NHL On Tap: Eichel back to visit Sabres with surging Golden Knights

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 10 games Thursday.

Eichel returns to Buffalo on a hot streak

Jack Eichel being back in Buffalo and feeling as good about his game as he has in a long time could make for some very interesting TV. The Vegas Golden Knights center has a six-game point streak (eight points; three goals, five assists), and his team brings an eight-game winning streak into KeyBank Center to play the Buffalo Sabres (7 p.m. ET; ESPN+, HULU, SN NOW). Eichel leads Vegas with 15 points (six goals, nine assists). He returns to Buffalo as a visiting player for the second time since the Sabres traded him to the Golden Knights on Nov. 4, 2021. Eichel played at Buffalo last season but did not have a point in a 3-1 loss March 10. Vegas (12-2-0) leads the NHL with 12 wins and 24 points. Buffalo (7-6-0) needs a win, badly. The Sabres have lost three in a row after winning three straight and have to end losing streaks early if they want to be Stanley Cup Playoff contenders this season. Too often in the past they've let losing streaks fester, ruining strong starts. A win against the Golden Knights would reignite their confidence. -- Dan Rosen, senior writer

Blackhawks look to slow down Kings' Vilardi

Gabriel Vilardi will seek to continue his goal-scoring surge when the Los Angeles Kings (8-6-1) host the Chicago Blackhawks (5-5-2) at Crypto.com Arena (10:30 p.m. ET; ESPN+, HULU, SN360, TVAS, SN NOW). The 23-year-old forward has scored 10 goals in 15 games this season, including one in five consecutive home games, to match his NHL career high, set in 54 games in 2020-21. Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers (14 goals) and Bo Horvat of the Vancouver Canucks (12) are the only players in the League with more goals. Only three Kings players in the past 30 years needed fewer games to reach 10 goals in a season: Michael Cammalleri (10 games in 2007-08), Anze Kopitar (12 games in 2009-10) and Luc Robitaille (12 games in 1999-2000 and 13 games in 1992-93). -- Tom Gulitti, staff writer

Oilers visit Hurricanes in potential Stanley Cup preview

The Carolina Hurricanes and Oilers entered the season as two of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup after Edmonton made the Western Conference Final last season and Carolina was one win away from the Eastern Conference Final. Carolina (8-4-1) has lost two straight, including 3-0 at the Florida Panthers on Wednesday, and completes the back-to-back when it hosts Edmonton at PNC Arena (7 p.m. ET; BSSO, SNW, ESPN+, SN NOW). One of the Hurricanes' four regulation losses this season came at the Oilers (6-4 on Oct. 20). McDavid will look to extend his point streak to nine games, and fellow Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl will try to push his to 10 games. Draisaitl also has a five-game goal streak. But Edmonton (8-6-0) will be playing its first game without forward Evander Kane, who is out 3-4 months after his wrist was cut by a skate during a 3-2 win at the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday. -- David Satriano, staff writer

