It's a typically light Friday schedule in the NHL, but both games are well worth the watch for different reasons. Both pit interconference foes against one another, so either could be an early Stanley Cup Final preview, though one is far more likely than the other. None of the four clubs played Thursday, so everyone should be as fresh as possible.
The opener is Montreal Canadiens at Chicago Blackhawks at 8 p.m. ET on NHL Network, with Montreal favored at -142 and an over/under of 6.5. The Blackhawks are not a strong bet to make the Cup Final this season, or even the playoffs, if public projections are to be believed. Still, fans of tradition and uniforms will enjoy this Original Six matchup. It also pits the No. 1 overall picks from 2022 and 2023, Juraj Slafkovsky of Montreal and Connor Bedard of Chicago.
The main event is Tampa Bay Lightning at Colorado Avalanche at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN+, with Colorado a -125 favorite and an over/under of 6.5. It's a rematch of the 2022 Cup Final, won by Colorado, and a pairing with a reasonably strong chance of meeting again this June. According to Stathletes projections, it is the No. 1 projected Cup Final matchup, with a 4.85% chance of occurring. Both teams are led up front by a perennial Hart Trophy candidate: Nikita Kucherov of Tampa, who won the 2025-26 Hart, and Nathan Mac Kinnon of Colorado, the second runner-up behind Connor McDavid. The two teams meet again Feb. 13.
Fans can catch all the action in the NHL streaming hub and on the ESPN App.
Source: ESPN NHL · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing