No NHL games tonight — here's what's next

Wednesday, October 14 · nothing on tonight

No NHL games on tonight. The next NHL games start October 15, and the best of them is Canucks at Panthers (importance 1). Here's what's coming.

  1. Thursday, October 15

  2. #1 · NHLImportance 58
    7:00 PM ET·ESPN+

    Kraken at Lightning

    Kraken5-2-0
    Lightning4-2-0

    The Kraken visit the Lightning with key absences on both sides, while bringing a three-game winning streak into a cross-conference matchup. The Kraken won the last meeting 4-3 after the Lightning took the one before it 6-2.

    Why it scores 58 →
  3. #2 · NHLImportance 15
    7:00 PM ET·ESPN+

    Rangers at Devils

    Rangers6-2-0
    Devils3-3-0

    The Rangers visit the Devils in the Hudson River rivalry, the Devils on 6 points and the Rangers on 12 points. The Rangers won the last meeting 4-3.

  4. #3 · NHLImportance 1
    7:00 PM ET·ESPN+

    Canucks at Panthers

    Canucks2-6-0
    Panthers3-2-2

    The Canucks have lost five straight and sit on 4 points going into the trip to the Panthers. The Canucks won the last meeting 5-2 last season.

How the ranking works

Every game gets an importance score, built from 11 factors — rankings, playoff stakes, rivalry, star power, elimination pressure, how close the game actually projects to be, and more. The score is explained, never a black box. Narratives are written from the real state of the season — not "tune in tonight."

Get The Lineup Is on iOS — free See how the app decides →