NHL.com identifies key gameday matchups and players to watch throughout the 2023-24 season.
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Note: Betting lines provided by Betway (U.S., Ontario)
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1. Tampa Bay Lightning at New York Rangers (7 p.m. ET; MAX, TNT, TVAS)
TBL moneyline: +110
NYR moneyline: -130
The Lightning have won eight of their past nine games, while the Rangers have won consecutive games, including a 2-1 overtime victory against the Colorado Avalanche on Monday at Madison Square Garden. New York is 16-7-0 at home, while Tampa Bay is 10-13-2 on the road. The Lightning have the NHL’s best power-play percentage (29.3), but the Rangers aren’t far behind in third (27.0).
New York had a 5-1 road win against Tampa Bay on Dec. 30, led by Vincent Trocheck’s four-point game (one goal, three assists) and linemate Artemi Panarin’s hat trick. The Lightning have four players with more than a point per game since Jan. 1: Nikita Kucherov (24 in 12 games), Brayden Point (15 in 12), Victor Hedman (14 in 12) and Brandon Hagel (13 in 12).
2. Dallas Stars at Toronto Maple Leafs (7 p.m. ET; SN, TVAS-D, BSSW)
Winner moneyline (3-way; excluding overtime)
DAL regulation win: +185
Draw: +365
TOR regulation win: +100
The Stars are tied for the 10th-most regulation wins (22) in the NHL, and the Maple Leafs are tied for the ninth-fewest (16) in the category. Dallas is coming off a 2-1 road win against the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday, and Toronto lost 3-2 at home to the New York Islanders on Monday. The Maple Leafs had a 4-1 road win against the Stars on Oct. 26, but rookie goalie Joseph Woll (31 saves on 32 shots faced in victory) remains out with an injury.
Forward Mitchell Marner is Toronto’s points leader (16 in 14 games) since Jan. 1, and Dallas forward Matt Duchene is its leader in points (15 in 15 games) over the same span. Stars forward Tyler Seguin quietly leads them in even-strength goals (17) this season.
3. Minnesota Wild at Chicago Blackhawks (9:30 p.m. ET; MAX, TNT, SN360, TVAS)
MIN puckline (-1.5 goals): +124
CHI puckline (+1.5 goals): -148
The Wild have lost consecutive games and visit the Blackhawks, who have lost four straight. Minnesota has allowed three goals in three straight games and scored at least five goals in three of its past five games. Chicago has been shut out four times in its past six games and is tied for the fewest goals per game (2.08) in the NHL this season. The Wild had a 4-1 win against the Blackhawks on Dec. 3. Per NHL EDGE stats, Minnesota ranks ninth in offensive zone time percentage (42.2).
The Blackhawks are still without rookie center Connor Bedard (jaw), and Philipp Kurashev continues to center their top line with Nick Foligno and Taylor Raddysh. Kurashev has 24 points (eight goals, 16 assists) in 43 games this season and at least three shots on goal in three of his past four games. Wild forwards Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek have identical stat lines over their past seven games (each has 11 points, six goals, five assists, in span). Wild rookie defenseman Brock Faber has nine points (two goals, seven assists) in his past seven games.
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