NHL On Tap: Rangers host Stars, seek 8th straight win

Welcome to the 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 eight games Tuesday.

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Rangers return inside, look to keep rolling

The New York Rangers return to the comforts of Madison Square Garden to play the Dallas Stars (7 p.m. ET; BSSW, MSG) after one heck of a Sunday afternoon outdoors. New York (36-16-3) won its seventh straight game in dramatic, big-event fashion, coming back from two goals down late in the third period and defeating New York Islanders 6-5 on Artemi Panarin's goal 10 seconds into overtime in the 2024 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Rangers showed resiliency that was built on the confidence they've gained from their winning streak. Peter Laviolette, their coach, talked about the feeling of believing something good is going to happen when you're playing with the confidence his players have right now. Carrying that into a game against the Stars will be key; Dallas (34-14-8) is coming off a 4-3 loss in a nine-round shootout at the Boston Bruins on Monday after losing 4-3 in overtime to the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday. But the Stars have been one of the NHL's most consistent teams all season; they're 8-1-3 in 12 games since Jan. 20. They have lost three games in a row once this season (Jan. 2-6), but only two of those were in regulation. However, injuries are mounting; forward Matt Duchene sustained a lower-body injury in warmups Monday, forcing Dallas to play with 11 forwards and six defensemen. Three of its top six defensemen were not available with Miro Heiskanen attending the birth of his child, and Jani Hakanpaa (upper body) and Nils Lundkvist (upper body) unavailable. It's not clear if they will be ready to go Tuesday. -- Dan Rosen, senior writer

Ovechkin hopes to stay hot for Capitals

Alex Ovechkin will look to extend his point streak to nine games (10 points; six goals, four assists) when the Washington Capitals (24-21-8) host the New Jersey Devils at Capital One Arena (7 p.m. ET; MNMT, MSGSN2). The Capitals captain had his goal streak end at six games but did get an assist in a 4-3 win at the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday. The Devils (28-22-4) are super-charged after an emotional 6-3 win against the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2024 Stadium Series in front of more than 70,000 fans at MetLife Stadium on Saturday. New Jersey is five points behind Philadelphia for third place in the Metropolitan Division and four behind the Detroit Red Wings for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference. Devils center Jack Hughes had an assist Saturday to extend his point streak to four games (five points; two goals, three assists). -- Mike G. Morreale, senior draft writer

Islanders look to rebound after Stadium Series

The New York Islanders look to rebound from Sunday when they face the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena (7 p.m. ET; SN-PIT, MSGSN, SNW, SNO, SNE, SN1, TVAS). The Islanders (22-18-14) will try to end a three-game skid (0-1-2) in a game with playoff implications for each team. New York is six points behind Detroit for the second wild card in the East. Mathew Barzal had a goal for the Islanders on Sunday, giving him nine points (four goals, five assists) during a seven-game point streak. The Penguins (24-21-7) are trying to avoid missing the playoffs for the second consecutive season, but they’ve lost four of their past five games, are seventh in the Metropolitan Division and nine points behind the Red Wings. Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby scored his 31st goal of the season in a 2-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday; defenseman Erik Karlssonhad an assist and is one shy of 800 in his NHL career. -- William Douglas, staff writer

Tuesday games

Ottawa Senators at Florida Panthers (7 p.m. ET; BSFL, TSN5, RDS)

The Panthers (36-15-4) have won five in a row and nine of 10. They're coming off a 9-2 win at the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday, when forwards Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett each had two goals and two assists. The Senators (23-27-2) avoided a three-game skid with a 4-2 win at Tampa Bay on Monday behind two goals from Mathieu Joseph and 23 saves from Anton Forsberg. Claude Giroux had an assist to extend his point streak to five games (three goals, four assists).

Dallas Stars at New York Rangers (7 p.m. ET; BSSW, MSG)

Dallas forward Mason Marchment had a nine-game point streak end at Boston on Monday; he had 13 points (four goals, nine assists) over that stretch. The Stars are likely to start Scott Wedgewood in goal after Jake Oettinger made 27 saves and stopped seven of nine attempts in the shootout Monday. New York center Mika Zibanejad has two goals and two assists in the past three games.

New York Islanders at Pittsburgh Penguins (7 p.m. ET; SN-PIT, MSGSN, SNW, SNO, SNE, SN1, TVAS)

The Penguins have won the first two of a four-game set against the Islanders this season -- 7-0 at UBS Arena on Dec. 27 and 3-1 at PPG Paints Arena on Dec. 31. New York defenseman Noah Dobson has six points (one goal, five assists) during a four-game point streak, including three assists Sunday. Barzal needs two assists for 300 in his NHL career.

New Jersey Devils at Washington Capitals (7 p.m. ET; MNMT, MSGSN2)

Capitals defenseman Martin Fehervary is week to week because of a lower-body injury. Washington avoided a three-game skid Saturday and iseight points behind Detroit for the second wild card in the East. Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler could return after missing 16 games with a broken left foot. John Marino will travel to Washington despite missing practice Monday with an illness, and the New Jersey defenseman is questionable to play. Devils captain Nico Hischier has six points (four goals, two assists) in his past four games.

Minnesota Wild at Winnipeg Jets (8 p.m. ET; TSN3, BSN, BSWI)

Joel Eriksson Ek (seven goals, five assists) and Kirill Kaprizov (four goals, eight assists) each has a five-game point streak for the Wild (26-23-6), who won 10-7 against the Vancouver Canucks on Monday to extend their point streak to six games (5-0-1). Sean Monahan has four goals in his past two games for the Jets (33-15-5), including a hat trick in a 6-3 loss at the Calgary Flames on Monday.

Vancouver Canucks at Colorado Avalanche (9 p.m. ET; ALT, SNP)

Nathan MacKinnon has 55 points (22 goals, 33 assists) during a 26-game home point streak for the Avalanche (34-18-4), who are 2-4-1 since the All-Star break. Wayne Gretzky owns the NHL record for a home point streak to start a season at 40 games (Los Angeles Kings, 1988-89). Elias Pettersson has eight points (two goals, six assists) in his past six games for Vancouver (37-14-6), which has lost two straight in regulation.

Nashville Predators at Vegas Golden Knights (10 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, BSSO, SNW, SNO, SNE, SN1, TVAS)

Jonathan Marchessault has three goals in his past four games and Nicolas Roy has 12 points (three goals, nine assists) in his past nine for the Golden Knights (32-17-6), who won 4-0 at the San Jose Sharks on Monday following back-to-back losses. Ryan O'Reilly has five points (three goals, two assists) in his past four games for Nashville (28-25-2), which is 2-4-1 in its past seven.

Columbus Blue Jackets at Los Angeles Kings (10:30 p.m. ET; BSW, BSOH)

Los Angeles (27-16-10) has won three in a row and five of six after defeating Pittsburgh on Sunday, powered by forward Adrian Kempe’s two goals in the third period. Boone Jenner has a three-game goal streak for Columbus (17-26-10), which won 4-3 at San Jose on Saturday.