Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang and Toronto Maple Leafs right wing David Clarkson are returning Friday night and NHL Live, at 5 p.m. ET on NHL Network, will have live updates from Pittsburgh and Columbus from our Arena Cam. We'll also have a look at a #FlashbackFriday as the Ottawa Senators' Bobby Ryan is back facing his old team on NHL Network.

Plus, we'll have our first edition of the "Face-Off" as EJ and Barry Melrose debate three interesting topics: Best Team, Best Defenseman to Build Around, and Who's to Blame for the struggles in Buffalo.

Also, it's a fairly busy Friday night with six games in the NHL and it's even busier for eight of the 12 teams as they play the first or second of back-to-back games. Vancouver concludes a seven-game trip in St. Louis against a Blues team that hasn't played in a week. Meanwhile, the Carolina Hurricanes play the last of a four-game road swing in Colorado after being in Minnesota last night. The Avalanche have been off since Monday.

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A big night in the NHL on Thursday as 10 games are on the schedule and NHL Live, at 5 p.m. ET on NHL Network, will also be celebrating Hockey Fights Cancer. We'll get live reports from Kenny Albert in Philadelphia, Billy Jaffe in Boston and Eddie Olcyzk in Tampa Bay.

Also, we'll get a full preview of the Minnesota Wild vs. Carolina Hurricanes game as Wild forward Jason Pominville will join us. Minnesota has won four straight against Carolina. On the Canes' side, defenseman Justin Faulk will join us as he returns to his home state, where he also starred for the University of Minnesota-Duluth. He's also expected to go head-to-head against his former Bulldog teammate Justin Fontaine, who is skating on Minnesota's top line.

Remember to submit your #AskEJ questions through Twitter via @NHLNetwork or @EJHradek_NHL, and join the conversation on Twitter as we ask you to pick the game of the night.

It is Wednesday Night Rivalry on NBCSN as the Boston Bruins and Buffalo Sabres square off and NHL Live, at 5 p.m. ET on NHL Network, will preview this Atlantic Division matchup. We'll go to the Arena and talk to NBCSN analyst Pierre McGuire, who will be "Inside The Glass" for the game.

The big story tonight is Daniel Alfredsson of the Detroit Red Wings facing his former team for the first time as Detroit takes on the Ottawa Senators at Joe Louis Arena. Alfredsson spent 17 seasons with the Senators and is off to a good start with his new team (nine points in 10 games). While it may not have the fanfare that's expected for his Dec. 1 return to Canada's capital, it should be a great game between two teams that advanced to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs last year. It also features two of the best American-born goaltenders as Craig Anderson faces Jimmy Howard, who is 3-0-0 in his career against Ottawa.

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Eight games on the Tuesday schedule and NHL Live, at 5 p.m. ET on NHL Network, will get you ready for the action. The Anaheim Ducks go for an eight straight win tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs and we'll get a live report from our Arena Cam at Air Canada Centre as well as show the warm-ups of the early games in our Ice Pass.

But the highlight of Tuesday's show will be a very special live appearance from Hall of Famer Bobby Orr, who will be stopping by the NHL Store in New York to sign copies of his new book, "Orr: My Story."

Some of our younger viewers may only be familiar with him from black-and-white photos or grainy video, so here are a couple of facts just to put his amazing career in perspective: He won two scoring titles as a defenseman, and during an era of some outstanding forwards (Gordie Howe, Bobby Hull, Phil Esposito, Stan Mikita, etc.). He also had a career plus-minus of plus-597, including plus-124 in one season. But the book is so much more than just a typical historical autobiography. We'll discuss its topics and his remarkable career on the show today.

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NHL Live at 5 p.m. ET on Monday on NHL Network will get you ready for your hockey week. NHL Network analyst Barry Melrose will be on the show to break down each NHL division and NHL Network Insider Bob McKenzie will stop by to discuss the latest buzz around the NHL.

Also Monday, the Pittsburgh Penguins host the Colorado Avalanche in a game which features two of the NHL's best teams and brightest stars. In addition to the much-anticipated Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia showdown of Nathan MacKinnon and Sidney Crosby, five other top-three draft picks will be on the ice (Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin and Marc-Andre Fleury, Colorado's Gabriel Landeskog, Matt Duchene, and Erik Johnson). MacKinnon will join us on the show to talk about his first impressions of NHL life, early recollections of Crosby and life as a tenant in the home of goaltender Jean-Sebastian Giguere. Giguere will start tonight for the Avs, who are a perfect 4-0-0 on the road, while the Penguins are 5-0-0 at home.

