Welcome to the NHL On Tap, a daily look at the games on the NHL schedule. There are three games on the schedule for Monday, including one televised nationally in the United States and Canada.
Games of the day
Nashville Predators at Winnipeg Jets (7:30 p.m. ET, Prime, FDSNSO)
Forwards Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele are closing out 2024 as two of the hottest players in the NHL and will attempt to help the Jets (26-10-1) extend their winning streak to four. Connor has 13 points (six goals, seven assists) on a six-game point streak; Scheifele has 10 points (six goals, four assists) in his past five games and has 10 goals in December. Winnipeg has also been boosted by the recent return of forward Nikolaj Ehlers, who missed nine games with a lower-body injury. He has five points (two goals, three assists) in four games since coming back. The Predators (11-18-7) need more offense from forward Filip Forsberg, who has gone 14 games without a goal after scoring a career-high 48 last season. They hope to also get a boost from veteran forward Vinnie Hinostroza, who was recalled from the Milwaukee of the American Hockey League on Saturday. At the time of his call-up, the 30-year-old was leading the AHL with 33 points (11 goals, 22 assists) in 26 games.
New York Rangers at Florida Panthers (7 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, MSGSN, NHLN, TVAS)
The struggling Rangers (16-18-1) will be looking to fix a floundering power play that has not scored in its past 20 opportunities when they face the Panthers (22-13-2) at Amerant Bank Arena in a rematch of last season’s Eastern Conference Final. Coach Peter Laviolette dropped center Mika Zibanejad from the first to second power-play unit at practice Sunday in a search to find answers for the man-advantage. New York, which has lost three straight and 14 of 18, faces a team that is having its own issues. Florida is coming off a 4-0 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday and has been shut out in each of its past two games and four times in December, a franchise record for a single month.
Utah Hockey Club at Seattle Kraken (8 p.m. ET; Utah16, KHN, KONG)
This will be the first regular-season game between the NHL’s two newest teams. The Kraken (16-19-2) started play in 2021-22; Utah (16-13-6) is in its inaugural season. Seattle could be without goalie Joey Daccord and forward Andre Burakovsky; Daccord, a goalie, did not travel for a 5-4 overtime win at the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday because of “bumps and bruises,” according to coach Dan Bylsma. Burakovsky, a forward, will play after being unavilable Saturday because of an illness. Utah will be looking to rebound after three straight losses at home (0-2-1). Forward Logan Cooley has nine points (one goal, eight assists) in his past seven games.
