NHL On Tap: Zegras becoming must-see TV for Ducks

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 12 games Tuesday.

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All eyes on Zegras

The Anaheim Ducks might not have the record they want (2-6-1), but if you live outside of the Anaheim area, how do you pass up a chance to watch Trevor Zegras? The Ducks forward is capable of anything, from a lacrosse goal to an alley-oop pass. And he's got a hot stick going into their game against the San Jose Sharks (3-8-0) at SAP Center (10:30 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN NOW), with four goals in his past three games. That includes an end-to-end rush for an overtime goal to defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday. Erik Karlsson has been good for the Sharks with five points (three goals, two assists) in his past two games including two goals against the Lightning on Saturday, the defenseman's first two-goal game since March 29, 2021. But Zegras has the chance to be the star of this show, so put on an extra pot of coffee, get your popcorn ready and hope for something spectacular to happen. -- Adam Kimelman, deputy managing editor

Bringing the gang back together

For the Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins, the plan for (at least) this season was simple: bring back the veterans. The Bruins re-upped with Patrice Bergeron and got David Krejci back after a season playing in Czech Republic. The Penguins opted to re-sign Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang as free agents. So far, so good for the Bruins, at least. Boston is 8-1-0 and leads the NHL in points percentage (.889), their only loss 7-5 at the Ottawa Senators on Oct. 18. They've since won five straight, though Krejci was injured Thursday and will not play against the Penguins. The Penguins (4-4-1) have hit a road bump following up a strong start with four consecutive losses on their five-game road trip. They're back home at PPG Paints Arena to host the Bruins (8 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, TVAS) and try to turn around their fortunes in a building where they've outscored opponents 18-5 in three games (3-0-0). It'll be two teams with championship pedigrees battling to see whose past is working best in the present, and a preview of the 2023 Discover NHL Winter Classic at Fenway Park on Jan. 2. -- Amalie Benjamin, staff writer

Revamped Senators looking for consistency

The Ottawa Senators made a lot of moves in the offseason including acquiring forward Alex DeBrincat from the Chicago Blackhawks and signing unrestricted free agent forward Claude Giroux. Results, however, have been mixed. After a four-game winning streak, the Senators (4-4-0) have lost two in a row and look to get back in the win column when they visit the Tampa Bay Lightning (5-4-0) at Amalie Arena (7 p.m. ET; BSSUNX, TSN5, RDSI, ESPN+, SN NOW). Forwards Brady Tkachuk (six goals, five assists) and Drake Batherson (three goals, eight assists) lead the Senators with 11 points each. DeBrincat has eight points (two goals, six assists); his six-game point streak ended in a 5-3 loss to the Florida Panthers on Saturday. Ottawa has the talent. It's just about being more consistent. -- Tracey Myers, staff writer

