NHL Games on TV Today – Tuesday, October 6, 2026 (ET)
Nine games on Tuesday, and three of them are home openers: Montreal welcomes the team that ended its run last spring, Chicago brings Patrick Kane back to the United Center, and the Kings finally play in Los Angeles. In between, the Rangers and Islanders meet for the first time this season.
ESPN has a national doubleheader in the United States – Islanders-Rangers and Panthers-Kings – with both games also on SN+ in Canada. Out-of-market games stream on ESPN+.
Tuesday’s NHL Schedule at a Glance
| Time (ET) | Matchup | Venue | TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7:00 PM | Nashville Predators at Toronto Maple Leafs | Scotiabank Arena, Toronto | TSN4 / Scripps |
| 7:00 PM | Carolina Hurricanes at Montreal Canadiens | Bell Centre, Montreal | RDS / TSN2 / HHN |
| 7:00 PM | Ottawa Senators at Detroit Red Wings | Little Caesars Arena, Detroit | DSN / TSN5 / RDS2 |
| 7:00 PM | Utah Mammoth at New Jersey Devils | Prudential Center, Newark | MSGSN / Utah16 |
| 7:00 PM | Minnesota Wild at Buffalo Sabres | KeyBank Center, Buffalo | MSG-B / Wild+ |
| 7:30 PM | New York Islanders at New York Rangers | Madison Square Garden, New York | ESPN / SN+ |
| 8:00 PM | St. Louis Blues at Chicago Blackhawks | United Center, Chicago | CHSN / BN+ |
| 9:40 PM | Vegas Golden Knights at Seattle Kraken | Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle | Prime Video / KONG / Scripps |
| 10:00 PM | Florida Panthers at Los Angeles Kings | Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles | ESPN / SN+ |
🏒 Game of the Day: Carolina Hurricanes vs. Montreal Canadiens
7:00 PM ET | RDS / TSN2 (Canada) · HHN (Carolina) · Bell Centre, Montreal
Montreal’s home opener is an Eastern Conference Final rematch. The Canadiens took Game 1 of that series 6-2 last spring – and then Carolina won the next four, the start of a run that ended with the Stanley Cup. The Bell Centre will be loud from the opening ceremony on.
Nick Suzuki has four points (one goal, three assists) in two games and is chasing a piece of franchise history: no Canadien has put up back-to-back 100-point seasons since Guy Lafleur did it six years in a row from 1974-75 to 1979-80. Montreal is 1-0-1, but will be without Ivan Demidov for two to four weeks with a lower-body injury.
Carolina is 1-1-1 and has found its scoring touch after a slow start. Sebastian Aho has three goals and an assist, Andrei Svechnikov three assists, and Conn Smythe winner Jordan Staal is back to anchor the shutdown role that defined last year’s run.
Prediction: The home-opener crowd lifts Montreal to a measure of revenge.
New York Islanders vs. New York Rangers
7:30 PM ET | ESPN (US) · SN+ (Canada) · Madison Square Garden, New York
The Rangers carry a three-game winning streak into the first Battle of New York of the season, and their goaltender keeps showing up on the scoresheet. Igor Shesterkin scored on Oct. 1 and added an assist in Sunday’s 4-2 win over Utah – the first goalie with points in consecutive appearances since Connor Ingram in February 2025. Only Henrik Lundqvist, Ed Belfour and Tom Barrasso have done it in three straight.
The Islanders are 1-1-0. Matthew Schaefer, 19, has two assists and needs one goal to tie Bobby Orr (24) for the second-most goals by a teenage defenseman in NHL history, behind Phil Housley (46).
Prediction: Schaefer scores, but the Rangers make it four in a row.
St. Louis Blues vs. Chicago Blackhawks
8:00 PM ET | CHSN · BN+ · United Center, Chicago
Patrick Kane is home. The three-time Stanley Cup champion, who rejoined Chicago on a two-year deal in July, plays his first regular-season game at the United Center as a Blackhawk since Feb. 21, 2023, before his trade to the Rangers and three seasons in Detroit. Chicago is 0-3-0 and badly needs the lift. St. Louis is 1-1-0, led by Jimmy Snuggerud (one goal, one assist) and Dalibor Dvorsky (two goals).
Prediction: Kane sets up the winner in an emotional home opener.
Florida Panthers vs. Los Angeles Kings
10:00 PM ET | ESPN (US) · SN+ (Canada) · Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles
Florida closes a four-game season-opening road trip at 1-0-2 and without captain Aleksander Barkov, now on long-term injured reserve. Lars Eller has moved into Barkov’s spot between Brady Tkachuk and Sam Reinhart, and Brad Marchand returned on Sunday after offseason surgery. The Kings, 0-1-1 under new coach Peter Laviolette, have allowed 13 goals in two games and need a tighter effort in their home opener.
Prediction: Florida’s experience shows – Panthers finish the trip with a win.
Around the Rest of the League
Predators at Maple Leafs (7:00 PM): Gavin McKenna is still looking for his first NHL point in his fourth game; he has three shots and averages 14:32 of ice time. Toronto is 1-2-0, Nashville 1-1-0 after beating Dallas.
Senators at Red Wings (7:00 PM): Ottawa finishes a back-to-back against a Detroit team still looking for its first win of the season.
Mammoth at Devils (7:00 PM): Utah’s unbeaten start ended at Madison Square Garden on Sunday; New Jersey looks to rebound from a 6-0 loss on Long Island.
Wild at Sabres (7:00 PM): Minnesota is 2-0-0 after wins in Nashville and over Boston at home.
Golden Knights at Kraken (9:40 PM): A Pacific Division meeting on Vegas’ first road trip under Ryan Craig.
Nine games, three home openers and an ESPN doubleheader. Check local listings for regional broadcast details.
