After Tuesday’s games the NHL will have completed four weeks of the 2026-27 season, a stretch that has produced its share of shocks and surprises, according to ESPN. The Carolina Hurricanes sit atop the Metropolitan Division while the Boston Bruins lead the Atlantic, and those teams meet in the marquee matchup at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN. Ten other games are on the schedule across the evening, ESPN notes.
The night opens at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+ with the Columbus Blue Jackets visiting the Philadelphia Flyers. Both clubs find themselves near the bottom of the Metro, and Columbus has played just nine games so far, according to ESPN. Matvei Michkov leads Philadelphia in points with eight goals and two assists, and Columbus comes in off an overtime win over Vegas in which Adam Fantilli scored the game-winner.
Boston and Carolina carry a long rivalry that dates to 1979-80, when the Canes were the Hartford Whalers. The Bruins hold a 115-80-24 regular-season edge against Hartford/Carolina and a 26-16 advantage in postseason meetings, ESPN reports. Recent playoff results include Boston wins in the 2019 conference finals and the 2020 first round and a Carolina first-round victory in 2022. Both clubs also feature top-10 NHL contributors: Sebastian Aho and David Pastrnak rank among the league’s scoring leaders, while Pyotr Kochetkov and Jeremy Swayman are among the top 10 in save percentage, according to ESPN.
The Los Angeles Kings visit the Chicago Blackhawks at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN+ in a reunion of former linemates Artemi Panarin and Patrick Kane, who played together in Chicago and later in New York, ESPN says. Chicago won two games after Connor Bedard’s return before dropping three straight, while Los Angeles won two in a row before a loss to New Jersey.
The Montreal Canadiens play at the St. Louis Blues at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN+. Montreal remains without captain and leading scorer Nick Suzuki as he recovers from an upper-body injury, and goaltender Jacob Fowler backstopped the Canadiens to a 2-1 win in the Heritage Classic on Sunday, according to ESPN. The Blues have not lost to Canadian teams this season, beating Ottawa 7-2 and Winnipeg 2-1.
Also at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN+ the New York Islanders visit the Nashville Predators; Nashville is 2-0-1 when scoring three or more goals this season, while the Isles have allowed 2.55 goals per game, the fifth fewest in the NHL, thanks in part to Ilya Sorokin and a strong defensive structure, ESPN reports. New Jersey visits Dallas at the same time, with Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger at 6-2-1 with a 1.43 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage; New Jersey has won five of its last six and Dallas has won five of its last five, according to ESPN.
