On Tap: MacKinnon-Matthews matchup, Oilers’ bid for record highlight 16-game schedule
Panthers, Kraken, Jets try to extend winning streaks
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MacKinnon, Matthews square off in Toronto
Nathan MacKinnon against Auston Matthews: Need I say more? I will, but the two fabulous centers are more than enough reason to watch the Colorado Avalanche (27-12-3) take on the Toronto Maple Leafs (21-10-8) at Scotiabank Arena (7 p.m. ET; SN, ALT, NHLN). MacKinnon’s 23-game season-opening home point streak, during which he has 46 points (16 goals, 30 assists), won’t come into play here. But he’s also on an overall six-game point streak (11 points; three goals, eight assists). The guy is just scoring no matter where he is. Matthews had two goals in a 4-3 overtime loss at the New York Islanders on Thursday, his 70th multigoal game. One more and he’ll tie Darryl Sittler for the most in Maple Leafs history. Yes, each team is doing well in the standings -- the Maple Leafs are third in the Atlantic Division, the Avalanche second in the Central -- but it’s hard not to be focusing on MacKinnon and Matthews specifically, right? -- Tracey Myers, staff writer
Matthews, MacKinnon face off on Saturday
Oilers go for franchise record
The Edmonton Oilers can set their record for consecutive victories when they visit the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre (7 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN1). The Oilers are going for their 10th straight win, something even Edmonton’s five Stanley Cup championship teams were unable to achieve. Granted, those teams played in an era when games could finish in a tie, but it is still an impressive accomplishment for Connor McDavid and the current Oilers. Edmonton (22-15-1) faces Montreal (17-18-6) coming off a 3-2 overtime victory at the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday. The Oilers are 17-3-0 in their past 20 games and 19-6-0 since Kris Knoblauch took over as coach Nov. 12. McDavid has 15 points (five goals, 10 assists) during a nine-game point streak and has 46 points (14 goals, 32 assists) in 25 games since the coaching change. Montreal is 2-5-1 in its past eight games. The Canadiens lost 3-2 to the San Jose Sharks on Thursday. -- Derek Van Diest, staff writer
Panthers seek another double-digit winning streak
The Florida Panthers will try for the third winning streak of at least 10 games in their history when they host the New Jersey Devils at Amerant Bank Arena (6 p.m. ET; MSGSN, BSFL). The Panthers won 13 in a row from March 29-April 23, 2022, and 12 in a row from Dec. 15, 2015-Jan. 10, 2016. The current run of nine consecutive victories began with a 4-2 win against the Vegas Golden Knights on Dec. 23 in a rematch of the 2023 Stanley Cup Final (won by the Golden Knights in five games) and was extended when Sam Reinhart scored with one second remaining in overtime to give Florida (27-12-2) a 3-2 win against the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday. New Jersey (21-15-3) is coming off a 4-3 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday. -- Tom Gulitti, staff writer
Saturday games
New York Rangers at Washington Capitals (1 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, SN)
Capitals goalie Charlie Lindgren is expected to face his brother, Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren, for the second time in the NHL in the first game of a home-and-home that concludes at Madison Square Garden on Sunday. Charlie made 31 saves, including three on Ryan, in a 4-0 win Dec. 9. The Rangers (26-12-2) will try to end a season-high three-game skid (0-2-1). The Capitals (19-14-6) are 2-5-2 in their past nine.
Zibanejad, Rangers go head to head with Ovechkin, Capitals, tomorrow on ESPN+
Vancouver Canucks at Buffalo Sabres (4 p.m. ET; MSG-B, SN)
The Canucks (28-11-3) will look to extend their winning streak to five games. Center Elias Pettersson has 12 points (seven goals, five assists) in the four victories. He scored in overtime and finished with four points (two goals, two assists) in a 4-3 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday. The Sabres (18-20-4) are seeking their fourth victory in five games and can win two in a row for the third time this season.
San Jose Sharks at Ottawa Senators (4 p.m. ET; RDS2, TSN5, NBCSCA)
The Senators (14-23-0) will try to end a five-game losing streak, while the Sharks (10-29-3) will look for their second straight win after ending a 12-game slide, all in regulation, with a 3-2 win against the Canadiens on Thursday. Brady Tkachuk is one away from passing Shawn McEachern on Ottawa’s all-time lists for eighth in goals (142), 13th in assists (162) and 11th in points (304). Mikael Granlund has points in five of his past six games for San Jose (five points; one goal, four assists).
New Jersey Devils at Florida Panthers (6 p.m. ET; MSGSN, BSFL)
Matthew Tkachuk has an NHL-leading 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists) during Florida’s nine-game winning streak after having 22 points (five goals, 17 assists) in 32 games before that. Dawson Mercer leads New Jersey with nine points (six goals, three assists) in nine games since Dec. 21 after having 12 points (seven goals, five assists) in 30 games prior to that.
Pittsburgh Penguins at Carolina Hurricanes (7 p.m. ET; SN-PIT, BSSO)
Andrei Svechnikov has 16 points (nine goals, seven assists) in his past 10 games, helping Carolina go on a 7-1-2 run. The forward missed the first eight games of the season recovering from a knee injury sustained last season. He has 27 points (10 goals, 17 assists) in 26 games for the Hurricanes (23-13-5). Sidney Crosby has seven points (four goals, three assists) in his past five games for the Penguins (20-15-5). The center scored two goals in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Canucks on Thursday.
Seattle Kraken at Columbus Blue Jackets (7 p.m. ET; ROOT-NW, BSOH)
The Kraken can extend their winning streak to nine games and set a record for the franchise in its third season. Seattle (18-14-9) has matched its eight-game streak from last season (Jan. 1-14, 2023). The Kraken have a team-record 12-game point streak (10-0-2) and haven’t lost not lost in regulation since Dec. 10. Columbus (13-20-9) is 1-2-2 in its past five and is coming off a 5-0 loss at the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday.