Thursday games

Calgary Flames at Boston Bruins (7 p.m. ET; SN360, SNE, SNO, SNP, TVAS, NESN, ESPN+, SN NOW)
The Bruins (11-2-0) can tie their longest season-opening home winning streak (8-0-0 in 1983-84). They're coming off a 3-1 victory against the St. Louis Blues on Monday, when goalie Linus Ullmark made 26 saves for his ninth win (9-1-0) to go with a 2.05 goals-against average and .932 save percentage. The Flames (5-5-2) have lost all five of their games in November and are 0-4-2 in their past six, last winning Oct. 25 when they defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-1 at home. They have scored first in three straight games.
Edmonton Oilers at Carolina Hurricanes (7 p.m. ET; BSSO, SNW, ESPN+, SN NOW)
Forward Martin Necas leads the Hurricanes with 17 points (seven goals, 10 assists) and has points in 10 of 13 games this season, including five multipoint games. Carolina is 2-0-0 in the second game of back-to-backs this season. McDavid has 19 points (nine goals, 10 assists) in his past eight games, and Draisaitl has 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists) in his past nine for the Oilers.
Ottawa Senators at New Jersey Devils (7 p.m. ET; MSGSN2, TSN5, RDS, ESPN+, SN NOW)
The Devils (10-3-0) and Senators (4-8-0) are going in different directions. New Jersey has won 10 of 11 and can win eight in a row for the first time since Feb. 6-22, 2011. Ottawa has lost six in a row, all in regulation.
Philadelphia Flyers at Columbus Blue Jackets (7 p.m. ET; BSOH, NBCSP, ESPN+, SN NOW)
John Tortorella will face his former team for the first time as Flyers coach. Tortorella coached the Blue Jackets for six seasons from 2015-21, going 227-166-54 in 447 games, and has the most wins of any coach in Columbus history. Philadelphia is 7-3-2 in its first 12 games under Tortorella, including a 5-1 win against St. Louis on Tuesday. The Blue Jackets (3-9-0) have lost five straight, including two against the Colorado Avalanche on Friday and Saturday in the 2022 NHL Global Series in Tampere, Finland. This is their first game since that trip.
Vegas Golden Knights at Buffalo Sabres (7 p.m. ET; ESPN+, HULU, SN NOW)
The Golden Knights can tie the second-longest winning streak in their history behind a 10-game run from April 9-28, 2021. They play the last of a five-game road trip that has featured wins against the Washington Capitals, Senators, Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs. The Sabres lost 4-1 at home to the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday.
New York Rangers at Detroit Red Wings (7 p.m. ET; BSDET, MSG, ESPN+, SN NOW)
The Red Wings (7-3-3) are 3-0-1 in November, including a 3-2 overtime win at the Rangers on Sunday, when they came back from trailing 2-0 early in the second period. They lost 3-2 in a shootout to the Canadiens on Tuesday. The Rangers (6-5-3) have lost three in a row (0-2-1), including a 4-3 loss to the New York Islanders on Tuesday. They led 3-1 going into the third period but allowed three straight goals.
Arizona Coyotes at New York Islanders (7:30 p.m. ET; MSGSN, BSAZ, ESPN+, SN NOW)
The Islanders (9-5-0) have rallied from two goals down in the third period to win each of their past two games, 4-3 in overtime against the Flames on Monday and against the Rangers on Tuesday. They have won seven of eight and are 8-0-0 against Arizona since Oct. 8, 2013. The Coyotes (5-6-1) have won the first two of a 14-game road trip. Karel Vejmelka allowed three goals on 69 shots in the two games.
San Jose Sharks at St. Louis Blues (8 p.m. ET; BSMW, NBCSCA, ESPN+, SN NOW)
The Blues (3-8-0) are hoping they can end their eight-game losing streak. They have been outscored 38-12 during that span, losing four games by four goals and two by three. The Sharks (3-8-3) have lost four straight, including the past three in the shootout, and are opening a four-game trip.
Nashville Predators at Colorado Avalanche (9 p.m. ET; ALT, BSSO, ESPN+, SN NOW)
The Avalanche (6-4-1) are playing their first game since returning from Finland, where center Nathan MacKinnon had seven assists in the two wins against the Blue Jackets. But injuries to defensemen Bowen Byram (week to week, lower body) and Samuel Girard (day to day, lower body) marred the trip. Colorado was already missing forwards Valeri Nichushkin (ankle surgery), Gabriel Landeskog (knee surgery) and Darren Helm (undisclosed). The Predators (5-7-1) are coming off a 5-1 loss at the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday. This is the finale of their five-game road trip (2-2-0).
Chicago Blackhawks at Los Angeles Kings (10:30 p.m. ET; ESPN+, HULU, SN360, TVAS, SN NOW)
The Kings are 2-0-0 halfway through a four-game homestand and 5-2-1 in their past eight games. The Blackhawks are 1-3-2 in their past six following a four-game winning streak, but that win was a 2-1 overtime victory against the Kings at home Nov. 3. Jonathan Toews leads Chicago with seven goals in 12 games after the forward scored 12 in 71 games last season.