Each Monday throughout the 2023-24 NHL season, NHL.com will provide fans with a guide of games that will be nationally televised that week. Today, a look at games for the 18th week of the season.
In total, 22 games will be carried nationally by ESPN, TNT, Sportsnet and/or TVA Sports. The Edmonton Oilers are featured three times in pursuit of the longest winning streak in NHL history. The New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers, New York Islanders and Philadelphia Flyers share the national spotlight less than two weeks from the 2024 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series at MetLife Stadium on Feb. 17-18. Six games will be televised on the ESPN family of networks, including an ABC doubleheader Saturday.
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TUESDAY FEB. 6
Colorado Avalanche at New Jersey Devils (7:30 p.m. ET; HULU, ESPN+): The Avalanche visit Prudential Center for the second of a six-game road trip; they play at the New York Rangers on Monday. Colorado captain Nathan MacKinnon enters the week looking to reclaim first place in the Art Ross Trophy race as NHL scoring champion ahead of Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov.
Each player participated at the 2024 Honda (U.S.)/Rogers (Canada) NHL All-Star Game at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Saturday. MacKinnon has 28 points (12 goals, 16 assists) in a 13-game point streak and 84 points in 49 games this season, one behind Kucherov.
Luke Hughes has 26 points (eight goals, 18 assists) in 47 games, 10th most by a rookie defenseman in Devils/Colorado Rockies/Kansas City Scouts franchise history. Barry Beck tops the list with 60 points (22 goals, 38 assists) in 75 games during the 1977-78 season with the Rockies.
Edmonton Oilers at Vegas Golden Knights (10 p.m. ET; HULU, ESPN+, SN1, SN, TVAS): The Oilers have won 16 straight games and visit the reigning Stanley Cup champions with a chance to tie the NHL record owned by 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins. A victory at T-Mobile Arena will put them in position to break the mark when they visit the Anaheim Ducks on Friday (10 p.m. ET; BSSD, BSSC, SNW, TVAS). The next night, Edmonton is at the Los Angeles Kings (10 p.m. ET; BSW, NHLN, CITY, SN, TVAS, CBC).
Oilers forward Connor McDavid and Golden Knights forward Jack Eichel, who were chosen with the first and second pick, respectively, in the 2015 NHL Draft, will go head-to-head for the 21st time in the NHL. McDavid, Edmonton's captain, has 28 points (10 goals, 18 assists) in the previous 20 meetings, and Eichel has 25 points (nine goals, 16 assists).
The Oilers (29-15-1) are third in the Pacific Division, five points behind the second-place Golden Knights. They have not allowed more than two goals in their past 14 games and have outscored the opposition 61-24 during the winning streak.
WEDNESDAY FEB. 7
Tampa Bay Lightning at New York Rangers (7 p.m. ET; MAX, TNT, TVAS): The Rangers and Lightning play in the first half of an NHL on TNT doubleheader on Wednesday. It's also the second of three meetings this season between the clubs, with the Rangers earning a 5-1 win on Dec. 30.
Kucherov's League-leading 85 points are the most by a Tampa Bay player coming out of an NHL All-Star or Olympic break and are just seven back of last season's total by McDavid (92 points in 50 games).
Minnesota Wild at Chicago Blackhawks (9:30 p.m. ET; MAX, TNT, SN360, TVAS): Minnesota defenseman Brock Faber, who was named the NHL's Rookie of the Month for January, trails Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard by four points for the lead among all rookies this season.
Faber has 29 points (four goals, 25 assists) in 49 games and Bedard, who hasn't played since Jan. 4 due to a fractured jaw, has 33 points (15 goals, 18 assists) in 39 games. Faber, 21, needs one point to tie the franchise record for most by a rookie defenseman in a season, a mark set by Filip Kuba in 2000-01 (30 points; nine goals, 21 assists in 75 games).
Blackhawks forward Nick Foligno has 10 points (seven goals, three assists) in 23 career head-to-head NHL games against his younger brother, Wild forward Marcus Foligno, who has nine points (two goals, seven assists) in those 23 matchups.
SATURDAY FEB. 10
St. Louis Blues at Buffalo Sabres (1 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+): A critical game for both teams, as Buffalo enters the week 10 points behind the Detroit Red Wings for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference, and St. Louis currently owns the second wild card into the playoffs from the Western Conference.