Los Angeles Kings at Detroit Red Wings (7 p.m. ET; BSW, BSDET)
The Kings (20-10-8) have lost seven straight (0-3-4) and will try to end the streak at the Red Wings (20-16-5) in the fourth of a five-game road trip. Los Angeles lost 3-2 in overtime on a last-second goal at Florida on Thursday. Kevin Fiala has four points (two goals, two assists) in his past three games for the Kings. Dylan Larkin has five points (two goals, three assists) in his past six games for the Red Wings, who have won four of six (4-1-1).
Edmonton Oilers at Montreal Canadiens (7 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN1)
Zach Hyman continues to make a case to be a part of the 2024 NHL All-Star Weekend in Toronto on Feb. 1-3. The Oilers' forward is on pace to reach 50 goals for the first time in his nine-season NHL career. Hyman scored his 26th goal of the season in his 37th game, a 3-2 overtime win at the Red Wings on Thursday. His NHL career high is 36 goals, set in 79 games last season with Edmonton. Nick Suzuki leads Montreal with 34 points (12 goals, 22 assists) in 41 games.
Anaheim Ducks at Tampa Bay Lightning (7 p.m. ET; BSSD, BSSUN, BSSC)
The Ducks (14-26-1) are 1-5-1 in their past seven games. Goalie John Gibson left after the second period of Anaheim’s 6-3 loss to Carolina on Thursday with an upper-body injury. His status against Tampa Bay is unknown. The Lightning (21-17-5) have won two in a row and three of four. Nikita Kucherov, who leads the NHL with 69 points (28 goals, 41 assists), has 40 assists for a seventh consecutive season.
Colorado Avalanche at Toronto Maple Leafs (7 p.m. ET; SN, ALT, NHLN)
The Avalanche have won two in a row and are 8-1-1 in their past 10 games. Valeri Nichushkin has 13 power-play goals, the second-most by a Colorado player in his first 40 games of the season, behind Joe Sakic (15 in 1995-96). The Maple Leafs have won four of five. William Nylander, who signed an eight-year, $92 million contract ($11.5 million average annual value) on Monday that begins next season, leads Toronto with 57 points (21 goals, 36 assists) in 39 games.
Philadelphia Flyers at Winnipeg Jets (7 p.m. ET; CITY, NBCSP)
The NHL-leading Jets (28-9-4) will look to extend their franchise-record eight-game winning streak when they host the Flyers (22-14-6) at Canada Life Centre. Winnipeg forward Mark Scheifele is day to day with a lower-body injury sustained in a 2-1 win against the Blackhawks on Thursday but has not been ruled out against the Flyers. Travis Konecny has 13 points (five goals, eight assists) in his past 10 games for Philadelphia, which defeated the Minnesota Wild 4-3 in overtime Friday.
Dallas Stars at Chicago Blackhawks (8 p.m. ET; BSSWX, NBCSCH)
The Blackhawks (12-28-2) are 1-6-1 in their past eight games and 1-2-0 with rookie center Connor Bedard sidelined after fracturing his jaw Jan. 5 at the Devils. Chicago announced that Bedard had successful surgery Monday and will be out 6-8 weeks. Nick Foligno is week to week for the Blackhawks after fracturing a finger in that game against the Devils. The forward signed a two-year, $9 million contract ($4.5 million AAV) on Friday that starts next season. Dallas (24-12-5) had won two straight before losing 6-3 to the Nashville Predators on Friday.
Arizona Coyotes at Minnesota Wild (8 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, BSWIX, BSN)
Clayton Keller has 10 points (six goals, four assists) in his past 11 games and leads Arizona (20-18-2) with 35 points (15 goals, 20 assists) in 40 games. The Coyotes are 1-4-0 in their past five games following a 6-1-0 run. The Wild (17-9-5) have lost seven of eight, including 4-3 to the Flyers in overtime Friday.
New York Islanders at Nashville Predators (8 p.m. ET; MSGSN2, BSSO)
Mathew Barzal has nine points (two goals, seven assists) during a five-game point streak for New York. The forward had the winning goal and three assists in a 4-3 overtime victory against the Maple Leafs on Thursday. The Islanders (19-12-10) will be playing the first of a four-game road trip. Ryan O'Reilly has 12 points (three goals, nine assists) in his past nine games for the Predators (23-18-1), who defeated the Stars 6-3 on the road Friday.
Boston Bruins at St. Louis Blues (8 p.m. ET; BSMW, NESN)
The Bruins (24-8-9) are 0-0-3 in their past three games. David Pastrnak’s four-game point streak (seven points; three goals, four assists) ended in a 2-1 overtime loss to the Golden Knights on Thursday. The forward had nine shots on goal against Vegas. This is the third of a four-game homestand for the Blues (21-18-1), who have won three of four. Robert Thomas leads them with 43 points (16 goals, 27 assists) in 40 games.
Calgary Flames at Vegas Golden Knights (10 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, TVAS2, CITY, SN, CBC)
The Flames (19-18-5) have won two in a row and five of seven. Blake Coleman has 26 points (13 goals, 13 assists) in his past 23 games for Calgary. The Golden Knights (24-13-5) have won two of their past three. With his next goal, Vegas forward Jack Eichel will become the fifth player from the 2015 NHL Draft to reach 200. The four in front of him are McDavid (319 goals), Mikko Rantanen of the Avalanche (241), Sebastian Aho of the Hurricanes (233) and Kyle Connor of the Jets (226).
