EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsThursday marks one month since Opening Night of the 2026-27 NHL season, which has produced quite a lot of hot takes and overreactions. Go here to read Greg Wyshynski's appraisal of the juiciest.And the games continue, including 11 of them for hockey fans to ingest tonight.Here's a look at what you need to know for each game, including betting info and broadcast details:Odds are provided by DraftKings and subject to change.Winnipeg Jets at Tampa Bay Lightning7 p.m. ET (ESPN+) | TB -238, O/U: 5.5Generally speaking, jets and lightning don't mix. And given the Winnipeg Jets' current tailspin -- six straight losses -- this doesn't seem to be a great time to be visiting the hockey team that plays in Central Florida.The Lightning are undefeated at home this season, but are banged up with both Brandon Hagel and Victor Hedman listed as day-to-day.Utah Mammoth at Pittsburgh Penguins7 p.m. ET (ESPN+) | UTA -130, O/U: 6.5Just 10 days after squaring off in Salt Lake City -- a 5-4 win for the home Mammoth -- these two clubs will battle again in the Steel City.Any time Logan Cooley plays in Pittsburgh, we are contractually obligated to point out that he got his start in Sidney Crosby's "Little Penguins" program. Cooley has six points in six career games against the Pens, including an assist in Utah's win this season.The Penguins have a long list of players on the injury report that could return Thursday, including Evgeni Malkin, Ben Kindel, Egor Chinakhov and Samuel Girard.Columbus Blue Jackets at Carolina Hurricanes7 p.m. ET (ESPN+) | CAR -218, O/U: 6.5After a rough start, the Blue Jackets have been better of late, with three wins (all in OT) in their last five games. Can they keep the magic rolling against the Canes?Carolina has been rolling all season, including 10 wins in their past dozen games. Goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov has been particularly strong, with an 8-0-0 record, 1.62 goals-against average and .918 save percentage.Chicago Blackhawks at Detroit Red Wings7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+/Disney+/Hulu) | DET -180, O/U: 6.5This game is a continuation of one of the NHL's most storied rivalries, having begun in 1926-27. The teams have met 838 times; Detroit holds the edge in the regular season with a 378-278-84-17 record, while Chicago has a 43-38 advantage in the playoffs.At this point, it's a long shot that either team makes the 2027 playoffs, but this game has a number of fascinating elements.Patrick Kane will be returning to the team for which he skated the past three seasons, and teammate Connor Bedard has found success against Detroit; he has six points in five career games vs. the Red Wings, including a goal and two assists Nov. 9 of last season.Detroit's leading scorer, Alex DeBrincat, has had even more success against Chicago, with 11 points in eight career games against his former team.And we can't forget that this pairing of teams is easily one of the best uniform matchups possible in the NHL.Boston Bruins at St. Louis Blues8 p.m. ET (ESPN+) | STL -115, O/U: 5.5It's a 2019 Stanley Cup Final rematch! The rosters have changed quite a bit since then, but key contributors remain on each roster.The B's are off to a considerably better start in the standings; their 9-3-1 record has them atop the Atlantic, while the Blues (5-6-1) are sixth in the Central. And at least on paper, it appears that the Bruins are better at scoring goals (3.77 per game vs. 2.92 for the Blues) and preventing them (2.15 per game vs. 3.08). But this Blues team can surprise, including a 6-2 win over the defending Western Conference champ Golden Knights a week ago.Washington Capitals at Nashville Predators8 p.m. ET (ESPN+) | WSH -112, O/U: 6.5As it's his last season in the NHL, this will also be Alex Ovechkin's final appearance in Smashville. He's scored 20 goals against the Preds in 31 career games, including seven in the last 10. Will he get another Thursday?Another future Hockey Hall of Famer plays for the home team in this one, and Steven Stamkos is scoring ahead of a point-per-game pace this season, with 15 through 12.Montreal Canadiens at Dallas Stars8 p.m. ET (ESPN+) | DAL -162, O/U: 5.5In the marquee matchup of the night, a Stanley Cup hopeful backstopped by a 21-year-old American goalie visits another Stanley Cup hopeful backstopped by a 27-year-old American goalie. It's unclear if we'll get Jacob Fowler vs. Jake Oettinger in this one, but both have been superb this season.The superstars up front have delivered too; Lane Hutson and Cole Caufield are just behind