NHL Tonight: Guide to Rangers-Oilers, Flyers-Canucks, Islanders-Sharks
As usual, it's a small schedule of games on Monday in the NHL. But there's a fun wrinkle this week: three Metro Division teams are traveling to face off against three Pacific Division teams!
No one would say it's a true best-on-best trifecta of matchups given the teams involved, but there are some intriguing facets to each contest.
Read on for 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.
New York Rangers at Edmonton Oilers
8 p.m. ET (ESPN+) | EDM -155, O/U: 6.5
First up on the fight card, the Metro's No. 3 team takes on the No. 1 squad in the Pacific.
These two faced off once already this season -- a 4-1 win for the Oilers in New York on Nov. 1 -- so how does that influence this game?
Connor McDavid had "only" a goal and an assist in that one, well under his 2.61 points-per-game pace this season. Will he put on a show for the home fans?
The Rangers enter this game on a three-game winning streak -- but are 1-5-1 on the road thus far. To improve that record as visitors, they'll need a lot of goals against the high-powered Oilers. The Blueshirts have enviable scoring balance this season; while Alexis Lafreniere is three up on the next closest player in goals (nine), there's a four-way tie behind him.
Philadelphia Flyers at Vancouver Canucks
9:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+) | PHI -122, O/U: 6.5
In matchup No. 2, the Metro's last-place team takes on the Pacific's. But hey, sometimes these types of games can be fun!
Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet held the same position with the Canucks until the end of the 2024-25 season; he was hired by Philly the next month. Vancouver fans gave him the expected response when he returned last season behind the Flyers' bench; is there any resentment left over when he appears on Monday?
A playoff berth seems outlandish for both teams right now, but there are some fun individual players to check out here. That includes Philly's Trevor Zegras and Matvei Michkov, along with Vancouver's Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser.
New York Islanders at San Jose Sharks
10 p.m. ET (ESPN+) | NYI -130, O/U: 6.5
In the nightcap, the No. 5 team in the Metro hits the Bay Area for a showdown against the No. 6 club in the Pacific.
The top draw for each team is their superstar young franchise player -- and both were selected first overall in consecutive NHL drafts.
For San Jose, that's center Macklin Celebrini, the No. 1 pick in 2024. He has 21 points through 17 games, good for a 1.24 points-per-game pace. That's pretty good, but a step down from the 1.40 points per game he scored in finishing with 115 last season.
On the visiting side is defenseman Matthew Schaefer, whose name was called first in 2025. Schaefer is on pace to smash his point total from his rookie campaign (59), with 16 through 16. And, he even had a gloves-on fight against Devils blueliner Luke Hughes on Saturday.
If either of these teams have playoff aspirations, they need to start piling up W's. Monday would be a good day to start!
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 NHL Power Rankings include a fantasy hockey surprise for all 32 teams.
- Where will Nikita Kucherov land next? The latest Wysh List column identifies the top contenders.
- The NHL's Hometown Remix jerseys have been revealed. Wyshynski ranks all 32, and investigates the Panthers' unis in depth.
- Connor Hellebuyck won't play in Winnipeg; Devils cite "reduction in our expected win probability"
- Brock Faber had his first practice back with the Wild after a skull injury in September.
- Florida's Brad Marchand could be back in six weeks after a knee injury.
Sunday's scoreboard
Boston Bruins 4, Florida Panthers 1
Vegas Golden Knights 4, Buffalo Sabres 1
Winnipeg Jets 4, Tampa Bay Lightning 3
New Jersey Devils 4, Toronto Maple Leafs 0
Calgary Flames 4, Philadelphia Flyers 3 (OT)
Anaheim Ducks 5, Pittsburgh Penguins 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
Throughout history, the NHL has mandated certain pieces of equipment to enhance player safety. Most recently, that was requiring players entering the league in 2026-27 to wear neck guards. Before that, it was visors (in 2013). Before that, it was helmets, which was required of any player that signed a contract after June 1, 1979.
The last player to play without a helmet in NHL history was Craig MacTavish, and today's date in his final season included a milestone.
On Nov. 9, 1996, MacTavish scored the final goal of his NHL career in a 3-2 game for the Blues -- which also made it the final goal scored by a helmetless player in league history.
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