Crosby vs. Kane among Frozen Frenzy highlights, according to NHL.com writers

The first "NHL Frozen Frenzy" this season is Tuesday.

Each of the 32 teams will be in action across 16 games with staggered start times, beginning with the New Jersey Devils visiting the Detroit Red Wings (6 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN+) at Little Caesars Arena, in the first game of its tripleheader coverage.

ESPN also will have a whip-around show starting at 7 p.m. ET.

The storylines and the stars on display are almost endless, so we've asked our staff writers to help provide a cheat sheet into the most compelling things to watch across more than eight hours of non-stop hockey Tuesday.

Golden reunion

It's fitting the first puck drop on the busiest night of the season so far starts in Hockeytown at Little Caesars Arena. The highlight will be a matchup between U.S. Olympic teammates Dylan Larkin of the Detroit Red Wings and Jack Hughes of the New Jersey Devils, who were on the ice together for Hughes' golden goal in Milan when the United States defeated Canada in overtime. Larkin is just getting his game going after missing training camp and the first two games of the season because of an upper-body injury. Hughes has one goal, but it was a biggie -- in overtime to beat the Philadelphia Flyers in their season opener. -- Adam Kimelman, deputy managing editor

New faces in new places

Matthew Knies has four points (two goals, two assists) in four games since the Columbus Blue Jackets acquired him from the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sept. 28, and the forward, who turns 24 on Saturday, has talked about how happy he is to be in Columbus. The Blue Jackets host the Florida Panthers (6:15 p.m. ET; CBJHN, CBJNHL, SCRIPPS), who have a notable new face in Brady Tkachuk. The rugged forward has one assist in six games since asking the Ottawa Senators for a trade and joining his brother, Matthew, in Florida on June 21. It's a matter of time before Brady gets going, and perhaps we'll see more from the brothers playing on a line with center Sam Bennett like they did against the Buffalo Sabres on Monday. It's a trio Panthers coach Paul Maurice has joked will be in jail before the puck drops. -- Nicholas J. Cotsonika, columnist

Playoff rematch in Montreal

When I looked at the Tuesday schedule, my eye immediately went to the Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens, two teams I watched battle to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Second Round last spring. It was a series that went the distance, all the way to overtime in Game 7, before the Canadiens won and earned their ticket to the conference final. This time at Bell Centre (6:30 p.m. ET; RDS, TSN2, MSG-B), I expect the two teams to pick up almost where they left off, with some message sending, some bad blood, and a tight game between two teams that just might see each other in the playoffs again this spring. I'll be tuning in, that's for sure. -- Amalie Benjamin, senior writer

Ovechkin returns to beginning for a final time

Alex Ovechkin will play his final regular-season game at Lenovo Center (6:45 p.m. ET; HHN, CARNHL, MNMT), where the Washington Capitals selected him with the No. 1 pick in the 2004 NHL Draft, when they visit the Carolina Hurricanes for the second time this season. Ovechkin, who announced Oct. 5 that this will be his last NHL season, had an assist when Washington won 5-2 at Carolina in the Capitals' season opener Oct. 2. The Hurricanes (5-1-1) have won five in a row since then. Ovechkin has scored 33 of his NHL-record 930 career goals in 48 regular-season games at Lenovo Center, more than any visitor in League history. The Capitals (3-2-0) are 3-0-0 vs. Metropolitan Division teams. -- Tom Gulitti, senior writer

Garand in Broadway spotlight in rematch against Lightning

The last time the Lightning and Rangers played at Madison Square Garden, Igor Shesterkin stole the show with the first goalie goal in Rangers history. That was less than two weeks ago, but for Rangers fans it feels like forever ago now with Shesterkin out for the season after sustaining a lower-body injury at the Washington Capitals on Friday. So all eyes will be on the Rangers goal for this rematch at MSG (7:15 p.m. ET; The Spot, MSG), but now it's Dylan Garand trying to fill Shesterkin's skates. He got the win Sunday, making 19 saves in a 6-2 home victory against the Vancouver Canucks. Now he has to face the Lightning, who have won four straight since the opening-night loss to the Rangers. It's pretty rare a team plays the same opponent on the road just weeks apart, but that will happen in New York, and it will be make for great theater on Broadway. -- Bill Price, Editor-in-Chief

Legends on display in Chicago

I'll be taking in the Frozen Frenzy watching the Pittsburgh Penguins visit the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center (8 p.m. ET; CHSN, SN-PIT), where I'll see two veterans who have had their share of team and individual success: Penguins captain Sidney Crosby and Blackhawks alternate captain Patrick Kane. Each has won the Stanley Cup three times, each has won the Conn Smythe as most valuable player in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and the Hart Trophy as regular season MVP at least once; Crosby has won each twice and has spent his entire 22-season career with the Penguins, while Kane is in his second stint with the Blackhawks. Each is synonymous with his respective team. Neither Crosby nor Kane are off to the start either would like -- Crosby has two assists in six games, Kane has a goal and an assist in six games -- but they'll get there. Crosby is 39 years old and Kane is 37. Who knows how much longer we'll see these two go head to head, so I'm here for this one. Not to mention the fact that Connor Bedard could return from offseason shoulder surgery and make his season debut Tuesday. -- Tracey Myers, staff writer

