Hockey's greatest buffet returns on Tuesday, Oct. 13, as the Frozen Frenzy brings all 32 NHL teams to ESPN on the same night. Fans get a chance to sample the contenders, pretenders and those teams that are downright fascinating so far this season. Last October's Frenzy offered a preview of what to expect: 109 goals were scored in 16 games, road teams went 9-6-1, and five games went into overtime or a shootout.
ESPN's marquee tripleheader features the New Jersey Devils at the Detroit Red Wings at 6 p.m. ET, the Colorado Avalanche at the Dallas Stars at 8:30 p.m. ET, and the Boston Bruins facing the San Jose Sharks in the nightcap at 11 p.m. ET. Start times for all 16 games are staggered to maximize channel surfing on NHL Power Play on the ESPN App. Five hours of continuous whip-around coverage, hosted by John Buccigross and Kevin Weekes, will air on ESPN2, Disney+ and the ESPN App.
There is plenty of compelling storylines to follow. In Boston, Captain Pasta David Pastrnak was named the 28th captain in the Original Six franchise's history. He has strung together four straight 100-point seasons since 2022-23, with 254 goals in that span, and his next-highest teammate trails him by 206 points since 2022. In Buffalo, the Sabres are looking to build on a season that ended with a Game 7 overtime loss to the Montreal Canadiens, a result that likely carries lingering animosity into their first regular-season meeting since.
Detroit remains the most compelling soap opera in the league. Captain Dylan Larkin requested a trade despite five seasons left on his contract, prompting commissioner Gary Bettman to say the league will monitor how players use trade protection. Larkin was stripped of the captaincy, booed on opening night and again upon his return, and even cheered by fans in Montreal chanting for him to join their team. In Florida, coach Paul Maurice finally paired Matthew and Brady Tkachuk with Sam Bennett, a trio he once joked would land them in jail before the puck dropped.
Source: ESPN NHL · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing