The NHL hosts its third annual Frozen Frenzy on October 28, 2025, with all 32 teams playing in 16 staggered games starting at 6 p.m. ET across ESPN platforms. Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin enters the night one goal shy of becoming the first player to reach 900 regular-season goals.
The Frozen Frenzy, the league's sixth 16-game day but unique for its staggered puck drops, begins with Calgary at Toronto and Pittsburgh at Philadelphia at 6 p.m. ET as part of an ESPN tripleheader. Vegas at Carolina follows at 6:30 p.m. ET, with 15-minute intervals until New Jersey at Colorado at 9 p.m. ET, then 30-minute starts concluding with Los Angeles at San Jose at 11 p.m. ET. ESPN2 provides a whiparound coverage similar to NFL Red Zone.
Key storylines include Ovechkin's milestone pursuit in the Capitals' matchup against the Dallas Stars at 8:30 p.m. ET, where he is +160 to score. Edmonton Oilers' Connor McDavid is +850 to lead all players in points despite a slow start with one goal. Pittsburgh Penguins forward Rickard Rakell is out 6-8 weeks after hand surgery, impacting their game at Philadelphia. Montreal Canadiens' Patrik Laine will miss 3-4 months following core muscle surgery.
Historical context shows high-scoring potential: the October 11, 2025, 16-game day saw 110 goals, second-most in NHL history. Expert picks favor home teams in several matchups, including Philadelphia over Pittsburgh (-152) due to the Penguins' back-to-back schedule and backup goalie Arturs Silovs starting. Toronto is picked to cover -1 against Calgary (-128), with John Tavares one goal from 500 career tallies.