Tage Thompson was selected by St. Louis with the No. 26 pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, and had nine points (three goals, six assists) in 41 games for the Blues before he was traded to Buffalo on July 1, 2018, in a deal which saw the Blues land future Conn Smythe Trophy winner Ryan O'Reilly. Blues forward Robert Thomas ranks tied for seventh in the NHL with 39 even-strength points in 49 games this season. He's on pace to become the first St. Louis player with 65 even-strength points in a season since Brett Hull and Adam Oates in 1990-91.
Washington Capitals at Boston Bruins (3:30 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, SN): David Pastrnak and Alex Ovechkin will face off against each other for the 33rd time in the NHL (regular season and playoffs), and the Bruins (31-9-9, 71 points) look to strengthen their grip on first place in the Eastern Conference.
Pastrnak's 334 goals since his NHL debut in 2014-15 rank third in the League over that span behind Ovechkin (409) and Auston Matthews (339). Ovechkin is set to overtake former Capitals forward Doug Mohns (1,391 games) for 43rd place on the NHL's all-time games played list and move closer to tying former Washington teammate Roman Hamrlik (1,395 games).
Toronto Maple Leafs at Ottawa Senators (7 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SNE, SNO, SNP): Seven days after hosting the 2024 Honda (U.S.)/ Rogers (Canada) NHL All-Star Game at Scotiabank Arena, the Maple Leafs visit the Senators for their 7,000th regular season game since they were founded in 1917. The franchise was first known as Toronto, the Toronto Arenas and then the Toronto St. Patricks before it was purchased by Conn Smythe and renamed the Maple Leafs in 1927. They've won the Stanley Cup 13 times, second-most in NHL history behind the Montreal Canadiens (24) but are without a championship since 1967.
Brady Tkachuk has four points (three goals, one assist) in a three-game goal streak for the Senators ahead of this edition of the Hockey Night in Canada "Battle of Ontario". Tkachuk can tie his NHL career-high streak (four) established from Feb. 13-19, 2023.
Toronto forward Auston Matthews (40 goals in 46 games) enters the week leading Florida Panthers forward Sam Reinhart (37 goals in 49 games) in the Rocket Richard Trophy race, scoring seven goals in his past six games. Matthews needs 10 goals to become the second player in franchise history and sixth United States-born skater in NHL history with multiple 50-goal seasons. Dave Andreychuk had 53 with the Maple Leafs in 1993-94 after he finished with 54 the previous year.
OTHER NATIONALLY TELEVISED GAMES
MONDAY FEB. 5
New York Islanders at Toronto Maple Leafs (7 p.m. ET; TVAS, SN, MSGSN)
Colorado Avalanche at New York Rangers (7 p.m. ET; MSG, ALT)
TUESDAY FEB. 6
Montreal Canadiens at Washington Capitals (7 p.m. ET; MNMT, TSN2, RDS)
WEDNESDAY FEB. 7
Dallas Stars at Toronto Maple Leafs (7 p.m. ET; SN, TVAS-D, BSSW)
THURSDAY FEB. 8
Vancouver Canucks at Boston Bruins (7 p.m. ET; NESN, SNP, SNO, SNE, TVAS)
Colorado Avalanche at Carolina Hurricanes (7 p.m. ET; BSSO, ALT)
Vegas Golden Knights at Arizona Coyotes (9 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, SCRIPPS, SN360, TVAS)
FRIDAY FEB. 9
Pittsburgh Penguins at Minnesota Wild (8 p.m. ET; SN-PIT, BSWIX, BSN, SNP, SNE, TVAS)
SATURDAY FEB. 10
Dallas Stars at Montreal Canadiens (1 p.m. ET; RDS, TSN2, BSSWX)
Seattle Kraken at Philadelphia Flyers (7 p.m. ET; HULU, ESPN+)
Pittsburgh Penguins at Winnipeg Jets (7 p.m. ET; CITY, SNW, SN-PIT)
SUNDAY FEB. 11
St. Louis Blues at Montreal Canadiens (1 p.m. ET; RDS, TSN2, BSMW)
Vancouver Canucks at Washington Capitals (1:30 p.m. ET; MNMT, SN)