Tuesday games

Ottawa Senators at Tampa Bay Lightning (7 p.m. ET; BSSUNX, TSN5, RDSI, ESPN+, SN NOW)
Senators goalie Anton Forsberg is 3-4-0 with a 3.04 goals-against average and .913 save percentage in seven games, all starts, and made 53 saves Saturday. The Lightning have won four of their past five games. Nikita Kucherov leads them with 12 points (three goals, nine assists). Steven Stamkos is their leading goal scorer with seven.
Philadelphia Flyers at New York Rangers (7 p.m. ET; SN360, MSG, NBCSP, ESPN+, SN NOW)
Artemi Panarin is coming off his third three-point game, one behind Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid for most in the NHL. The forward has 16 points (five goals, 11 assists) in 10 games for the Rangers (5-3-2) and had a goal and two assists in a 3-2 win against the Arizona Coyotes on Sunday. The Flyers (5-2-1) nearly came back to defeat the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday, erasing a two-goal deficit, but fell 4-3 in overtime.
Vegas Golden Knights at Washington Capitals (7 p.m. ET; NBCSWA, ATTSN-RM, ESPN+, SN NOW)
Jack Eichel's overtime goal with seven seconds left gave the Golden Knights (8-2-0) a 2-1 win against the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday. Forward T.J. Oshie is out indefinitely with a lower-body injury and defenseman John Carlson (lower body) is day to day for the Capitals (5-4-1). Each were injured against the Nashville Predators on Saturday.
Montreal Canadiens at Minnesota Wild (8 p.m. ET; BSN, BSWI, TSN2, RDS, ESPN+, SN NOW)
Matt Boldy, who has eight points (five goals, three assists) in nine games, scored twice in a 4-3 shootout win against the Blackhawks on Sunday to give the Wild (4-4-1) their third victory in four games. Marc-Andre Fleury also surpassed Henrik Lundqvist for most shootout wins in NHL history with 62. The Canadiens (5-4-0) have won two in a row. Their last loss was 3-1 to the Wild on Oct. 25.
Boston Bruins at Pittsburgh Penguins (8 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, TVAS)
The Bruins got Brad Marchand back from offseason hip surgery Thursday and he promptly scored three points (two goals, one assist). Jake Guentzel returned for the Penguins against the Seattle Kraken on Saturday after missing four games with an upper-body injury and scored a goal. Marchand (798 points) and Penguins captain Sidney Crosby (899 assists) can reach the 800-point and 900-assist milestone, respectively. Bruins forward Craig Smith and Penguins forward Jeff Carter will not play. Each is day to day with an upper-body injury.
New York Islanders at Chicago Blackhawks (8 p.m. ET; NBCSCH+, MSGSN, ESPN+, SN NOW)
Jonathan Toews is three assists from 500 in the NHL, all with the Blackhawks (4-3-2) and could become the eighth player in their history to reach the milestone. The Islanders (5-4-0) have won three in a row, including back-to-back victories against the Carolina Hurricanes and Colorado Avalanche on Friday and Saturday.
Los Angeles Kings at Dallas Stars (8:30 p.m. ET; BSSW, BSW, ESPN+, SN NOW)
The Stars (5-3-1) lost their first home game of the season Saturday, 6-3 to the Rangers, and are 3-1-0 at American Airlines Center. The Kings (6-5-0) have scored at least four goals for four straight games (3-1-0) and lead the NHL with 41.
Nashville Predators at Edmonton Oilers (9 p.m. ET; SN1, BSSO, ESPN+, SN NOW)
The Oilers (6-3-0) won all three games on their most recent road trip and are on a four-game winning streak. They got two wins on that road trip from backup goalie Stuart Skinner. Since returning from winning two games in Prague as part of the 2022 NHL Global Series, the Predators have gone 1-5-1. Matt Duchene needs four goals to reach 300 and one assist for 400 in the NHL.
Seattle Kraken at Calgary Flames (9 p.m. ET; SNF, ROOT-NW, ESPN+, SN NOW)
Seattle is 4-4-2 in 10 games of its second NHL season. Kraken forward Matty Beniers leads rookies with eight points (four goals, four assists) in 10 games, ahead of Senators forward Shane Pinto and Wild defenseman Calen Addison (seven apiece). The Flames (5-2-0) lost 3-2 to the Oilers on Saturday, when Nazem Kadri's six-game point streak ended with four goals and five assists.
Florida Panthers at Arizona Coyotes (10 p.m. ET; BSAZX, BSFL, ESPN+, SN NOW)
The Coyotes (2-5-1) are still looking for their first win at Mullett Arena (0-1-1). The Panthers (5-3-1) had a team-record 58 shots on goal against the Senators.
New Jersey Devils at Vancouver Canucks (10 p.m. ET; SN360, MSG, MSG 2, ESPN+, SN NOW)
Jesper Bratt is on a season-opening nine-game point streak (15 points; four goals, 11 assists) for the Devils (6-3-0) and can tie Tim Higgins' team record of 10 to start the 1984-85 season. The last New Jersey player with a point streak of at least 10 games was Pavel Zacha (10 from Jan. 20-Feb. 28, 2021). Taylor Hall's 19 consecutive games (Jan. 30 to March 6, 2018) is the franchise record. The Canucks (2-5-2) have won two straight after losing their first seven games of the season.
Anaheim Ducks at San Jose Sharks (10:30 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN NOW)
Anaheim forward Ryan Strome has two assists in his past five games and five points (one goal, four assists) during a four-game point streak against San Jose. Sharks forward Logan Couture has four points (two goals, two assists) in his past four games.