NHL Network) | MTL -142, O/U: 6.5

The Sabres and Canadiens had one of the most competitive series of the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs, needing seven games to determine a winner. Then on Frozen Frenzy night, the teams needed a shootout to decide which would be the winner, with Zachary Bolduc netting the clinching tally for Montreal. Fans can hope that this contest in La Belle Province will be just as tightly contested.

San Jose Sharks at Detroit Red Wings

7 p.m. ET (ESPN+) | DET -142, O/U: 6.5

Back when the Red Wings were in the Western Conference (yes, really), these two franchises met a fair amount in the playoffs: 1994, 1995, 2007, 2010 and 2011. A playoff matchup between the two these days would occur only in the Stanley Cup Final, so let's enjoy this one.

This is the final game in a string of seven out of eight at home for the Red Wings. The Sharks have four more games on their current road trip after this one.

Ottawa Senators at Philadelphia Flyers

7 p.m. ET (ESPN+) | OTT -142, O/U: 5.5

As well as the season has gone for Ottawa thus far -- a 6-2-0 record has them atop the Atlantic Division -- it has gone that poorly for Philly; the team that won a playoff series this past spring is still searching for its first win of the season in Game 10.

The goal suppression that was a key feature of the Flyers' run in the late season and playoffs has evaporated, and they enter Saturday giving up 3.56 goals per game. On the other side, the Sens' Linus Ullmark picked right up where he left off last postseason, with a perfect 6-0-0 record and stellar rate stats (1.20 GAA and .949 save percentage).

New York Rangers at Columbus Blue Jackets

7 p.m. ET (ESPN+) | CBJ -135, O/U: 6.5

Despite the NHL's division-heavy playoff format, these two Metro rivals have never squared off in a postseason series. Maybe this is the year? Each has work to do. The Rangers need to stabilize their goaltending after Igor Shesterkin's injury and Dylan Garand's wobble against the Devils on Thursday, and the Blue Jackets need to get better at goal scoring and goal suppression. Will Columbus be able to solve Garand (or Spencer Martin) as often as the Devils did?

Dallas Stars at Chicago Blackhawks

7 p.m. ET (ESPN+) | DAL -198, O/U: 6.5

Speaking of a surprising lack of playoff history, the Blackhawks and Stars have never squared off in the postseason since the North Stars moved to Dallas. Only the most optimistic residents of the 312 area code are thinking playoffs for the Blackhawks this season, so we anticipate that drought continuing.

But with Connor Bedard now back in the lineup, perhaps all things are possible. In his history, Bedard has five goals and two assists in eight games against the Stars. His new teammate Patrick Kane has scored 32 goals and 44 assists in 64 games against Dallas as a member of the Blackhawks.

St. Louis Blues at Nashville Predators

8 p.m. ET (ESPN+) | STL -110, O/U: 5.5

Both of these teams missed the playoffs by four points last season and should be in the mix again this April. The Blues score more goals than the Preds (3.57 per game vs. 2.57) but also give up a lot more (3.29 vs. 2.86). Who gets the upper hand after Saturday?

Boston Bruins at Los Angeles Kings

9 p.m. ET (ESPN+) | LA -142, O/U: 5.5

This will be the final leg of the Bruins' California road trip for 2026-27, after beating the Sharks on Tuesday and the Ducks on Friday. Like the Flyers, the Kings are still looking for their first win of the season, though they've played only five games thus far for some reason.

Perhaps Artemi Panarin can be a difference-maker for L.A. in this one. In 31 games against Boston in his career, he has 10 goals and 20 assists.

Edmonton Oilers at Utah Mammoth

10 p.m. ET (ESPN+) | UTA -148, O/U: 6.5

The Mammoth stampeded into Edmonton on Thursday and came away with a 4-2 win thanks to a pair of goals from captain Clayton Keller (one on the power play and the dagger into the empty net). The Oilers get a quick chance for vengeance here, with the setting shifting to the Delta Center in Salt Lake City.

Two seasons ago, Connor McDavid had seven points in three games against the Utah Hockey Club, and he followed that up with six points in three games in 2025-26 against the Mammoth. Does he have something big in store Saturday?

Pittsburgh Penguins at Vegas Golden Knights

10 p.m. ET (ESPN+) | VGK -230, O/U: 6.5

The NHL schedule makers wanted to get a tough stretch out of the way quickly for the Penguins this season; after a matchup against the Avalanche on Friday, they visit Vegas on Saturday and Utah on Monday, followed by a home date against the Panthers on Thursday. We may know a lot more about this club following that quartet of contests.

On the other side, the Knights have charged out to an early lead in the overall NHL standings with a 7-2-0 record on the strength of a plus-14 goal differential. Vegas has never had a player reach 100 points in a single season, but the player who has come closest, Jack Eichel, is on pace to do so. His 16 points through nine games are on pace for 149, which would shatter his franchise record of 94 set in 2024-25.

Reminder: Fans can catch all the action in the NHL streaming hub and on the ESPN App.

Jump ahead:
Top NHL stories
Last night's scores
NHL stats leaders
Today in hockey history

Top stories around the NHL

Here's what you need to know:

  • The latest edition of the Wysh List, including Greg's conversation with Devils GM Sunny Mehta.

  • Kristen Shilton explores why the Red Wings have an "us against the world" mentality this season.

  • The latest ESPN NHL Power Rankings, including the "shock of the season" for all 32 teams.

  • Wyshynski identifies the top reason to watch all 32 teams this season.

  • Ottawa's William Eklund will miss 10-12 weeks after ankle surgery.

  • Carolina lost Taylor Hall to an upper-body injury in win over the Capitals.

Friday's scoreboard

Colorado Avalanche 5, Pittsburgh Penguins 2
Boston Bruins 4, Anaheim Ducks 2

NHL scoring leaders

Click here for full list of stats leaders.

NHL goaltending leaders

Click here for the full list of goaltender stats.

Today in hockey history

This space has been hyping high-scoring forwards quite a lot. So let's turn our attention to a player who spent his career keeping those legends off the score sheet.

On today's date in 2000, Patrick Roy backstopped the Avalanche to a 4-3 win over the Capitals. That victory was No. 446 of his regular-season career, which set a new NHL record (beating Terry Sawchuk).

Roy would finish his career with 551 wins, a record that would stand until 2009 when Martin Brodeur earned win No. 552 en route to a career total of 691.