NHL On Tap: Hurricanes visit Rangers looking for 12th straight win

Welcome to the NHL On Tap. Three NHL.com writers will share what they are most looking forward to on the schedule each day. Today, their choices from the 11 games Tuesday.

Hurricanes try to keep streak going at Rangers

There is a whole lot going right for the Carolina Hurricanes right now. They've won 11 consecutive games, the longest run in Hurricanes/Hartford Whalers history, and their 17-game point streak (15-0-2) is the longest in the NHL this season. They'll go for 12 in a row when they play the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden (7 p.m. ET; TVAS, MSG, BSSO, ESPN+, SN NOW). They've been at their best defensively, allowing 2.54 goals per game (tied with Toronto Maple Leafs for second) and their penalty kill is at 82.0 percent (eighth). Though Frederik Andersen has been out since Nov. 6 with a lower-body injury, Antti Raanta has won six consecutive starts and rookie Pyotr Kochetkov is 10-1-4 with a 1.94 goals-against average, .928 save percentage and three shutouts. The Rangers (20-12-6) have points in 10 of their past 12 games (9-2-1) and are tied for fourth in wins (10) and tied for fifth in goals (52) since Nov. 30. But home or away, it doesn't matter to the Hurricanes (25-6-6), who are winning everywhere and have surged to the top of the Metropolitan Division. -- Tracey Myers, staff writer

Sabres look to start another streak against streaking Capitals

It's clear the Buffalo Sabres (18-15-2) are on the upswing. They've put themselves back in the conversation following a six-game winning streak that ended with a 3-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Sunday. The promise that we've all seen is starting to blossom, and that will be tested against the also-hot Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena (7 p.m. ET; SNE, SNP, NBCSWA+, MSG-B, ESPN+, SN NOW). After the Boston Bruins lost 4-3 in overtime to the Sabres on New Year's Eve, Bruins forward Brad Marchand said, "They've come a long way. They can win any night. They're going to be a good team here for a long time. They'll still work to get a few more pieces. When they do, they're going to be a dominant team." We'll see how quickly the Sabres can get there against Capitals (21-13-5), who are 11-1-1 in their past 13 games and coming off a 9-2 win against the Montreal Canadiens led by Alex Ovechkin's 30th NHL hat trick. -- Amalie Benjamin, staff writer

Pavelski look forward to another season with Stars

Joe Pavelski will celebrate signing a one-year contract with the Dallas Stars when they visit the Los Angeles Kings (10 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN NOW). The new contract, which includes a base salary of $3.5 million plus an additional $2 million in potential performance bonuses, will keep him in Dallas through the 2023-24 season. Pavelski is third on the Stars with 37 points (12 goals, 25 assists) and has a team-high 200 points (78 goals, 122 assists) in 243 regular-season games since joining them prior to the 2019-20 season. Dallas (23-9-6) has won four in a row and leads the Central Division with 52 points. Los Angeles (21-13-6) is 6-1-1 in its past eight games and second in the Pacific Division with 48 points. -- Tom Gulitti, staff writer