the injured Nick Suzuki on the Habs' scoring leaderboard, while Mikko Rantanen is delivering the goods for Dallas.Stathletes does not project this matchup to be particularly likely as a Cup Final pairing (just a 0.20% of happening, in fact), but perhaps that changes down the road!New York Islanders at Minnesota Wild8 p.m. ET (ESPN+) | MIN -192, O/U: 5.5Speaking of superstars delivering the goods, Kirill Kaprizov is one big night away from setting an NHL record for goals scored in a single month of October. The current record is 16 (achieved twice by Mario Lemieux), and Kaprizov enters this contest with 14. This will be his last chance, however, as the Wild won't play against until Sunday.Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer set an NHL record on Tuesday, playing all five minutes of the overtime period in the Isles' win over Nashville. The 2025 No. 1 overall pick is fourth in average ice time this season, skating 26:43 per game, behind Buffalo's Owen Power, Columbus' Zach Werenski ... and Minnesota's Quinn Hughes.Buffalo Sabres at Anaheim Ducks10 p.m. ET (ESPN+/Disney+/Hulu) | BUF -130, O/U: 6.5It felt like the Sabres' Tuesday game against the Sharks would be a high-scoring shootout; instead, it was a 2-0 win for Buffalo. Maybe the hockey gods will reward us Thursday instead?As a team, the Ducks are allowing 3.58 goals per game, the fourth most this season, while the Sabres are allowing 3.33, the ninth most. So the stage is set for the offense to take flight.If anyone is "due," it's Tage Thompson, who has just five goals and five assists through 12 games after 40 and 41, respectively last season.Ottawa Senators at Los Angeles Kings10 p.m. ET (ESPN+) | LA -110, O/U: 5.5After winning five of their first six this season, the Sens have been alternating wins and losses game by game. If that trend continues, Sens fans should expect another W following a 4-1 loss to Vegas on Tuesday. This is the first of their three games played at the California teams, with San Jose on the docket Saturday and Anaheim on Sunday.The Kings have been on the opposite track in 2026-27; after losing their first six games, L.A. has won three of its last five.Vancouver Canucks at San Jose Sharks10 p.m. ET (ESPN) | SJ -198, O/U: 6.5Neither of these teams has had the start they expected. Yes, the Canucks were anticipated to be not-so-good as they traverse a rebuild, but being on pace for 42 points in the standings is not encouraging! On the positive side, Elias Pettersson appears to have gotten some of his scoring swagger back.Meanwhile, the Sharks were widely thought of as a playoff team this spring, but 84 points ain't gonna cut it, and that's their current pace. Taking care of business against overmatched opponents is important in racking up W's, so this contest could be a telling one for Macklin Celebrini & Co.Reminder: Fans can catch all the action in the NHL streaming hub and on the ESPN App.Jump ahead:Top NHL storiesLast night's scoresNHL stats leadersToday in hockey historyTop stories around the NHLHere's what you need to know:The latest Wysh List column: Judging 10 overreactions after one month.Meet Devin Cooley, the most interesting man in hockey.Breaking down the biggest breakout (or rebound) players this season.It's a fantasy hockey takeover of the Power Rankings! Sean Allen and Victoria Matiash identify a worthy pickup from each team.Matthew Schaefer set an NHL record, playing all five minutes of an OT period for the Islanders.Connor Hellebuyck stopped 17 shots in earning his first win as the Devils' new No. 1 goalie.Wednesday's scoreboardWashington Capitals 5, Philadelphia Flyers 2Edmonton Oilers 4, Calgary Flames 0Colorado Avalanche 5, New Jersey Devils 2Seattle Kraken 5, Toronto Maple Leafs 4NHL scoring leadersClick here for full list of stats leaders.NHL goaltending leadersClick here for the full list of goaltender stats.Today in hockey historyPlaying in 1,000 NHL games is an impressive accomplishment, even more so when all of those are with the same club. Two very different styles of player in two very different eras achieved the feat on Oct. 29.On today's date in 1969, Jean Beliveau became the first Montreal Canadien to play in 1,000 games. He now sits fourth on the career GP leaderboard for the Habs, behind Henri Richard, Larry Robinson and Bob Gainey.While the world was preparing for Y2K, New Jersey Devils defenseman Ken Daneyko played his 1,000th game for the Devils, the first player to achieve that benchmark. At 1,283, Daneyko -- now a Devils broadcaster -- still holds the record, ahead of Patrik Elias, Travis Zajac and Scott Stevens.
