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 televised nationally in the United States and Canada.
Games of the day
Pittsburgh Penguins at Florida Panthers (7 p.m. ET; SN-PIT, SCRIPPS, NHLN, SNO, SNE, SN360)
Sidney Crosby is five points from passing Joe Sakic for ninth place on the NHL all-time scoring list and will continue his chase when the Penguins (17-17-5) visit the defending Stanley Cup Champion Panthers (23-14-2). The Pittsburgh captain has six assists in his past four games and has overtaken Mario Lemieux as the Penguins' all-time assists leader; Crosby has 1,035 career assists, two more than Lemieux. Crosby has 1,637 points (602 goals, 1,035 assists) in 1,311 games and is 86 points behind Lemieux as Pittsburgh's all-time leading scorer; Lemieux had 1,723 points (690 goals, 1,033 assists) in 915 games. Florida has lost three of its past four games -- including 4-0 losses at home to the Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens on Dec. 23 and 28. Center Sam Reinhart leads the Panthers with 45 points (22 goals, 23 assists) in 39 games, but does not have a point in his past four games.
Anaheim Ducks at Edmonton Oilers (9 p.m. ET; SNW, KCOP-13, Victory+)
Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl each look to extend his scoring streak to 13 games when the Oilers (22-12-3) host the Ducks (16-17-4). The two can become the first set of Edmonton teammates with simultaneous 13-game point streaks since Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier overlapped for 14 games from Oct. 31-Nov. 29, 1987. Draisaitl has 24 points (10 goals, 14 assists) on his 12-game streak, while McDavid has 23 points (three goals, 20 assists) on his. Draisaitl's run has lifted him into a second-place tie with Colorado Avalanche forward Mikko Rantanen in the NHL scoring race with 56 points (27 goals, 29 assists) in 37 games, behind Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon, who has 64 points (14 goals, 50 assists) in 39 games. Edmonton is 9-2-1 in its past 12 games following a 4-1 win against the Utah Hockey Club on Tuesday. Anaheim will try to extend its winning streak to a season-high four games following a 4-3 overtime win at the League-leading Winnipeg Jets on Thursday. Forward Troy Terry had two goals and an assist in the victory and six points (four goals, two assists) on a four-game point streak.
Montreal Canadiens at Chicago Blackhawks (8 p.m. ET; CHSN, TSN2, RDS)
The Blackhawks (12-24-2) will play their first game since a 6-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues in the Discover NHL Winter Classic at Wrigley Field on Tuesday, with Chicago seeking to avoid what would be a season-high six-game losing streak. Center Connor Bedard had an assist for the Blackhawks in the Winter Classic and can extend his point streak to an NHL career high six games; he has seven points (three goals, four assists) on a five-game run. The Canadiens (17-17-3) are 6-1-0 in their past seven games and can extend their winning streak to a season-high four games. Forward Emil Heineman had a goal in a 3-2 win at the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday and has points in six of his past seven games (seven points; three goals, four assists).
Other Friday games
Ottawa Senators at St. Louis Blues (8 p.m. ET; FDSNMW, TSN5, RDS2)
The Senators (19-16-2) are 4-3-0 in the first seven games of a season-long nine-game road trip necessitated by the IIHF World Junior Championship, being played in Ottawa. The Blues (18-17-4) are playing their first game after defeating the Blackhawks in the Discover NHL Winter Classic on Tuesday. Defenseman Cam Fowler had two goals in the win, his 1,000th NHL game. He has seven points (three goals, four assists) in nine games since being acquired in a trade with the Ducks on Dec. 14.
Nashville Predators at Vancouver Canucks (10 p.m. ET; SNE, SNO, SNP, FDSNSO)
The Canucks (18-11-8) will try to win consecutive games for the first time since Nov. 29 and Dec. 1, when they host the Predators (11-20-7) in the second game of a back-to-back; Vancouver won 4-3 in a shootout at the Seattle Kraken on Thursday. Nashville has been outscored 15-7 during a three-game losing streak. Forward Jonathan Marchessault has 14 points (nine goals, five assists) in his past 10 games for the Predators.
