NHL On Tap: Jack Hughes can extend point streak for Devils against Kraken
Kuznetsov back in for Capitals; Kane to debut for Red Wings against Sharks
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Jack Hughes looks to extend point streak
Jack Hughes will look to extend his point streak to six games when the New Jersey Devils play the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena (10:30 p.m. ET; ESPN). Hughes has 11 points (four goals, seven assists) during his point streak, which includes a goal and two assists in a 6-5 win at the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday. Since returning to the lineup Nov. 18 after missing five games because of an upper-body injury, Hughes has 13 points (five goals, eight assists) in eight games. New Jersey (12-10-1) will play the second of a four-game Western Canada trip and is 4-1-0 in its past five games. The Kraken (8-12-6), who have lost their past five games (0-4-1), are beginning a six-game homestand. -- Mike G. Morreale, staff writer
Kuznetsov aims to rebound in return to lineup
Evgeny Kuznetsov certainly won’t be short of motivation when his Washington Capitals (12-8-2) host the Dallas Stars (14-7-3) at Capital One Arena (8 p.m. ET; ESPN). The forward, who has been Washington’s first-line center for much of the season, has struggled recently and was made a healthy scratch for the Capitals’ 6-0 loss against the Arizona Coyotes on Monday. The 31-year-old, who has nine points (four goals, five assists) in 19 games, said he understood the move and is driven to be better. “I love ‘Carbs’ (coach Spencer Carberry) so much,” he said Wednesday. “I trust what he’s doing. He’s trying to help me find my game and get better and help the team because I know that I’ve got to be better in every area.” The Capitals need him to do just that after they've lost two straight games by a combined score of 10-1. The Stars come into the game cold as well, having lost two consecutive games themselves. Forward Mason Marchment has been one of their few bright spots of late with four goals in the past four games. -- Mike Zeisberger, staff writer
Robertson, Stars clash with Ovi, Capitals at 8PM ET
Showtime hits Motown
The wait is over. Showtime, aka Patrick Kane, coming back after having hip resurfacing surgery June 1, will make his debut with the Detroit Red Wings (14-7-3) when they host the San Jose Sharks at Little Caesars Arena (7 p.m. ET; BSDET, NBCSCA). It’s going to be strange to see Kane, who signed a one-year, $2.75 million contract with Detroit on Nov. 28, in a Red Wings jersey. He played 1,161 of his 1,180 NHL games with the Chicago Blackhawks, who selected him No. 1 in the 2007 NHL Draft and with whom he won the Stanley Cup in 2010, 2013 and 2015. Let’s see how the 35-year-old rebounds from surgery. The Sharks (7-17-2), meanwhile, have won two of their past three, including a come-from-behind 5-4 overtime win against the New York Islanders on Tuesday. -- Tracey Myers
Thursday games
Buffalo Sabres at Boston Bruins (7 p.m. ET; NESN, MSG-B, SNP, SNO, SNE)
The Sabres (10-14-2) have lost four in a row and five of their past six. Tage Thompson, who missed nine games because of an upper-body injury, returned with an assist in 18:41 of ice time in a 5-3 loss against the Red Wings on Tuesday. The Bruins (17-4-3) have won three in a row. Brad Marchand’s natural hat trick in a 3-1 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday was the fourth for the Bruins in the past 10 years: Patrice Bergeron (Nov. 4, 2021, and Jan. 6, 2018) and Jake DeBrusk (Feb. 28, 2022).
San Jose Sharks at Detroit Red Wings (7 p.m. ET; BSDET, NBCSCA)
Tomas Hertl leads the Sharks with 21 points (seven goals, 14 assists). He had his sixth NHL hat trick, and first since Jan. 8, 2022, against the Islanders on Tuesday. The Red Wings have won three in a row. Alex DeBrincat, Kane’s teammate with the Blackhawks from 2017-22, has 24 points (13 goals, 11 assists), tied for the Red Wings lead with captain Dylan Larkin (10 goals, 14 assists).
Los Angeles Kings at Montreal Canadiens (7 p.m. ET; RDS, TSN2, BSW)
The Kings (15-4-3) improved to 10-0-0 on the road when they came back from a 3-0 deficit to defeat the Blue Jackets 4-3 in overtime on Tuesday. Trevor Moore (seven goals, eight assists) and Anze Kopitar (six goals, six assists) each are on 10-game road point streaks. Sean Monahan scored twice for the Canadiens (11-11-3) in their 4-2 win against the Seattle Kraken on Monday ended a personal 14-game goal drought.
Toronto Maple Leafs at Ottawa Senators (7 p.m. ET; RDS2, TSN4, TSN5)
The Maple Leafs (12-6-4) are 6-1-2 in their past nine games. Auston Matthews has four points (two goals, two assists) in his past two games. The Senators (10-10-0) have won two in a row but will be without defenseman Thomas Chabot, who is out because of an undisclosed injury. Brady Tkachuk has six multigoal games this season, tied for most in the NHL with Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov.
