ESPN staff Nov 5, 2026, 07:00 AM ET Hockey fans should be ready for another busy night of action Thursday, with 11 games on the schedule after just four on Wednesday. There are a number of interconference matchups on tap again, but two particularly intriguing ones are intradivisional with the Hurricanes visiting the Islanders and the Avalanche hosting the Predators. Read on for a look at what you need to know for each game, including betting info and broadcast details.
Odds are provided by Draft Kings and subject to change. Utah Mammoth at Montreal Canadiens 7 p.m. ET (ESPN+) | UTA -112, O/U: 6.5 Perhaps an under-the-radar legit Stanley Cup Final matchup possibility? Stathletes projections gives this pairing a 0.75% chance, which is 39th highest. These two teams are both still in their "rising powerhouse" phase, driven by a number of young players in critical roles including Utah's Logan Cooley and Dylan Guenther, as well as Montreal's Lane Hutson and Jacob Fowler.
The Mammoth head to la belle province after a 3-2 win over the Leafs, while the Habs are hoping for a better result than Tuesday's, when they relented four goals in 2:08 at the tail end of the third period in an OT loss to the Jets. Vegas Golden Knights at Detroit Red Wings 7 p.m. ET (ESPN+) | VGK -142, O/U: 5.5 The Wings have shaken off a rough start and are now in the thick of the playoff race in the East, focusing on on-ice success and avoiding the off-ice drama playing out with Dylan Larkin. Vegas was one of three teams on Larkin's initial preferred list, although that cohort has since expanded to 10 teams.
The Knights enter this game in a battle with the Oilers atop the Pacific, and we suppose any team could use a player of Larkin's caliber in the lineup. This is the first time these two teams will play this season, after the Golden Knights won both matchups in 2025-26. Carolina Hurricanes at New York Islanders 7 p.m. ET (ESPN+/Disney+/Hulu) | CAR -166, O/U: 5.5 The Canes have been rolling over opponents this season, to the tune of a 12-3-2 record and plus-24 goal differential, both tops in the NHL.
Goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov has leveled up right before our eyes, starting the campaign 10-1-0 with a 1.64 GAA and .922 SV%. Meanwhile, oft-underrated Sebastian Aho is a top-10 scorer, with 21 points through 17 games. Of course, the Isles also have a top-10 netminder in their crease.
Source: ESPN NHL · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing