Best matchup on NHL record 16-game Saturday debated

It'll be hockey nirvana on Saturday, when the NHL presents 16 games for the first time in its history.

Each of the 32 teams will be in action during a marathon of hockey that will last around 12 hours.
More importantly, each of the 16 games will have meaning, either on the chase for positioning in the Stanley Cup Playoffs or in the quest for a place in the NHL record book.
It is heaven for a hockey fan and there aren't bigger fans than the staff writers at NHL.com. We asked each which game has piqued their interest Saturday and why.
Here, in chronological order, are their responses.
Carolina Hurricanes at Buffalo Sabres (12:30 p.m. ET; MSG-B, BSSO, ESPN+, SN NOW)
This game will feature two teams desperate for a win, with the Hurricanes battling for first in the Metropolitan Division and the Sabres trying to stay alive in the race for one of the two wild cards into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference. Carolina (50-19-9) clings to a one-point lead on the New Jersey Devils for first for the Metropolitan lead with four games remaining, following a 3-0 loss at the Nashville Predators on Thursday. The Sabres (38-32-7) have made a late push to get into the playoffs for the first time since 2010-11, going 5-1-1 in their past seven games. After a 7-6 shootout win at the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday, Buffalo trails the Florida Panthers and New York Islanders by six points for the first and second wild card in the East with five games remaining. Though the Sabres have two games in hand on the Panthers and Islanders, their margin for error is small and they face a difficult challenge against the Hurricanes. Carolina won the first two games between the teams this season by a combined score of 10-4. -- Tom Gulitti, staff writer
Pittsburgh Penguins at Detroit Red Wings (1 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, SN)
The Penguins have made the playoffs for 16 straight seasons, the longest active streak in the NHL. They haven't missed since 2005-06, when center Sidney Crosby was an 18-year-old rookie. But now Pittsburgh (39-30-10) is one point out of a wild-card spot in the East with three games to go, and Crosby is struggling. With the season on the line, the 35-year-old hasn't scored in seven games and hasn't had a point in five of those seven. Can the captain, three points from 1,500 in his NHL career (548 goals, 949 assists), snap his slump in a huge game against an old rival? He has 35 points (14 goals, 21 assists) in 31 games against Detroit (35-33-10). -- Nicholas J. Cotsonika, columnist
Vegas Golden Knights at Dallas Stars (3:30 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, TVAS, SN NOW)
Welcome to the Peter DeBoer Bowl. DeBoer was hired as Stars coach June 21 after being fired as Golden Knights coach May 16. But the revenge storyline is old news. This is about the here and now. Each team still has a shot to win its division and guarantee home-ice advantage for at least two playoff rounds, so there's no shortage of motivation. Keep an eye on Alex Pietrangelo of Vegas and Miro Heiskanen of Dallas, two of the best defensemen in the NHL. Each is a master at controlling the tempo of the game and knows when to step on the gas and when to slow things down when need be. -- Mike Zeisberger, staff writer
Edmonton Oilers at San Jose Sharks (4 p.m. ET; SNW, NBCSCA, ESPN+, SN NOW)
The Oilers are battling for first place in the Pacific Division and the Sharks are going to be in the Connor Bedard sweepstakes. But I'm watching this game to see Connor McDavid and Erik Karlsson, or, shall I say, the players who this season should win the Hart Trophy (voted as NHL most valuable player) and Norris Trophy (voted as best defenseman in the NHL), respectively. I'm watching to see if McDavid, the Oilers center, can get to 65 goals, which would be the most by a player in a single season since Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin scored 65 in 2007-08. He has 62 with three games to play. I'm watching to see if McDavid can get two more points to reach 150 for the season. Nobody has done that since Mario Lemieux had 161 points (69 goals, 92 assists) in 1995-96. It has happened only 16 times in NHL history. I'm watching to see if Karlsson gets to 100 points and be the first defenseman to hit the century mark since Brian Leetch got 102 for the New York Rangers in 1991-92? He has 98 (23 goals, 75 assists) with four games to play, and it could happen Saturday. Karlsson would be the sixth defenseman in NHL history to reach 100 points in a single season. -- Dan Rosen, senior writer
Florida Panthers at Washington Capitals (7 p.m. ET; NBCSWA, BSFL, ESPN+, SN NOW)
