The stakes remain high in the final week and as the 2022-23 NHL regular season concludes with six exclusive games on ESPN and ESPN+/Hulu, featuring teams playing to improve their playoff seeding or clinch a spot in the postseason.
The puck drops Monday with two exclusive matchups, starting off with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Auston Matthews traveling south to take on the surging Florida Panthers, who are still competing in a tight Eastern Conference Wild Card race after winning six straight – at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+/Hulu. Kirill Kaprizov returns from injury to help the Minnesota Wild in hopes of improving their playoff seeding in a close Central Division race with only three games remaining when they face off against the Chicago Blackhawksat 9 p.m. ET exclusively on ESPN.
On Tuesday in an ESPN exclusive doubleheader beginning at 7 p.m. ET, the Toronto Maple Leafs visit the Tampa Bay Lightning in a matchup of playoff-bound teams followed by a rematch of last season’s Western Conference Final between the Edmonton Oilers and defending Stanley Cup Champion Colorado Avalanche – both still attempting to improve seeding in their respective divisions – at 9:30 p.m. ET.
The NHL on ESPN 2022-23 regular season closes out Thursday with a Western Conference doubleheader exclusively on ESPN between the St. Louis Blues and Dallas Stars, who remain in striking distance for the top seed in a closely-contested Central Division at 8 p.m. ET. The Pacific Division leading Vegas Golden Knights will try to hold onto their slim two-point lead over the Oilers at 10:30 p.m. ET, when they take on the Seattle Kraken, who are headed to the postseason for the first time in only their second NHL season and aiming to improve their playoff position.
Exclusive NHL game and studio shows on ESPN platforms this week:
| Date | Time (ET) | Platform(s) | Game/Studio Show | ESPN Commentators |
| Monday, April 10 | 7 p.m. | ESPN+/Hulu | Toronto Maple Leafs at Florida Panthers The second-place Atlantic Division and playoff-bound Maple Leafs (47-21-11) and Mitchell Marner, after recently taking a few days off, returns to the lineup to face the Panthers (42-31-7) and Matthew Tkachuk, who has aided the team in its six-game win streak as they aim to hold on to their Wild Card position in the East. | Play-by-Play: Bob WischusenAnalyst: Brian BoucherReporter: Leah HextallIn Studio: John Buccigross, Linda Cohn, Chris Chelios |
| 9 p.m. | ESPN | Minnesota Wild at Chicago Blackhawks The playoff-bound Wild (45-24-10) along with Left Wing Matt Boldy, who has stepped up offensively as of late, travel to Chi-town to face the Blackhawks (25-48-6). | Play-by-Play: Mike MonacoAnalyst: AJ MleczkoReporter: Dom MooreIn Studio: John Buccigross, Linda Cohn, Chris Chelios | |
| 1 a.m. | ESPN+ | In The Crease | Host: Arda Öcal | |
| Tuesday, April 11 | 6:30 p.m. | ESPN2/ESPN+ | The Point This week on The Point, Steve Levy hosts with Chris Chelios as they preview stories from around the league and preview the ESPN doubleheader between Toronto-Tampa and Edmonton-Colorado. | Host: Steve LevyAnalyst: Chris Chelios |
| 7 p.m. | ESPN | Toronto Maple Leafs at Tampa Bay Lightning The Maple Leafs (47-21-11) and Auston Matthews make their second exclusive appearance this week when they face the Lightning (47-21-11) and Nikita Kucherov, who will return to the playoffs striving to reclaim their Stanley Cup Champion status of just two seasons ago. | Play-by-Play: Bob WischusenAnalyst: Brian BoucherReporter: Leah HextallIn Studio: Steve Levy, Linda Cohn, Chris Chelios | |
| 9:30 p.m. | ESPN | Edmonton Oilers at Colorado AvalancheThe Oilers (48-23-9) and history-maker Connor McDavid, who just became the sixth different player in NHL history to reach the 150-point mark in a season, take on the reigning Stanley Cup Champion Avalanche (49-24-6) and 100-point season scorers Nathan MacKinnonand Mikko Rantanen at Ball Arena in a matchup of top Western Conference teams. | Play-by-Play: Sean McDonough Analyst: Ray Ferraro Reporter: Emily Kaplan In Studio: Steve Levy, Linda Cohn, Chris Chelios | |
| 1 a.m. | ESPN+ | In The Crease | Host: Linda Cohn | |
| Wednesday, April 12 | 1:30 a.m. | ESPN+ | In The Crease | Host: Arda Öcal |
| Thursday, April 13 | 7 p.m. | ESPN2/ESPN+ | The Point Thursday, on The Point, Arda Öcal hosts alongside P.K. Subban as they cover top storylines around the league and preview the ESPN doubleheader between St. Louis-Dallas and Vegas-Seattle. | Host: Arda ÖcalAnalyst: P.K. Subban |
| 8 p.m. | ESPN | St. Louis Blues at Dallas Stars The Blues (37-36-7) visit the playoff-bound Stars (44-21-14) and Jason Robertson, who recently broke the single-season franchise points record, at American Airlines Center. | Play-by-Play: John BuccigrossAnalyst: AJ MleczkoReporter: Leah HextallIn Studio: Arda Öcal, P.K. Subban | |
| 10:30 p.m. | ESPN | Vegas Golden Knights at Seattle Kraken The Pacific Division-leading Golden Knights (49-22-9) and team points and goals leader Jack Eichel travel north to take on the Kraken (45-26-8) and Jared McCann in a matchup of playoff teams at Climate Pledge Arena. | Play-by-Play: Mike MonacoAnalyst: Cassie Campbell-PascallReporter: Linda CohnIn Studio: Arda Öcal, P.K. Subban | |
| 1:30 a.m. | ESPN+ | In The Crease | Host: Arda Öcal | |
| Friday, April 14 | 1:30 a.m. | ESPN+ | In The Crease | Host: Arda Öcal |
*Please note commentator assignments may be subject to change.
