There are 10 games on the NHL schedule for Tuesday, including two nationally televised in the United States. Here are five things to watch today, along with the complete game schedule.
Marchand’s return
Brad Marchand returns to TD Garden (7:30 p.m. ET; ESPN, SNO, SNE, SN360, TVAS) for the first time since the Boston Bruins traded him to the Florida Panthers on March 7. He played 16 seasons in Boston, winning the Stanley Cup in 2011, and won the Cup in Florida last season and found a new home. The 37-year-old forward has six points (three goals, three assists) in seven games for the Panthers, who have lost four straight since opening the season with three wins in a row.
Mammoth matchup
The Utah Mammoth face an early-season test against the division-leading Colorado Avalanche (10 p.m. ET; ESPN, TVAS). Each team has won three in a row. Forward Nick Schmaltz leads Utah with nine points (three goals, six assists). Forwards Nathan MacKinnon (six goals, four assists) and Martin Necas (four goals, six assists) lead Colorado with 10 points each.
Top picks
The past two No. 1 picks will meet when the San Jose Sharks visit the New York Islanders (7 p.m. ET; MSGSN, NBCSCA). Sharks center Macklin Celebrini, the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, and Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer, the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, each has five points (one goal, four assists) in five games. Celebrini (68 points; 26 goals, 42 assists in 75 games) needs two points to become the fastest to debut with San Jose and reach 70, a mark held by Pat Falloon (95 games). Schaefer can become the second defenseman in NHL history to begin his career with a six-game point streak, joining Marek Zidlicky. He also can become the fourth No. 1 pick to do so (Alex Ovechkin, Alexandre Daigle and Sidney Crosby).
Ovechkin watch
Ovechkin needs two goals to become the first player in NHL history to reach 900, after breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record of 894 goals last season. The forward has one goal in six games for the Washington Capitals entering their game against the Seattle Kraken (7 p.m. ET; KHN, MNMT, KONG).
No goals yet for McDavid
Connor McDavid is off to a quiet start by his standards. The center has no goals and seven assists in six games for the Edmonton Oilers, the back-to-back Western Conference champions, who have lost three in a row and wrap up a five-game trip at the Ottawa Senators (7 p.m. ET; RDS, SNW, TSN5). Both teams need to get going. Ottawa has lost four of its past five.