I can't look away from the Panthers right now. Suddenly they're the team we all expected them to be this season, winners of five straight games, with seven goals in two of those wins. They appeared to be out of contention after a four-game losing streak left them three points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference on March 27. But they have rallied; Led by forward Matthew Tkachuk, a Hart Trophy candidate with eight points (four goals, four assists) in a four-game point streak and an NHL career-high 105 points (39 goals, 66 assists) this season, the Panthers are must-watch hockey. They hold the the first wild card in the East and they're on a roll. I'm watching to see what further magic they can produce. -- Amalie Benjamin, staff writer
Montreal Canadiens at Toronto Maple Leafs (7 p.m. ET; CBC, SNE, SNO, SNP, TVAS, ESPN+, SN NOW)
I'm a dyed-in-the-wool-sweater fan of the historic, so-called "Original Six," the NHL a six-team League from 1942 until it doubled in size with 1967 expansion. In the day, there was nothing to compare with a Saturday night game between the Canadiens and the Maple Leafs, Canada's two teams broadcast from coast to coast on Hockey Night in Canada -- first on radio, then on TV. This will be the 765th time since the NHL's 1917 birth that these often crabby rivals will meet. Because of League alignment and the ebb and flow of team fortunes, the Boston Bruins have replaced the Maple Leafs as the Canadiens' fiercest rival. But even if Toronto is gearing for the Stanley Cup Playoffs and the Canadiens are 180 or so minutes from season's end, two fan bases will be rocking with a rivalry still vibrant. -- Dave Stubbs, columnist
Nashville Predators at Winnipeg Jets (7 p.m. ET; CITY, SNW, BSSO, ESPN+, SN NOW)
When NHL All-Star weekend commenced on Feb. 3, the Jets were second in the Central Division with 65 points, one point behind the Stars. Fast forward to today: Winnipeg has 89 points and is barely hanging on to the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference. So yes, I'm very intrigued to watch the Jets against the Nashville Predators, who are one point behind Winnipeg. Though the Jets have struggled in the second half, the Predators have stayed in the race despite trading forwards Nino Niederreiter to the Jets, Mikael Granlund to the Penguins, Tanner Jeannot to the Tampa Bay Lightning and defenseman Mattias Ekholm to the Oilers. With Nashville building toward the future, it also could make the playoffs for the ninth consecutive season. Must-see TV for me. -- Tracey Myers, staff writer
New Jersey Devils at Boston Bruins (8 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, SN NOW)
This is an intriguing matchup of clubs possessing plenty of offensive firepower and could turn out to be a preview of the Eastern Conference Final. The Devils (50-21-8) have a chance to not only establish some confidence against the Presidents' Trophy winners by ending a six-game losing streak against the Bruins, but also tie a New Jersey/Colorado Rockies/Kansas City Scouts record for most wins in a season; the Devils won 51 games in 2008-09. New Jersey last defeated Boston on May 4, 2021, a 4-3 overtime win at Prudential Center. The Bruins (61-12-5), one win shy of tying the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings and 2018-19 Tampa Bay Lightning for the most in a single season in NHL history, have one 100-plus point producer in forward David Pastrnak (104 points; 57 goals; 47 assists). Devils center Jack Hughes (95 points; 42 goals, 53 assists) needs five points to become the first New Jersey player to reach the century mark and is seven goals and two points from becoming the all-time leader in a single season in each category in franchise history. Brian Gionta scored 48 goals in 2005-06, and Patrik Elias had 96 points in 2000-01. -- Mike G. Morreale, staff writer
Colorado Avalanche at Los Angeles Kings (10:30 p.m. ET; BSW, ALT, ESPN+, SN NOW)
The Avalanche, the defending Stanley Cup champions, are looking to gain separation from the Minnesota Wild and Stars in the logjam atop the Central Division. The Kings want to leapfrog the second-place Oilers and overtake the Golden Knights for first in the Pacific Division. Colorado (12-2-0 in its past 14 games) is hitting its stride after negotiating a season impacted by mini-slumps and injuries (captain Gabriel Landeskog hasn't played all season and center Nathan MacKinnon and defenseman Cale Makar also have missed time). Los Angeles is 2-4-0 in its past six, four of those games without forward Kevin Fiala, who has missed 10 of his past 13 games with lower-body injuries. Yet, he still leads the Kings in scoring with 72 points (23 goals, 49 assists). Captain Anze Kopitar continues to contribute offensively with 69 points (27 goals, 42 assists) in 79 games. The 35-year-old is having his best goal-scoring season since he had 35 in 2017-18. -- William Douglas, staff writer