NHL On Tap: MacKinnon seeks point in 20th straight game for Avalanche at Blues 

Welcome to 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 nine games Friday.

MacKinnon seeks to continue streak

Nathan MacKinnon has a long way to go before challenging Wayne Gretzky for longest point streak in a season in NHL history (51 games), but the Colorado Avalanche center continues to chip away. MacKinnon will be looking to extend his current streak to 20 games when the Avalanche (21-11-3) visit the St. Louis Blues (18-15-1) at Enterprise Center (8 p.m. ET; BSMW, ALT2). Mackinnon pushed his streak to 19 games with a goal and assist in a 5-4 overtime loss at the Arizona Coyotes on Wednesday. He has 36 points (13 goals, 23 assists) in the longest point streak in the League this season and has put himself in impressive company. Detroit Red Wings forward Patrick Kane has the longest streak among active players with a 26-game streak (40 points; 16 goals, 24 assists) as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks in 2015-16. Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby had a 25-game streak (50 points; 26 goals, 24 assists) in 2010-11 and Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner had a 23-game streak last season (32 points; 11 games, 21 assists). Kane also had a 20-game streak (43 points; 17 goals, 26 assists) with the Blackhawks in 2018-19. The Blues, meanwhile, have won three straight and are 5-1-0 in their past six. -- Derek Van Diest, staff writer

Rangers, Panthers among best in East

When the season began, most didn't think the New York Rangers and Florida Panthers would be where they are in the standings. The Panthers surprised everyone by making the Stanley Cup Final after being the lowest seed to qualify from the East. The Rangers blew a 2-0 series lead in a seven-game loss to the New Jersey Devils in the first round. But here we are at the turn of the calendar, with the Rangers (24-8-1) leading the Eastern Conference and the Panthers (20-12-2) second in the Atlantic Division. The teams will play at Amerant Bank Arena (7 p.m. ET; BSFL, MSG2, TVAS), with each having won two straight. Florida defeated the Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights 4-2 on Saturday and the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 on Wednesday. New York is coming off a 4-3 overtime win against the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday and a 5-1 win against the Washington Capitals on Wednesday. Could this perhaps be an Eastern Conference Final preview? Maybe, but for now, let's enjoy a game that will feature some of the best in the game in forward Artemi Panarin and center Mika Zibanejad of the Rangers and forward Matthew Tkachuk and center Aleksander Barkov of the Panthers. -- David Satriano, staff writer

What’s up with the Red Wings?

When Detroit (16-15-4) signed Kane to a one-year contract Nov. 28, the Red Wings figured he’d help their offense. He has, with 11 points (six goals, five assists) in 11 games. Detroit’s problem lately, however, has been defense. Since Dec. 7, when Kane made his debut with the Red Wings, they’ve gone 2-8-1 and have allowed at least five goals in five of those losses. They’ll try to shore things up when they host the Nashville Predators (19-16-0) at Little Caesars Arena (7 p.m. ET; BSSO, BSDET). The Predators have lost two straight, are 1-3-0 in their past four and have been outscored 13-6 in those three defeats. This is a back-to-back road trip for Nashville, which plays at Washington on Saturday. -- Tracey Myers, staff writer

Friday games

Toronto Maple Leafs at Columbus Blue Jackets (7 p.m. ET; BSOH, SNO)

Auston Matthews will aim to start a new goal streak when the Maple Leafs (17-9-6) visit the Blue Jackets (11-18-7) at Nationwide Arena. The center had a seven-game goal-scoring streak (12 goals) end in a 4-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday. Matthews still has an eight-game point streak (17 points; 12 goals, five assists). Columbus center Sean Kuraly is day to day with an abdominal injury sustained in a 4-1 loss against Toronto on Saturday.

Nashville Predators at Detroit Red Wings (7 p.m. ET; BSSO, BSDET)

Center Ryan O’Reilly has three points (one goal, two assists) in his past two games for the Predators. Forward Filip Forsberg leads Nashville with 38 points (16 goals, 22 assists) in 35 games. For Detroit, Kane has five goals in a four-game goal streak and forward Alex DeBrincat has eight points (three goals, five assists) in his past five games.

New York Rangers at Florida Panthers (7 p.m. ET; BSFL, MSG2, TVAS)

Panarin has 15 points (seven goals, eight assists) in his past 11 games and Zibanejad has 15 points (seven goals, eight assists) in his past eight games and points in 16 of his past 17, including eight multipoint games. Panthers center Sam Reinhart has 15 points (six goals, nine assists), in his past 12 games.

New Jersey Devils at Ottawa Senators (7 p.m. ET; RDS, TSN5, MSGSN2)

The Senators (13-17-0) can win their third straight and match their longest streak this season, accomplished twice. Ottawa defeated Toronto 4-2 on Wednesday to give coach Jacques Martin his second consecutive win since replacing D.J. Smith as coach Dec. 18. Martin lost his first two games with the Senators before a 5-4 overtime win against Pittsburgh on Saturday. Forward Timo Meier has four goals in a three-game goal streak for the Devils (18-13-2).

Washington Capitals at New York Islanders (7:30 p.m. ET; MNMT2, MSGSN)

The Capitals (17-19-5) and Islanders (16-9-9) each look to bounce back following lopsided losses Wednesday. The Capitals lost 5-1 at the Rangers and the Islanders were shut out 7-0 at home by the Penguins. Washington captain Alex Ovechkin, who has one goal in his past 17 games, ended an NHL career-long 14-game scoring drought on Dec. 21 with the overtime winner in a 3-2 victory at Columbus. Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson has 18 assists in his past past 14 games.

Chicago Blackhawks at Dallas Stars (8 p.m. ET; BSSW, NBCSCH, SNP, SNW, SNE)

Connor Bedard followed up a lacrosse-style “Michigan” goal against the Blues on Saturday with an overtime winner against the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday, which makes one wonder what the center and the Blackhawks (11-22-1) have in store against the Stars (20-9-4) at American Airlines Center. The No. 1 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft leads all rookie scorers with 32 points (15 goals, 17 assists) in 34 games, 10 points ahead of Minnesota Wild center Marco Rossi (22 points; 11 goals, 11 assists in 33 games). Stars forward Jason Robertson has eight points (three goals, five assists) in his past seven games.

Colorado Avalanche at St. Louis Blues (8 p.m. ET; BSMW, ALT2)

Forward Mikko Rantanen is benefiting from playing on a line with MacKinnon, with 13 points (six goals, seven assists) in his past eight games. MacKinnon has an opportunity to extend his 19-game point streak (36 points; 13 goals, 23 assists). The Blues are 5-1-0 since Drew Bannister replaced Craig Berube as coach Dec. 12 and will try to extend their winning streak to a season-long four games.

Arizona Coyotes at Anaheim Ducks (10 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, BSW)

Sean Durzi will attempt to follow up a career-best four-point performance with another solid outing for the Coyotes (18-14-2) against the Ducks (13-21-0) at Honda Center. The defenseman had a goal and three assists in a 5-4 overtime win against the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday and eight points (one goal, seven assists) in his past five games. Center Mason McTavish had three assists for the Ducks in a 5-2 win against the Golden Knights on Wednesday.

Philadelphia Flyers at Seattle Kraken (10 p.m. ET; ROOT-NW, NBCSP+)

The Kraken (13-14-9) host the Flyers (19-11-4) in their final game before facing the Golden Knights in the 2024 Discover NHL Winter Classic at T-Mobile Park in Seattle on Monday. Seattle has a season-long three-game winning streak and is 5-0-2 in its past seven. Philadelphia, 8-1-2 in its past 11 games, is coming off a 4-1 win at the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday.