Week five is underway in the NHL Monday night. So if you are hell bent on watching two NFL teams with a combined 1-10 record simply because it’s football, then I have to ask why you are reading this in the first place. Turn off the NFL Europe quality play and turn on some hockey.
There are regional broadcasts on Fox Sports and then NBC Sports has a national game Monday night. Believe me, you will be glad you stayed away from the Giants and Vikings. There are two games on Monday night that are worth skipping football for because, simply put, they are great matchups.
The season is still young, but there are new rivalries developing within the new divisions and even between the conferences. Here are five games that you need to watch.
San Jose Sharks at Detroit Red Wings, Monday 7:30 p.m. EST, Fox Sports Det. CSN Bay Area
Old Western Conference playoff regulars square off in a marquee interconference matchup. After a dominating performance against the St. Louis Blues the Sharks got caught napping against a feisty Dallas team in a shootout loss. With a regulation loss still to come the dominant team in the west heads to Hockeytown to remind the Red Wings how much fun Detroit is missing out on in the Eastern Conference. After another defeat at the hands of the Phoenix Coyotes, the Wings will be looking to get back in the win column.
Colorado Avalanche at Pittsburgh Penguins, Monday, 7:30 p.m., EST, NHL Network
With his first coaching defeat in the rear view mirror, Colorado coach Patrick Roy will test his team with the top team in the Eastern Conference. The Penguins look to be firing on all cylinders despite missing stars James Neal and Kris Letang. First round pick for the Avalanche, Nathan MacKinnon was compared by some to Penguins’ star Sidney Crosby. He’ll get his first look at the Pittsburgh star with his first head-to-head matchup.
San Jose Sharks at Boston Bruins, 7:30 p.m. EST, NESN, NHL Network
The Sharks head to Beantown on their Eastern Conference trip to face last season’s conference champs. The Sharks have an expiration date for the veterans on their roster and look like they are playing with a purpose so far this year. The Bruins are always tough at home and will be trying to make a statement against some stiff competition from the west.
New York Islanders at Pittsburgh Penguins, Friday 7:30 p.m. EST, ROOT Sports, NHL Network
Sorry if I seem like I have an east coast bias or that I am the game selection committee for NBC Sports but these are games with compelling stories. The Penguins and Islanders had a super competitive first round series. The Penguins won the series with a Game 6 overtime goal from Brooks Orpik, but have to consider the competitive nature of the games a statement from the Islanders that they are a team on the rise. Given the impotence of the Metropolitan Division (besides Pittsburgh) the Isles could make a serious statement with a win in Pittsburgh’s barn.
Phoenix Coyotes at Los Angeles Kings, Thursday, 10:30 p.m. EST, Fox Sports Regional Coverage
Don’t look now but those pesky Phoenix Coyotes are off to a flying start and are staying close to the top of the Pacific Division. The Los Angeles Kings are a fashionable choice to contend for the top of the Pacific, but the Coyotes have designs on division supremacy. Or at least the playoffs. The Kings are off to their usual slow start, but a roster that boasts so much talent can come alive for any game. Sadly two of the best teams in the league play in front of some of the NHL’s most indifferent fans. At least we’ll be able to catch the game on Fox Sports Southwest.