NHL Tonight: Game previews, stats, betting info for Friday - ESPN

It's a typically light Friday schedule in the NHL, but both games are well worth the watch (for different reasons).

Both games pit interconference foes against one another, so technically either could be a way-too-early Stanley Cup Final preview.

One, as you'll see, is quite a bit more likely than the other.

And the other good news is that none of the four clubs played Thursday, so everyone should be as fresh as possible.

Here's a look at what you need to know for each of tonight's contests, including betting info and broadcast details:

Odds are provided by DraftKings and subject to change.

Montreal Canadiens at Chicago Blackhawks

8 p.m. ET (NHL Network) | MTL -142, O/U: 6.5

The Blackhawks are not a strong bet to make the Cup Final this season — or even the playoffs, if public projections are to be believed. But for fans of tradition and/or uniforms, it's hard to beat this Original Six matchup between two of the best jerseys in all of sports.

Specific to this season, this is also a matchup between the No. 1 overall pick from 2022 (Montreal's Juraj Slafkovsky) and 2023 (Chicago's Connor Bedard).

Tampa Bay Lightning at Colorado Avalanche

9 p.m. ET (ESPN+) | COL -125, O/U: 6.5

For the main event Friday, it's a rematch of the 2022 Cup Final (won by Colorado), and a pairing that has a reasonably strong chance of being contested this coming June. Indeed, this is the No. 1 projected Cup Final matchup, according to Stathletes projections, with a 4.85% chance of occurring.

On the ice, both teams are led up front by a perennial Hart Trophy candidate. Tampa's Nikita Kucherov won the Hart for 2025-26, while Colorado's Nathan MacKinnon was the second runner-up (behind Connor McDavid).

The two teams will meet again Feb. 13.

Remin