This week in the NHL: One night, 16 games, 32 teams
So many games. So little time. What should you focus your NHL hockey fandom on if your favorite team’s games don’t scratch the itch enough?
Welcome to This Week in the NHL. From now until April, we’ll lay out a collection of key games, events and deadlines to watch on the league calendar each week.
So what’s on tap for Oct. 23-29?
Oct. 24: All 32 NHL teams play in one night
For the second time in NHL history and first time on a weekday, 32 teams will compete on the same day. For all the grief with give the NHL about never staggering start times, it’s doing right by us on Tuesday. The Toronto Maple Leafs and Washington Capitals kick things off at 6:00 p.m. ET in D.C., with Caps head coach Spencer Carbery facing his former team for the first time. The Anaheim Ducks visit the Columbus Blue Jackets at 6:30 p.m. ET. After that, the puck drops on a new game every 15 minutes. The final start time of the night comes at 11:00 p.m. ET when the defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights host the Philadelphia Flyers. Should be a wild night of action.
Oct. 25: Central Scouting releases preliminary Players to Watch List for 2024 NHL Draft
The likes of Connor Bedard, Adam Fantilli and Leo Carlsson still have that new car smell, mere games into their NHL careers, but it’s already time to shift focus from the 2023 NHL Draft Class to the 2024 group. Central Scouting will unveil its preliminary Players to Watch List on Wednesday. Prospects projected for first-round status earn ‘A’ grades; Macklin Celebrini, Cole Eiserman and Ivan Demidov should top the list. Projected second- and third-rounders earn ‘B’ grades, and ‘C’ grades go to kids expected to go in rounds four to six. Prospects who haven’t played enough this season to be categorized due to injuries earn Limited Viewing (LV) status.
Oct. 29: 2023 Heritage Classic
Calgary Flames @ Edmonton Oilers, 7:00 p.m. ET (Commonwealth Stadium)
The Battle of Alberta will resume for the 38th outdoor game in NHL history when the Oilers host the Flames at Commonwealth Stadium, home of the CFL’s Edmonton Elks. The matchup will mark the first outdoor NHL game at Commonwealth since the Heritage Classic kicked off the NHL’s outdoor obsession there almost 20 years ago with the Oilers hosting the Montreal Canadiens. But will it include Connor McDavid? He’s a long shot to play after suffering an upper-body injury Saturday.
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