NHL Games Tonight: Four Games, Start Times and How to Watch

Four NHL games fill the Monday slate tonight, October 19, 2026. Out-of-market viewers in the United States can stream all four on ESPN+ through NHL Power Play. Local broadcasts carry each game in the home markets, and the Maple Leafs game is on SN+ in Canada.

Tonight's games

The Anaheim Ducks visit the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden, faceoff at 7 p.m. ET. The Colorado Avalanche visit the Philadelphia Flyers at the same time, 7 p.m. ET at the Xfinity Mobile Arena. At 7:30 p.m. ET, the San Jose Sharks visit the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena. The night closes in Utah, where the Pittsburgh Penguins visit the Utah Mammoth at 9 p.m. ET.

Two of the games carry a clear storyline to watch. Toronto's captain Auston Matthews has been scoring steadily this month and faces a San Jose team that plays open games on the road, Sportsbook Review noted in its October 19 picks. In Philadelphia, the Flyers are dealing with a long injury list, Boston Hockey Now reported from Sunday's practice: Cam York, Rasmus Ristolainen, Travis Konecny and Owen Tippett were already out, and Tyson Foerster and Sean Couturier also missed practice. Colorado, by contrast, has not played since Friday and arrives rested.

The NHL slate is part of a crowded Monday night in North American sport. The WNBA Finals play Game 2 in San Francisco, the ALCS plays Game 6 in St. Petersburg, and Monday Night Football has the Commanders at the 49ers, with starting times staggered across the evening from 7 p.m. ET on the ice to 8:15 p.m. ET on the field.

How to read a light Monday slate

Four games is a quiet night by NHL standards. The league spreads its schedule across the week, and Mondays often carry a short slate while teams travel between weekend series. The streaming setup reflects that: ESPN+ through NHL Power Play carries every game for viewers outside the local markets, while the home broadcasts keep the games in their own regions, which is why one national stream and four local telecasts can all be right at the same time.

The season is young, and October hockey has its own shape. Rosters are close to what training camp produced, new line combinations are still being tested, and a rested team like Colorado, off since Friday, holds a real edge over a team playing its third game in four nights. Philadelphia's injury list is the other early season theme in this slate: six regulars out or doubtful at once is a test of depth that usually shows up in the third period, when the Flyers' shortened bench has the most minutes on it.

How the night finished

New York had the loudest result. The Rangers beat Anaheim 5-2 at Madison Square Garden, scoring inside the first two minutes for the third straight home game and building a 4-0 lead before the Ducks scored twice in the last 69 seconds. Oliver Bjorkstrand scored twice for New York, and rookie goalie Dylan Garand made 29 saves.

Philadelphia's shortened bench held on. The Flyers beat Colorado 3-2, with the Avalanche cutting the lead to one late in the third period but getting no closer. In Toronto, the Maple Leafs beat San Jose 3-1: Mason Marchment gave the Sharks the lead in the first period, Toronto tied it in the second and scored twice in the third to close it out. The night closed in Utah, where Pittsburgh visited the Mammoth in the late game.