It's a hockey Friday and NHL Live, at 5 p.m. ET on NHL Network, will get you ready for the two games on tap as well as your hockey weekend. NHL Network analyst Barry Melrose will be on the show to talk the Metropolitan Division and give his Mullet of the Week.

We'll also be joined by the coach of the Boston University Terriers, David Quinn, for this week's college hockey report. BU is off to a strong 2-0 start and will face RPI and Wisconsin this weekend.

Plus, we'll preview the two NHL games Friday. The St. Louis Blues are in Winnipeg to take on the Jets. Alexander Steen, a Winnipeg native, returns to the town where his dad Thomas spent 14 seasons as a Jet and played 950 games. In another divisional matchup, the Anaheim Ducks look for their sixth straight win as they meet the Phoenix Coyotes. Phoenix has won four of its last five games against Anaheim.

Remember to submit your #AskEJ questions through Twitter via @NHLNetwork or @EJHradek_NHL, and join the conversation on twitter as we ask you to pick the game of the night.

Twelve games on the Thursday schedule and NHL Live, at 5 p.m. ET on NHL Network, will get you ready for the Metropolitan Division battle between the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins on the NHL Network. We'll also get a live update from the Florida Arena Cam from Boston Bruins analyst Andy Brickley, as Florida Panthers goalie Tim Thomas faces his old team. Lastly, Eddie Olcyzk will join us from Chicago as the Central Division rival St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks square off.

Also joining us from the Dallas Arena Cam are Dallas Stars rookie Alex Chiasson and San Jose Sharks defenseman Justin Braun to talk about the big Western Conference matchup.

Remember to submit your #AskEJ questions through Twitter via @NHLNetwork or @EJHradek_NHL, and join the conversation on twitter as we ask you to pick the game of the night.

It's Wednesday Night Rivalry on NBCSN as the New York Rangers and Washington Capitals square off, and NHL Live will preview this Metropolitan Division matchup at 5 p.m. Eastern on NHL Network. We'll go to Verizon Center and talk to NBCSN's Pierre McGuire, who will be "Inside the Glass" for the game.

There are 12 games on the schedule Tuesday in the NHL and starting at 5 p.m. ET on the NHL Network, NHL Live will have the latest on all of them.

Two undefeated teams square off in St. Louis when the St. Louis Blues host the San Jose Sharks (8 p.m. ET, NBCSN, TSN) and we'll get a live preview in St. Louis. We'll also show the warmups of the early games in our Ice Pass via our Arena Cam.

In addition to all of the game coverage Tuesday, we've also got a food-themed show with Jessie Lysiak stopping by from the Fox television show "MasterChef." Jessie is the daughter of former Atlanta Flame and Chicago Blackhawk, Tom Lysiak who played in the NHL for 13 seasons. She's also the girlfriend of Sharks defenseman Justin Braun and finished third in this summer's Masterchef competition. On Tuesday she'll be preparing a hockey-inspired meal from each division, sharing some recipes, and talking to us about her background and take us behind the scenes of the intense reality cooking show.

An afternoon treat on Columbus Day, as the Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings face off in an Atlantic Division game. NHL Live, at 5 p.m. ET on NHL Network, will have full highlights and get you ready for the other two games tonight between the Edmonton Oilers and Washington Capitals and the Minnesota Wild and Buffalo Sabres.

Also, the great Doc Emrick will be joining us for a preview of the Sabres and Wild on NBCSN. Back in my days as a student at Bowling Green State University, I once stumbled upon his lengthy doctoral dissertation at Jerome Library profiling all of the broadcasters in Major League Baseball in 1973. The nearly two-inch thick hard-bound book was covered in dust, but had the feel of finding a buried treasure. With that fine work as a doctoral student of BGSU, the "Doc" nickname was officially born. On Monday, the Wild begin a four-game road trip against the winless Sabres.

Remember to submit your #AskEJ questions through Twitter via @NHLNetwork or @EJHradek_NHL, and join the conversation on Twitter as we ask you to pick the game of the night.