By Melville Van Buren
ESPN
October 20, 2023
- Exclusive Tripleheader: Toronto Maple Leafs at Washington Capitals, Boston Bruins at Chicago Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers at Vegas Golden Knights Headline a Special Night of Hockey Beginning at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN+
- NHL Frozen Frenzy Live Whip-Around Studio Show Hosted by John Buccigross and Kevin Weekes from 7 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. ET on ESPN2 and ESPN+
- The Point Continues Tuesday to Preview NHL Frozen Frenzy at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN2 and ESPN+
- 39 NHL Power Play Games Streaming This Week on ESPN+
Next week a rare NHL Frozen Frenzy occurs on Tuesday, October 24, with all 32 teams in action, led by ESPN’s exclusive tripleheader beginning at 6 p.m. ET (simulcast on ESPN+) – featuring the Toronto Maple Leafs at Washington Capitals, Boston Bruins at Chicago Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers visiting the reigning Stanley Cup Champion Vegas Golden Knights.
The additional 13 Tuesday night Frozen Frenzy games are available on NHL Power Play on ESPN+ (available to all ESPN+ subscribers) – with 15-minute staggered start times – resulting in continuous action throughout the night.
With every team on the ice, the NHL Frozen Frenzy will be highlighted with a live, whip-around, look-in studio show hosted by John Buccigross and analyst Kevin Weekes – showcasing the best plays, hits, goals and moments of the night – from 7-8 p.m. ET exclusively on ESPN+ and then 8 p.m. – 1:30 a.m. ET on ESPN2 and ESPN+ for a combined 6.5 hours of unprecedented, non-stop NHL coverage.
The puck drops on the NHL Frozen Frenzy when the Toronto Maple Leafs and Auston Matthews, who became only the fifth player in NHL history to open a season with back-to-back hat trick performances, face off against Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitalsat 6 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN+. Following at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN+, rookie sensation and number-one draft pick Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks host last year’s Presidents’ Trophy-winning Boston Bruins and Brad Marchand in an early-season Original Six matchup. Picking up where they left off last season, the defending Stanley Cup Champion Vegas Golden Knights and Chandler Stephenson welcome the Philadelphia Flyers and Travis Konecny to T-Mobile Arena at 11 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN+.
ESPN’s NHL studio show, The Point, returns Tuesday at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN2 and ESPN+, ahead of the NHL Frozen Frenzy. John Buccigross hosts this week’s show and will be joined by analysts Mark Messier and P.K. Subban. In this week’s show, a feature on how the most spectacular goal of Alex Ovechkin’s career inspired a young fan in the stands named Auston Matthews, how Connor Bedard has already impacted the NHL landscape and why the Stanley Cup may not be leaving the Las Vegas strip anytime soon.
NHL on ESPN action continues Thursday, October 26, when the Minnesota Wild and Kirill Kaprizov pay a visit to the Philadelphia Flyers for an interconference matchup at 7:30 p.m. ET exclusively on ESPN+/Hulu.
Exclusive NHL games on ESPN and ESPN+/Hulu this week:
|
Date |
Time (ET) |
Platform(s) |
Game/Studio Show |
ESPN Commentators |
|
Tuesday, Oct. 24
|
5 p.m. |
ESPN2, ESPN+ |
The Point The Point, hosted by Steve Levy, joined by analysts Mark Messier, P.K. Subban, John Buccigross and Kevin Weekes cover top storylines from around the league ahead of Tuesday’s NHL on ESPN Frozen Frenzy, including a feature on a unique connection between Alex Ovechkin and Auston Matthews, Connor Bedard’s early impact on the league and why the Stanley Cup may continue to reside in Vegas. |
Host: Steve Levy
Analysts: Mark Messier, P.K. Subban, John Buccigross, Kevin Weekes |
|
6 p.m. |
ESPN, ESPN+ |
Toronto Maple Leafs at Washington Capitals The Maple Leafs (2-2-0) and Auston Matthews, who netted two hat tricks to start the season, travel to Capital One Arena take face the Capitals (1-2-0) and Alex Ovechkin, who recently earned his 300th career comeback win. |
Play-by-Play: Mike Monaco
Analyst: AJ Mleczko
Reporter: Leah Hextall
In Studio: Steve Levy, Mark Messier, P.K. Subban, Arda Öcal |
|
|
7-8 p.m.
8 p.m. – 1:30 a.m. |
ESPN+
ESPN2, ESPN+ |
NHL Frozen Frenzy Live Whip-around Studio Show Host John Buccigross and analyst Kevin Weekes host a six-and-a-half-hour, whip-around show during Frozen Frenzy to capture the best goals, hits and plays of the night. |
Host: John Buccigross
Analyst: Kevin Weekes |
|
|
8:30 p.m. |
ESPN, ESPN+ |
Boston Bruins at Chicago Blackhawks The Bruins (3-0-0) and David Pastrnak, who netted two goals in an early season game against the Blackhawks (2-3-0), will again face rookie sensation Connor Bedard as he aims to even the score and secure a home win at the United Center. |
Play-by-Play: Sean McDonough
Analyst: Ray Ferraro
Reporter: Emily Kaplan
In Studio: Steve Levy, Mark Messier, P.K. Subban, Arda Öcal |
|
|
11 p.m. |
ESPN, ESPN+ |
Philadelphia Flyers at Vegas Golden Knights With both teams off to a strong start, the Flyers (3-1-0) and goalie Carter Hart aim to slow down the reigning Stanley Cup Champion Golden Knights (5-0-0) at T-Mobile Arena. |
Play-by-Play: Bob Wischusen
Analyst: Ryan Callahan
In Studio: Steve Levy, Mark Messier, P.K. Subban, Arda Öcal |
|
|
Thursday, Oct. 26 |
7:30 p.m. |
ESPN+/Hulu |
Minnesota Wild at Philadelphia Flyers The Wild (2-2-0) go on the road to face a Flyers (3-1-0) squad off to a great start at the Wells Fargo Center and begin their climb back towards the Stanley Cup Playoffs after a disappointing first round exit last season. |
Play-by-Play: John Buccigross
Analyst: AJ Mleczko
Reporter: Leah Hextall
In Studio: Arda Öcal, Kevin Weekes |
* Please note commentator assignments may be subject to change.
NHL Power Play on ESPN+ (Out-of-Market Games on ESPN+)
In addition to 50 exclusive games on ESPN+/Hulu, more than 1,050 out-of-market games will be available through NHL Power Play on ESPN+ – available to all ESPN+ subscribers – throughout the season.
NHL Power Play games include the choice of two separate live streams with either home team or away team commentary, as well as Canadian national presentations of Hockey Night in Canada, providing a local experience for fans no matter where they are in the U.S. Replays of every NHL regular season and playoff game on ABC, ESPN, NHL Network, and TNT are also made available to stream on NHL Power Play on ESPN+. To sign up, visit ESPNPlus.com.
NHL Digital Content on ESPN.com and ESPN App
Go to ESPN.com/NHL or the ESPN App for up-to-the-minute NHL news, information and analysis, including premium editorial content by ESPN senior NHL writer Greg Wyshynski, exclusively for ESPN+ subscribers.
- Judging NHL overreactions after one week: Matthews for the Hart? Bruins winning the Cup? (ESPN+ Premium Content)
- How to watch the NHL Frozen Frenzy: Schedule, matchups, broadcast info
- NHL Rank: The top 100 players for 2023-24
- NHL Rank reaction: Biggest snubs, Bedard’s spot next year, top 5 for 2026-27 (ESPN+ Premium Content)
- Tuesday: Reasons to watch every NHL team (ESPN+ Premium Content)
- Tuesday: Betting guide to the 2023 Frozen Frenzy – Intel and best bets
- Thursday: How the Flyers are turning the page to the new era (ESPN+ Premium Content)
- Friday: NHL Power Rankings: Early-season causes for concern
COURTESY NHLmedia.com
