Your Week in NHL Hockey, October 16-22: The Season’s in Full Swing
PITTSBURGH, PA – OCTOBER 13: Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals looks on in the second period during the game against Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena on October 13, 2016 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
Saturday, October 22
Nationally televised in the United States
New York Rangers at Washington Capitals (7 p.m. ET; NHL Network, CSN DC and MSG)
Locally televised in the United States and/or Canada
Toronto Maple Leafs at Chicago Blackhawks (7 p.m. ET; WGN; CBC in Canada)
Montréal Canadiens at Boston Bruins (7 p.m. ET; NESN; CITY and TVA Sports in Canada)
Carolina Hurricanes at Philadelphia Flyers (7 p.m. ET; CSN Philadelphia and Fox Sports Carolinas)
Tampa Bay Lightning at Ottawa Senators (7 p.m. ET; Fox Sports Sun; Sportsnet360 and SportsnetOne in Canada)
Colorado Avalanche at Florida Panthers (7 p.m. ET; Fox Sports Florida and Altitude)
San Jose Sharks at Detroit Red Wings (7 p.m. ET; Fox Sports Detroit and CSN California)
Minnesota Wild at New Jersey Devils (7 p.m. ET; MSG+, Fox Sports North and Wisconsin)
Pittsburgh Penguins at Nashville Predators (8 p.m. ET; Fox Sports Tennessee and ROOT)
Columbus Blue Jackets at Dallas Stars (8 p.m. ET; Fox Sports Southwest and Ohio)
Vancouver Canucks at Los Angeles Kings (10 p.m. ET; Fox Sports West; CBC in Canada)
St. Louis Blues at Calgary Flames (10 p.m. ET; Fox Sports Midwest; SN1 and SN360 in Canada)
Best bets: Lightning-Senators, Canucks-Kings, Capitals-Rangers
As per usual, heading for the nationally televised game in the States is never really an unsafe bet, especially not with two strong, perennial playoff contenders anchoring the Saturday night slot. However, it’s also usually not a bad idea to keep an eye on the Lightning and the Kings, with the Canucks especially trying to get back to the playoffs this year after missing out last season. The Senators would like to do the same, since the team also missed out last season on a fifth-place finish in the Atlantic.
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What games will you be watching for sure? Let us know in the comments below, and feel free to make some recommendations.