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Welcome to the NHL On Tap, a daily look at the games on the NHL schedule. There are five games on the schedule for Friday, including one nationally televised in the United States.

Games of the day

Chicago Blackhawks at Detroit Red Wings (7 p.m. ET; FDSNDET, CHSN, NHLN, SNW, SNO, SNE)

It’s still novel to see Patrick Kane face off against the Blackhawks, the team he epitomized for 16 seasons. This marks Kane’s third game against his old team, with the forward recording two points (one goal, one assist) in his previous two games. It’s made even more fun by the run the Red Wings are on, propelling themselves back into the race for the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a season-long five-game winning streak, their latest coming on a power-play overtime goal by Kane to defeat the Ottawa Senators 3-2 on Tuesday. Detroit (18-18-4) is 5-1-0 since Todd McLellan replaced Derek Lalonde as coach and has captain Dylan Larkin on a four-game goal streak (five goals) and a six-game point streak, with nine points (five goals, four assists). Chicago (14-25-2) has center Connor Bedard on an NHL career best eight-game point streak (11 points; four goals, seven assists).

Montreal Canadiens at Washington Capitals (7 p.m. ET; MNMT, TSN2, RDS)

There’s a chance this matchup could be a preview of the Eastern Conference First Round, with the Capitals at the top of the East and the Canadiens inserting themselves into wild card contention in a tight conference. Montreal (19-18-3) is 8-2-0 in its past 10 games. Forward Cole Caufield has scored a goal in four straight and rookie Lane Hutson has 32 points in 42 NHL games, making him the fastest Canadiens defenseman to reach 30; Chris Chelios took 45 game to do it. The Capitals (27-10-4) have a five-game point streak (3-0-2) and a nine-game home point streak (7-0-2). The game also marks a chance for captain Alex Ovechkin to get closer to Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record; he's 23 shy of passing Gretzky’s 894 for the most in NHL history.

Los Angeles Kings at Winnipeg Jets (8 p.m. ET; TSN3, FDSNW)

This marks a clash between two of the better teams in the Western Conference, with the Kings looking to move up in the Pacific and the Jets looking to stay on top in the Central. The Kings haven’t played in six days after their game against the Calgary Flames on Wednesday was postponed because of the wildfires raging in Los Angeles. The Kings (23-10-5) have won four straight, helped by forward Adrian Kempe’s three-game goal streak and five-game point streak (six points; three goals, three assists). The Jets (28-12-2) had lost three straight (0-2-1) before a 5-2 victory against the Nashville Predators on Tuesday gave goalie Connor Hellebuyck his 300th NHL win. Defenseman Josh Morrissey played only one shift after an early-second period crash into the Winnipeg net, but he is expected to play against Los Angeles.

Other Friday games

Vancouver Canucks at Carolina Hurricanes (7 p.m. ET; FDSNSO, SNP)

The Canucks (18-12-10) are 1-2-3 in their past six games. Defenseman Quinn Hughes has 11 points (one goal, 10 assists) in his past seven games. The Hurricanes (25-15-2) are coming off a 6-3 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday, led by captain Jordan Staal's fourth hat trick in his NHL career.

San Jose Sharks at Utah Hockey Club (9 p.m. ET; Utah16, NBCSCA, SN1)

Forward William Eklund has four points (two goals, two assists) in his past three games for the Sharks (13-24-6). Utah (17-16-7) has lost seven of eight games (1-5-2), including four straight (0-3-1) at home. Captain Clayton Keller leads the team with 40 points (14 goals, 26 assists) in 39 games.