NHL On Tap: Devils aim to keep turning up heat without Hughes

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 14 games Saturday.

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Devils look to keep it going against slumping Wild

The New Jersey Devils are undefeated without center Jack Hughes. Hey, facts are facts. They're 1-0-0 since Hughes, their leading scorer with 67 points (35 goals, 32 assists) in 50 games, sustained an upper-body injury, putting him out week to week. That victory, 3-1 against the Seattle Kraken on Thursday, was the Devils' third straight, giving them a 10-1-1 mark in their past 12 games. And now New Jersey (34-13-4) heads to Xcel Energy Center to face the Minnesota Wild (8 p.m. ET; BSN, BSWI, MSGSN, ESPN+, SN NOW), who appear to be trending in the other direction with three losses coming out of the All-Star break, outscored a combined 12-4. But these are the games the Devils have to be careful in, because the Wild (27-20-4) haven't had a losting streak longer than three games all season, which would suggest they're due for a win, especially against an opponent without its best player. This could be labeled a trap game for New Jersey and a must-win for Minnesota. How the Devils treat this game will be telling, because teams that have major playoff aspirations don't get caught in the trap. -- Dan Rosen, senior writer

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Avalanche, Panthers desperate for points

When the season began, this looked like a possible preview of the Stanley Cup Final, the Avalanche winning the Cup last season and the Panthers winning the offseason with the acquisition of forward Matthew Tkachuk. But with the season practically two-thirds of the way completed, each team is desperately trying to just make the playoffs. The Avalanche (27-19-4), tied for third place in the Central Division, have been up and down all season and are smarting from a 5-0 loss at the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday. The Panthers (26-22-6), currently out of playoff position, have won three in a row and appear to be possibly finding their way. A game that appeared to be a marquee matchup (6 p.m. ET; TVAS, BSFLX, ALT, ESPN, SN NOW) when the schedule first came out has turned into a key battle in the playoff race. Expect some great hockey. -- Bill Price, Editor-in-Chief

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Hurricanes face Tarasenko, Rangers

The Carolina Hurricanes want to get up to speed quickly against the New York Rangers (7 p.m. ET; NHLN, BSSO, MSG 2, SN NOW). At 34-9-8, they're second in the NHL standings behind the Boston Bruins and a week from playing their first outdoor game, hosting the Washington Capitals in the 2023 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Feb. 18. But they haven't played since a 5-1 win at the Buffalo Sabres on Feb. 1, and the Rangers (30-14-8), one of their Metropolitan Division rivals, got a boost when they added forward Vladimir Tarasenko in a trade with the St. Louis Blues on Thursday; Tarasenko scored in his New York debut, a 6-3 win against the Kraken on Friday, the Rangers' fourth consecutive victory. -- Nicholas J. Cotsonika, columnist