Columbus Blue Jackets at New York Islanders (7:30 p.m. ET; MSGSN, BSOH)
It's the first half of a back-to-back for the Blue Jackets (8-14-5), who will be without defenseman Adam Boqvist, out four weeks because of a shoulder strain, and goalie Elvis Merzlikins, who is expected to miss a week because of illness. This is the second of a six-game homestand for the Islanders (10-7-7), who opened it with a 5-4 overtime loss to the Sharks on Tuesday. Bo Horvat is on a four-game point streak (two goals, four assists).
Dallas Stars at Washington Capitals (8 p.m. ET; ESPN)
The Stars are coming off a 5-4 loss at the Florida Panthers on Wednesday and are now 2-3-2 in their past seven. The Capitals are 2-4-0 in their past six partially because of the dry spell of captain Alex Ovechkin, who hasn't scored in seven games and has five goals in 22 games this season.
Tampa Bay Lightning at Nashville Predators (8 p.m. ET; BSSO, BSSUN)
This is the second half of a back-to-back for the Lightning (11-10-5), who defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-1 on Wednesday. Nikita Kucherov leads the NHL with 44 points (17 goals, 27 assists) in 26 games. The Predators (13-12-0) have won two in a row and are 8-2-0 in their past 10 games. Ryan O'Reilly has seven power-play goals, tied for second in the NHL.
Anaheim Ducks at Chicago Blackhawks (8:30 p.m. ET; BSSD, BSSC, NBCSCH)
It's a showdown between the top two picks of the 2023 NHL Draft, Blackhawks center Connor Bedard (No. 1) and Ducks center Leo Carlsson (No. 2). Bedard leads NHL rookies and the Blackhawks (7-16-1) with 20 points (nine goals, 11 assists) in 24 games. Carlsson has 13 points (eight goals, five assists) in 17 games and is on a three-game point streak (two goals, two assists) for the Ducks (10-15-0). It’s been a tough go for their teams, however. The Blackhawks have lost four in a row (0-3-1), and the Ducks have lost nine of their past 10 (1-9-0).
First two picks in 2023 NHL Draft clash in Chicago
Philadelphia Flyers at Arizona Coyotes (9 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, NBCSP)
This is the start of a three-game road trip for the Flyers (13-10-2), who have won two in a row. Carter Hart is 7-6-1 with a 2.55 goals-against average, .913 save percentage and one shutout in 15 games. The Coyotes (13-9-2) have won five in a row. Alex Kerfoot is on a four-game point streak (one goal, eight assists). Arizona will be without defenseman Sean Durzi, who sustained a lower-body injury during a 6-0 win against the Washington Capitals on Monday.
Carolina Hurricanes at Calgary Flames (9 p.m. ET; SNW, BSSO)
It's the second half of a back-to-back for the Hurricanes (14-9-1), who lost to the Edmonton Oilers 6-1 on Wednesday and are 1-2-1 in their past four games. Sebastian Aho leads Carolina with 22 points (eight goals, 14 assists) in 22 games. The Flames (10-12-3) have lost two in a row. It's the fifth of a six-game homestand for Calgary, which is 5-5-1 at Scotiabank Saddledome this season.
Winnipeg Jets at Colorado Avalanche (9 p.m. ET; ALT, TSN3, TVAS)
The Jets (14-8-2) have won two in a row. Mark Scheifele has 170 multipoint games, second-most in Jets/Atlanta Thrashers history behind Blake Wheeler (200). Nathan MacKinnon is on an 11-game home point streak (six goals, 15 assists) for the Avalanche (16-7-2), who are 1-1-2 in their past four games. He also has 222 multipoint games, tied with Peter Forsberg for fourth in Avalanche/Quebec Nordiques history.
Minnesota Wild at Vancouver Canucks (10 p.m. ET; SNP, BSN, BSWI)
The Wild (9-10-4) are 4-0-0 under John Hynes, who replaced Dean Evason as coach Nov. 27. Mats Zuccarello, who leads the Wild with 27 points (six goals, 21 assists) in 23 games, is on a 10-game point streak (three goals, 11 assists). It's the second of a five-game homestand for the Canucks (16-9-1). Brock Boeser is on a five-game point streak (five goals, three assists).
New Jersey Devils at Seattle Kraken (10:30 p.m. ET; ESPN)
New Jersey defenseman Brendan Smith is eligible to return to the lineup after serving his two-game suspension from the NHL Department of Player Safety for slashing Philadelphia Flyers forward Travis Konecny in a 4-3 overtime win Nov. 30. Defenseman Vince Dunn has 24 multipoint games all time for Seattle, third behind forwards Jared McCann (32) and Jordan Eberle (25).
