Monday’s four-game slate brings a pair of sliding clubs to Manhattan, a draft-class meeting in Toronto, Nathan MacKinnon rolling into Philadelphia, and Sidney Crosby chasing history in Utah. Goaltending attention lands on Sebastian Cossa, who is in line for another shot with the Mammoth.
- The Rangers bring a 5-0-0 home record into their Madison Square Garden date with Anaheim. New York has scored 24 goals and allowed eight in those five home games, with a 10-1 edge in third-period scoring.
- New York is 6-3-1 but arrives off consecutive losses: 7-1 at New Jersey on Thursday and a 1-0 overtime defeat in Columbus on Saturday.
- The Ducks, 4-3-0, have also dropped two straight, losing 4-2 to Calgary and Boston after holding leads in both games. Beckett Sennecke scored in each defeat and has five goals this season.
- Anaheim begins a four-game swing through the Eastern time zone at Madison Square Garden.
- Gavin McKenna, selected first overall by Toronto in the 2026 NHL Draft, meets No. 2 pick Ivar Stenberg of San Jose for the first time. McKenna has two goals and three assists in nine games; Stenberg has two goals and four assists in eight.
- Stenberg posted a power-play goal and an assist in San Jose’s 4-3 shootout loss in Detroit on Saturday. If he and McKenna both record a point, they would become the sixth pair of No. 1 and No. 2 selections from the same draft class in the past 20 years to score in their first head-to-head game.
- Toronto’s Auston Matthews, drafted first in 2016, joins San Jose’s Macklin Celebrini, the 2024 top pick, and McKenna as the three first-overall selections in the Leafs-Sharks matchup. McKenna and Celebrini, who trained together during the offseason, are facing one another in the NHL for the first time.
- Nathan MacKinnon heads to Philadelphia tied with Connor McDavid for the League lead in multi-point games, with six. MacKinnon had a goal and three assists in Colorado’s 5-2 win against Pittsburgh on Friday and owns 16 points, including six goals, in eight games.
- Philadelphia snapped a nine-game winless start Saturday, beating Ottawa 3-1 for its first victory of the season. The Flyers are 1-6-3.
- Crosby needs two assists to pass Ray Bourque for the most assists with one franchise in NHL history. Crosby has 1,110 helpers as a Penguin since 2005-06; Bourque recorded 1,111 with Boston.
- Crosby is also two road points from becoming the eighth player in NHL history with 800. His goal in Saturday’s 6-2 loss at Vegas gave him 798 road points: 306 goals and 492 assists.
- Pittsburgh is 3-5-1 and trying to avoid a winless four-game trip after losses in Chicago, Colorado and Vegas.
- Utah is expected to start Cossa against Pittsburgh. He has not started since Oct. 8 in Boston, where he was lifted in the opening period after surrendering three goals on eight shots in a 6-1 loss.
- Cossa entered Saturday’s 6-2 loss to Edmonton after Karel Vejmelka was replaced, stopping three of four shots. A start against Pittsburgh would be his first at home this season. He made 18 saves in a 4-1 win at Columbus on Oct. 3.
- Mammoth forward Nick Schmaltz needs two points to become the second player with at least 150 points for the franchise. Captain Clayton Keller has 189.
What Monday’s games mean
Anaheim Ducks at New York Rangers, 7 p.m. ET. The Rangers can restore some order by extending their perfect home run, while the Ducks need to turn recent early advantages into a full 60-minute result. Broadcasts: FOXLA+, Prime Video, MSG.
Colorado Avalanche at Philadelphia Flyers, 7 p.m. ET. Colorado, 5-2-1, brings MacKinnon’s early scoring surge into a building where Philadelphia will try to build on its first win. Broadcasts: NBCSP, ALT.
San Jose Sharks at Toronto Maple Leafs, 7:30 p.m. ET. Toronto is 3-4-2 and San Jose is 4-3-1 as McKenna and Stenberg share the ice for the first time since becoming the first two names called in June. Broadcasts: TVAS, SN+, NBCSCA.
Pittsburgh Penguins at Utah Mammoth, 9 p.m. ET. Crosby has two separate milestones within reach, while Utah, 6-3-0, could hand Cossa his first home start of the season. Broadcasts: Mammoth+, Utah16, SN-PIT, SN+, TVAS.
