On Tap: Yandle of Flyers to play 965th consecutive game, set NHL record

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.

Yandle to break NHL ironman record

Keith Yandle will eclipse Doug Jarvis's NHL record of 964 consecutive games played when he steps into the ice for his first shift for the Philadelphia Flyers (13-21-8) against the New York Islanders at UBS Arena on Tuesday (7:30 p.m. ET; MSG+, NBCSP, ESPN+, NHL LIVE). The 35-year-old defenseman tied the mark in Philadelphia's 3-1 loss to the Dallas Stars on Monday and is poised to break it with his 965th straight appearance. Jarvis had held the record since Dec. 12, 1986, a run of over 35 years. The Flyers are 0-9-3 in their past 12 and will set a team record for the longest stretch without a win (13) with a loss to the Islanders (14-14-6). New York is 7-2-1 in its past 10 after a 3-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday. -- Mike Zeisberger, staff writer

Huberdeau looks to stay hot for Panthers

Jonathan Huberdeau has scored 25 points (six goals, 19 assists) in his past 12 games, including points in three straight (one goal, four assists), heading into the finale of the Florida Panthers' five-game road trip at the Winnipeg Jets (8 p.m. ET; TSN3, BSFL, ESPN+, NHL LIVE). Huberdeau leads the NHL with 42 assists and is tied for the League lead with 58 points with Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals and Leon Draisaitl of the Edmonton Oilers. Florida (28-9-5) is 2-2-0 so far on its road trip and is tied with the Tampa Bay Lightning for first in the Atlantic Division with 61 points. Winnipeg (17-14-7) finally returns home after playing its past eight games on the road. The Jets were 3-3-2 in that span, including 0-2-2 in the past four. -- Tom Gulitti, Staff Writer

Oilers will try to carry momentum into Vancouver

The Edmonton Oilers seek their second straight win when they visit the Vancouver Canucks (10 p.m. ET; SN, ESPN+, NHL LIVE). Edmonton (19-16-2) defeated the Calgary Flames 5-3 at home Saturday, its first win after a seven-game skid (0-5-2). It's too early to say the win cured all that was ailing the Oilers, but it gave them a foundation to build from. Goalie Mikko Koskinen made 44 saves for his first win in eight starts since Dec. 1. They came back from down 2-0 in the first period. Their power play clicked. They got offense from players other than forwards Draisaitl and Connor McDavid, with defenseman Evan Bouchard scoring twice on the power play in a span of 4:06 in the second period to tie the game at 2-2 and forward Brendan Perlini making it 3-2 at 18:18 of the second. Draisaitl scored twice in the third, including the game-winner at 14:29. It was big for the Oilers, who had lost 13 of 15 (2-11-2) since Dec. 3. It won't matter much if they can't put together another strong performance that leads to a win against the Canucks (18-19-4), who lost 3-1 to the St. Louis Blues on Sunday and have three goalies (
Thatcher Demko
,
Jaroslav Halak
and Spencer Martin) in NHL COVID-19 protocol. -- Dan Rosen, senior writer

Tuesday schedule

Buffalo Sabres at Ottawa Senators (7 p.m. ET; TSN5, RDS, MSG-B, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
The Senators (12-20-3) won 2-1 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday and they're 8-5-2 in 15 games since Dec. 2 after going 4-15-1 in their first 25 games. The Sabres (13-21-7) won 6-3 against the Flyers on Saturday and have points in three of four games (2-1-1). Buffalo forward Casey Mittelstadt will return after missing 15 games following surgery for an upper-body injury.
Dallas Stars at New Jersey Devils (7 p.m. ET; ESPN+, HULU, NHL LIVE)
The Stars (21-16-2) are playing the second game of a back-to-back set after winning their third straight game, 3-1 at the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday thanks to forward Jacob Peterson's go-ahead goal at 16:35 of the third period. The Devils (15-20-5) have lost four of five in regulation and will be without goalie Mackenzie Blackwood, who was placed on injured reserve with a left heel injury.
Arizona Coyotes at Pittsburgh Penguins (7 p.m. ET; SNW, SNP, ATTSN-PT, BSAZ, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
The Penguins (26-10-5) have won five in a row, including 3-2 in the shootout against the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday after they were down 2-0 going into the third period. Pittsburgh will be without forward Teddy Blueger, who is out 6-8 weeks with a fractured jaw. The Coyotes (10-26-4) are trying to break even on a four-game road trip after losing the past two games, 4-0 at the New York Islanders and 7-3 at the New York Rangers.
Vegas Golden Knights at Carolina Hurricanes (7 p.m. ET; TVAS, BSSO, ATTSN-RM, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
The Golden Knights (25-15-2) won 1-0 at the Washington Capitals on Monday, their second straight victory. Vegas defenseman Alex Pietrangelo needs one point for 500 in the NHL. Forward Andrei Svechnikov has scored eight points (two goals, six assists) in a four-game point streak for the the Hurricanes (27-9-2), who are coming off a 7-4 loss at the Devils on Saturday that ended a three-game winning streak. They are 12-3-1 since Dec. 4.
Philadelphia Flyers at New York Islanders (7:30 p.m. ET; MSG+, NBCSP, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
The Islanders are 2-0-0 against the Flyers this season, including a 4-3 shootout win Jan. 18. Casey Cizikas of New York and Travis Konecny of Philadelphia each has scored two goals in the season series.
Florida Panthers at Winnipeg Jets (8 p.m. ET; TSN3, BSFL, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
The Panthers (28-9-5) are coming off a 5-3 loss at the Seattle Kraken. They are 5-for-10 on the power play in the past three games. The Jets (17-14-7) have not scored more than two goals in three straight games and they haven't scored more than three in seven in a row (2-3-2).
Edmonton Oilers at Vancouver Canucks (10 p.m. ET; SN, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
Oilers center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins could return after missing six games with a lower-body injury. Canucks forward Elias Pettersson has scored four points (three goals, one assist) in the past four games after going four straight games without a point.
Nashville Predators at Seattle Kraken (10 p.m. ET; ESPN+, HULU, NHL LIVE)
The Predators (26-14-3) have won two in a row, against the Jets and Detroit Red Wings, by a combined 9-3 after losing four straight (0-3-1), against the Sabres, Boston Bruins, Blues and Canucks, by a combined 16-8. The Kraken (13-24-4) are finishing a six-game homestand; they're 3-2-0 so far.