March 20, 2023
- ABC Hockey Saturday: Capitals vs. Penguins in Primetime Wild Card Chase Matchup
- The Point returns on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. and Thursday at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN2 and ESPN+
- 42 NHL Power Play Games Streaming on ESPN+
With the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs less than a month away, NHL action continues this week with five exclusive games across ABC, ESPN and ESPN+/Hulu, headlined by a primetime ABC Hockey Saturday matchup between the Alex Ovechkin-led Washington Capitals and Sidney Crosby’s Pittsburgh Penguins at 8 p.m. ET, simulcast on ESPN+. In a Metropolitan Division matchup with possible playoff implications, the Capitals continue to chase a Wild Card position as the Penguins try to hold onto its current Wild Card position in a tightly-contested Eastern Conference race. Earlier on Saturday, the puck drops in an Eastern Conference matchup between the Buffalo Sabres and the New York Islanders as both teams make a push to secure a Wild Card spot at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN+/Hulu.
On Tuesday, the Toronto Maple Leafs and its trio of Auston Matthews, Mitchell Marner, William Nylander along with former captain of the Islanders, John Tavares, who will face his previous Islander teammates while they visit the New York Islanders at UBS Arena beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+/Hulu. The Maple Leafs currently sit in second place in the Atlantic Division, as the Islanders attempt to hold onto their Wild Card position.
An exclusive ESPN doubleheader featuring interconference matchups takes place on Thursday night, beginning with the Central Division’s second-place Minnesota Wild visiting the Philadelphia Flyers at 6:30 p.m. ET. An exciting matchup between the Penguins and Central Division-leading Dallas Stars, whose Jason Robertson again just passed the 40-goal mark, begins at 9 p.m. ET at the American Airlines Arena.
Exclusive NHL game and studio shows on ESPN platforms this week:
| Date | Time (ET) | Platform(s) | Game/Studio Show | ESPN Commentators |
| Monday, March 20 | 1:30 a.m. | ESPN+ | In The Crease | Host: Linda Cohn |
| Tuesday, March 21 | 6:30 p.m. | ESPN2/ESPN+ | The Point The Point with Arda Öcal and Rick DiPietro will cover top storylines around the league and preview the game between the Maple Leafs and Islanders. |
Host: Arda Öcal
Analyst: Rick DiPietro
|
| 7:30 p.m. | ESPN+/Hulu | Toronto Maple Leafs at New York Islanders The Maple Leafs (42-18-9) and William Nylander, leading the team in goals, will face the Islanders (36-27-8) and their team’s leader in goals, Brock Nelson, at UBS Arena for an Eastern Conference contest. |
Play-by-Play: Mike Monaco
Analyst: AJ Mleczko In Studio: Arda Öcal,Linda Cohn, Rick DiPietro |
|
| 1 a.m. | ESPN+ | In The Crease | Host: Linda Cohn | |
| Wednesday, March 22 | 1:30 a.m. | ESPN+ | In The Crease | Host: Linda Cohn |
| Thursday, March 23 | 1:30 a.m. | ESPN+ | In The Crease | Host: Linda Cohn |
| 6 p.m. | ESPN2/ESPN+ | The Point The Point with Arda Öcal, P.K. Subban and Ryan Callahan will cover top storylines around the league and preview an ESPN exclusive doubleheader between the Wild-Flyers and Penguins-Stars later that night. |
Host: Arda Öcal
Analysts: P.K. Subban, Ryan Callahan |
|
| 6:30 p.m. | ESPN | Minnesota Wild at Philadelphia Flyers The Wild (40-22-8) travel east with the league’s second-ranked goaltender, Filip Gustavsson, to face the Flyers (25-32-12) and Travis Konecny, who leads the team in points and goals at the Wells Fargo Center. |
Play-by-Play: Bob Wischusen
Analyst: Brian Boucher Reporter: Dom Moore In Studio: Arda Öcal, Linda Cohn, P.K. Subban, Ryan Callahan |
|
| 9 p.m. | ESPN | Pittsburgh Penguins at Dallas Stars The Penguins (34-25-10) along with All-Star Center, Sidney Crosby, who leads the team in points and assists, will travel south to take on the Central Division-leading Stars (38-19-13) with Jason Robertson, the team’s leader in points and goals at the American Airlines Arena. |
Play-by-Play: Steve Levy
Analyst: Ray Ferraro Reporter: Emily Kaplan In Studio: Arda Öcal, Linda Cohn, P.K. Subban, Ryan Callahan |
|
| 1 a.m. | ESPN+ | In The Crease | Host: Linda Cohn | |
| Friday, March 24 | 12 a.m. | ESPN+ | In The Crease | Host: Arda Öcal |
| Saturday, March 25 | 5 p.m. | ESPN+/Hulu | Buffalo Sabres at New York Islanders The Sabres (33-30-6) with Tage Thompson, leading the team in points and goals, face the Islanders (36-27-8) in a compelling matchup with playoff implications at UBS Arena. |
Play-by-Play: Bob Wischusen
Analyst: Brian Boucher In Studio: Steve Levy, Mark Messier, AJ Mleczko, Arda Öcal, P.K. Subban |
| 8 p.m. | ABC/ESPN+ | Washington Capitals at Pittsburgh Penguins The Capitals (33-31-7) and history-chasing goal scorer Alex Ovechkin face the Penguins (34-24-10) and its team leader in goals, Jake Guentzel, in an important primetime, Eastern Conference matchup as both teams aim to secure a Wild Card spot at PPG Paints Arena. |
Play-by-Play: Sean McDonough
Analyst: Ray Ferraro Reporter: Emily Kaplan In Studio: Steve Levy, Mark Messier, AJ Mleczko, Arda Öcal, P.K. Subban |
|
| 8 p.m. | ESPN+ |
Star Watch Presentation: |
Play-by-Play: Sean McDonough
Analyst: Ray Ferraro Reporter: Emily Kaplan In Studio: Steve Levy, Mark Messier, AJ Mleczko, Arda Öcal, P.K. Subban |
|
| 1:30 a.m. | ESPN+ | In The Crease | Host: Arda Öcal | |
| Sunday, March 26 | 1:30 a.m. | ESPN+ | In The Crease | Host: Arda Öcal |
*Please note commentator assignments may be subject to change.
NHL Power Play on ESPN+ | This Week’s Live Out-of-Market Highlight Games
NHL Power Play on ESPN+ will present a total of 42 live out-of-market league games this week, including three appearances from the league-leading Boston Bruins. On Saturday, the Edmonton Oilers and dynamic duo of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaital take on the Western Conference-leading Vegas Golden Knights in an exciting division matchup between two likely playoff contenders at 10 p.m. ET, exclusively on ESPN+.
*Subscribe to ESPN+ at ESPNPlus.com for more than 1,050 NHL Power Play out-of-market games this season.
NHL Digital Content on ESPN.com and ESPN App
Go to ESPN.com/NHL or the ESPN App for up-to-the-minute NHL news, information and analysis, including premium editorial content by ESPN senior NHL writer Greg Wyshynski, exclusively for ESPN+ subscribers.
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- Wednesday: NHL prospects to watch in the NCAA hockey tournament (ESPN+ Premium Content)
- Thursday: Fatal flaws for the NHL’s top contenders (ESPN+ Premium Content)
- Friday: NHL Power Rankings
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CONTACTS:
ESPN
Danny Chi | [email protected] | 213-405-4400
Andrea DiCristoforo | [email protected] | 603-759-7670
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