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Saturday games

Vancouver Canucks at Detroit Red Wings (12 p.m. ET; BSDET, SNP, ESPN+, SN NOW)
The Canucks (21-27-4) are coming off a 6-5 win at the New York Islanders on Thursday, when they rallied from a 4-2 deficit. The Red Wings (22-20-8) defeated the Calgary Flames 2-1 on Thursday. They haven't scored more than two goals at 5-on-5 in any of their past eight games.
Calgary Flames at Buffalo Sabres (12:30 p.m. ET; SN1, SNE, SNO, MSG-B, ESPN+, SN NOW)
The Flames (24-18-10), 1-2-1 in their past four, have played 31 one-goal games, most in the NHL, and have gone 12-9-10 in them. The Sabres (26-20-4) haven't played since a 5-1 loss to the Hurricanes on Feb. 1.
Edmonton Oilers at Ottawa Senators (12:30 p.m. ET; TVAS, TSN5, SNW, ESPN+, SN NOW)
Connor McDavid has 22 points (nine goals, 13 assists) in a 14-game point streak for the Oilers (29-18-5), who are on a 10-game point streak (8-0-2). The center also has 30 points (11 goals, 19 assists) on a 16-game road point streak and leads the NHL with 94 points (41 goals, 53 assists) in 52 games. Center Leon Draisaitl is second in the League with 76 points (29 goals, 47 assists) in 50 games. The Senators (24-23-3) haven't played since a 5-4 win at the Montreal Canadiens on Jan. 31.
New York Islanders at Montreal Canadiens (12:30 p.m. ET; TSN2, RDS, MSGSN, ESPN+, SN NOW)
The Islanders (27-23-5) had won four straight before their 6-5 loss to the Canucks on Thursday. Center Brock Nelson has 10 points (five goals, five assists) in a nine-game point streak. The Canadiens (20-27-4) haven't played since Jan. 31.
Nashville Predators at Philadelphia Flyers (12:30 p.m. ET; NBCSP, BSSO, ESPN+, SN NOW)
The Predators (24-19-6) had won three straight before a 5-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday, their first game since Jan. 26. Defenseman Roman Josi has points in eight of his past nine games (10 points; two goals, eight assists). The Flyers (22-22-9) defeated the Oilers 2-1 in a shootout Thursday.
Tampa Bay Lightning at Dallas Stars (1 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, SN NOW)
The Lightning (33-16-2) defeated the Avalanche 5-0 on Thursday after losing their first two games (0-1-1) after the All-Star break. The Stars (30-13-10) are on a seven-game point streak (4-0-3). Center Roope Hintz has scored a goal in three straight games.
Washington Capitals at Boston Bruins (3:30 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+ SN, TVAS)
The Bruins (39-7-5) sit atop the NHL standings and are on pace for 133 points this season, which would top the 1976-77 Canadiens (60-8-2, 132 points) for the highest single-season total in League history. Boston has not played since a 5-2 win at the Toronto Maple Leafs on Feb. 1. The Capitals (27-20-6) haven't played since a 4-3 overtime win at the Columbus Blue Jackets on Jan. 31.
Colorado Avalanche at Florida Panthers (6 p.m. ET; TVAS, BSFLX, ALT, ESPN+, SN NOW)
The Avalanche (27-19-4) have scored one goal and gone 0-1-1 in two games since the All-Star break, and defenseman Cale Makar is day to day with an upper-body injury. The Panthers (26-22-6) have won three in a row and are 7-2-2 in their past 11 games.
Columbus Blue Jackets at Toronto Maple Leafs (7 p.m. ET; CBC, SN, CITY, BSOH, ESPN+)
This will be the back end of a home-and-home for the Blue Jackets (15-33-4) and the Maple Leafs (32-13-8), following a 3-0 Toronto win at Columbus on Friday. The Maple Leafs are 6-2-1 in their past nine games.
New York Rangers at Carolina Hurricanes (7 p.m. ET; NHLN, BSSO, MSG 2, SN NOW)
Center Sebastian Aho has scored nine goals in a six-game goal streak for the Hurricanes, 9-0-1 in their past 10. Center Filip Chytil has nine points (seven goals, two assists) in a six-game point streak for the Rangers, 11-2-2 in their past 15.
Arizona Coyotes at St. Louis Blues (8 p.m. ET; BSMW, BSAZ, ESPN+, SN NOW)
This will be the first game for the Blues (23-25-3) since they traded Tarasenko to the Rangers on Thursday. They haven't played since a 4-2 loss at the Winnipeg Jets on Jan. 30. The Coyotes (17-28-7) are 4-12-2 in their past 18 games following a 4-3 overtime loss at the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday.
New Jersey Devils at Minnesota Wild (8 p.m. ET; BSN, BSWI, MSGSN, ESPN+, SN NOW)
Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton is on fire with 13 points (five goals, eight assists) in a six-game point streak, and has 51 points (15 goals, 36 assists) in 51 games this season for New Jersey, which is 19-3-2 on the road. The Wild are 2-6-0 in their past eight games.
Chicago Blackhawks at Winnipeg Jets (10 p.m. ET; CBC, SN, CITY, NBCSCH+, ESPN+, SN NOW)
Center Andreas Athanasiou had a goal and two assists for the Blackhawks (16-29-5) against the Coyotes on Friday. The Jets (32-19-1) haven't played since a 4-2 win against the Blues on Jan. 30.
Pittsburgh Penguins at Los Angeles Kings (10:30 p.m. ET; BSW, ATTSN-PT, ESPN+, SN NOW)
Captain Sidney Crosby has 14 points (three goals, 11 assists) in a nine-game point streak for the Penguins (26-16-9), who are 5-1-3 in their past nine following a 6-3 win at the Anaheim Ducks on Friday. The Kings (28-18-7) haven't played since a 5-4 overtime loss at Carolina on Jan. 31.