Central powers clash in heart of Texas

There's a reason this game between the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche at American Airlines Center (8:30 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN+, TVAS) is one of the three featured games on ESPN. The Avalanche and Stars were the best two teams in the Central Division last season and very well could be again this season. This game features two of the best defensemen in the world in Colorado's Cale Makar and Dallas' Miro Heiskanen. It features two of the more underrated elite defensemen in the Avalanche's Devon Toews and Thomas Harley of the Stars. Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon is always a must-watch. He already has 10 points (five goals, five assists) in five games. Dallas' Jason Robertson can score from just about anywhere. And maybe this is the game when Stars forward Mikko Rantanen scores his first regular-season goal against his former team. Rantanen, who played for Colorado from 2015-25, has two assists in three regular-season games against the Avalanche. -- Dan Rosen, senior writer

Eichel show takes residence in Nashville

The Vegas Golden Knights, who won five of their first six games before Monday's 4-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild, visit the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena (8:45 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, SCRIPPS) and Jack Eichel comes into town as one of the hottest players in the League. The Vegas forward is tied for second in the League with 12 points (three goals, nine assists) in seven games. This after Eichel had 22 points (two goals, 20 assists) in 20 games during the Golden Knights' run to the Stanley Cup Final, where they lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in six games. Simply, nobody is playing better than Eichel, who was a key contributor to the gold-medal victory for the United States at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, with six points (two goals, four assists) in six games. He is, simply, much-watch TV. -- Shawn P. Roarke, senior director of editorial

Special teams shine in Salt Lake City

What happens when a red-hot power play is put to the test against an equally effective penalty kill? We'll find out during Frozen Frenzy when the Utah Mammoth host the Toronto Maple Leafs at Delta Center (9 p.m. ET; Mammoth+, Utah16, TSN4). The Mammoth own the No. 2 power play in the NHL (10-for-25; 40 percent), led by forwards Nick Schmaltz (four power-play goals) and Dylan Guenther (three power-play goals). Utah went 2-for-5 on the power play in a 4-1 win at the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday. Toronto, which won 6-3 at the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday in the second of a three-game road trip, owns the League's second-best penalty kill (19-for-20; 95.0 percent) and hasn't allowed a power-play goal in its past two games (9-for-9). Maple Leafs rookie left wing Gavin McKenna, the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, has four points (one goal, three assists) in six games. The atmosphere in Salt Lake City should add another layer to this intriguing game. -- Mike G. Morreale, senior draft writer

Carlsson in flight for Ducks

I'm an East Coast dweller who will stay up late to watch the Anaheim Ducks and the Calgary Flames at Honda Center (9:45 p.m. ET; Prime Video, KCOP-13, SNW). The Ducks are seeking their fifth win in six games (4-1-0), led by center Leo Carlsson, who is showing why Anaheim matched the five-year, $90 million offer sheet ($18 million average annual value) he received from the Philadelphia Flyers in July. He tops the Ducks with eight points (one goal, seven assists) in five games and is tied for third in the NHL in assists. Calgary seeks its first win of the season (0-5-0) and would love to avenge its 4-2 loss to Anaheim at Scotiabank Saddledome on Saturday. -- William Douglas, staff writer

Oilers firing on all cylinders while facing rival

The Mike Babcock influence seems to be taking effect with the Edmonton Oilers, who have a chance to sweep a three-game California road trip when they face the Los Angeles Kings (10:30 p.m. ET; ABTV, SN1, TVAS). Edmonton has won four consecutive games and is the only team in the League yet to lose regulation. Oilers captain Connor McDavid is in a familiar spot at the top of the NHL scoring race with 13 points (three goals, 10 assists) in five games, while defenseman Evan Bouchard is making an early case for Norris Trophy consideration with 12 points (six goals, six assists) in five games. The Kings, meanwhile, still are trying to find their way without forward Anze Kopitar, who retired at the end of last season. Los Angeles still is looking for its first win (0-2-2) and will have plenty of motivation against Edmonton, which has eliminated it from the Stanley Cup Playoffs four of the past five seasons. -- Derek Van Diest, staff writer

Celebrini in spotlight against Bruins in San Jose

The nightcap to the 16-game Frozen Frenzy is the icing on the cake. While they play in different conferences, the Boston Bruins and San Jose Sharks, who play at SAP Center (11 p.m. ET; ESPN, NESN, SN+), always will be intertwined by the 2005 trade that sent Joe Thornton from Boston to San Jose, where he would go on win the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP that season. Fast forward more than two decades to 2026, when the face of the San Jose franchise now is 20-year-old Macklin Celebrini. Where does Celebrini live? With Thornton and his family. Where did Celebrini go to college? Boston University. With all these connections between the Sharks and Boston, "Jumbo Joe" would seem the perfect candidate to conduct the ceremonial opening face-off. Celebrini returned to the Sharks lineup against the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday after missing the previous two games because of a lower-body injury. -- Mike Zeisberger, staff writer