Tuesday games

Arizona Coyotes at Florida Panthers (7 p.m. ET; BSFL, BSAZ, ESPN+, SN NOW)
The Coyotes (13-17-5) play the second game of a four-game road trip after their three-game winning streak ended with a 5-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday. The Panthers (16-18-4) have lost two in a row and are 1-5-0 in their past six games. Florida has allowed 3.82 goals-against per game in their past 11 (3-8-0).
Buffalo Sabres at Washington Capitals (7 p.m. ET; SNE, SNP, NBCSWA+, MSG-B, ESPN+, SN NOW)
The Capitals, already moving up the standings and into third place in the Metropolitan Division, have a chance of getting forward T.J. Oshie back against the Sabres. Oshie is a game-time decision and has missed six games with an upper-body injury. Ovechkin has six goals in his past four games. The Sabres are 8-2-1 in their past 11 games. They're six points out of a Stanley Cup Playoffs spot.
Carolina Hurricanes at New York Rangers (7 p.m. ET; TVAS, MSG, BSSO, ESPN+, SN NOW)
Rangers defenseman Adam Fox has 200 points (31 goals, 169 assists) in 241 NHL games, the second-fewest needed to reach that mark by a defenseman in their history behind Brian Leetch, (211). Raanta's shutout streak of 163:52, which ended with Carolina's 5-4 shootout win against the New Jersey Devils on Sunday, is the third-longest in Hurricanes/Whalers history behind Trevor Kidd (219:21 in 1997-98) and Kevin Weekes (183:16 in 2003-04).
Columbus Blue Jackets at Ottawa Senators (7 p.m. ET; TSN5, RDS2, BSOH, ESPN+, SN NOW)
Patrik Laine is expected to return after the forward missed two games for the Blue Jackets (11-22-2) while in NHL COVID-19 protocol. Laine has 12 points (seven goals, five assists) in his past 12 games. Tim Stutzle has six points (four goals, two assists) during a five-game point streak for Ottawa (17-17-3).
St. Louis Blues at Toronto Maple Leafs (7 p.m. ET; SNO, BSMW, ESPN+, SN NOW)
Auston Matthews (277 goals, 222 assists in 444 games) is one point from 500 in the NHL and can pass Darryl Sittler (517 games) to become the fastest to reach the milestone with the Maple Leafs. Toronto (23-8-6) begins a three-game homestand after closing out 2022 with a 6-2 victory at the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday. Blues forwards Ryan O'Reilly (broken foot) and Vladimir Tarasenko (hand) were placed on injured reserve by the Blues (17-17-3) on Monday.
Calgary Flames at Winnipeg Jets (8 p.m. ET; TSN3, SNW, ESPN+, SN NOW)
The Jets (23-13-1) have won two in a row following a three-game losing streak. Forward Kyle Connor leads them with 43 points (16 goals, 27 assists) in 37 games, including five points (one goal, four assists) in his past three. The Flames (18-13-7) have used a 5-1-1 run to climb into third in the Pacific Division. Elias Lindholm has 18 points (six goals, 12 assists) in his past 15 games and leads Calgary with 34 points (12 goals, 22 assists) in 37 games.
Montreal Canadiens at Nashville Predators (8 p.m. ET; BSSO, TSN2, RDS, ESPN+, SN NOW)
Filip Forsberg has seven points (five goals, two assists) in his past three games and became the third player to reach 500 points for the Predators (15-14-6) with a hat trick in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday. The forward has 501 points (234 goals, 267 assists) in 601 games. Cole Caufield (21 goals in 37 games) is the first Canadiens player to score 20 goals in 37 games or fewer since Martin Rucinsky and Brian Savage (37 each) in 1995-96. Montreal (15-19-3) has lost five in a row (0-4-1) while getting outscored 26-8.
Tampa Bay Lightning at Chicago Blackhawks (8:30 p.m. ET; NBCSCH, BSSUN, ESPN+, SN NOW)
Steven Stamkos is two goals from becoming the first player to score 500 with the Lightning. The captain became the first player in Tampa Bay history to get 1,000 NHL points with an assist against the Philadelphia Flyers on Dec. 1. The Lightning (23-11-1) have won three in a row and are 8-2-0 in their past 10 games. The Blackhawks (8-24-4) have lost four in a row and are 2-19-1 in their past 22.
Seattle Kraken at Edmonton Oilers (9 p.m. ET; SN1, ROOT-NW, ESPN+, SN NOW)
Edmonton captain Connor McDavid is two assists from 500 in the NHL (498 in 525 games) and can require the fifth fewest games in NHL history to reach the milestone behind Wayne Gretzky (325), Mario Lemieux (433), Peter Stastny (507) and Bobby Orr (522). The Kraken (19-12-4) and Oilers (20-16-2) are tied for the two wild cards into the playoffs from the Western Conference with 42 points, one behind the Flames for third in the Pacific Division. Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl is expected to return after missing two games with an undisclosed injury. Seattle defenseman Adam Larsson has six points (one goal, five assists) during a six-game point streak.
New York Islanders at Vancouver Canucks (10 p.m. ET; TVAS, SNP, MSGSN, ESPN+, SN NOW)
The Islanders (21-15-2) are tied with the Pittsburgh Penguins for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference. Mathew Barzal has scored five goals in his past five games, including the 100th of his NHL career in a 2-1 loss to Seattle on Sunday that ended New York's three-game winning streak. Elias Pettersson has 10 points (four goals, six assists) during a five-game point streak for the Canucks (16-17-3).
Dallas Stars at Los Angeles Kings (10 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN NOW)
Stars forward Jason Robertson has 11 points (two goals, nine assists) during a seven-game point streak and is third in the NHL with 54 points (25 goals, 29 assists) in 38 games. Kings forward Phillip Danault has nine points (five goals, four assists) during a seven-game point streak and has 29 points (12 goals, 17 assists) in 40 games.