Welcome to the NHL On Tap, a daily look at the games on the NHL schedule. There are 10 games on the schedule for Thursday, one nationally in the United States and four in Canada. Thursday also marks the sixth week of "NHL Coast to Coast," a weekly whip-around studio show on Prime Video in Canada.
NHL On Tap: Reinhart leads Panthers into Chicago against Blackhawks
Capitals host Avalanche without injured Ovechkin; Kaprizov can set record for longest road point streak in Wild history
© Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images
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Games of the day
Florida Panthers at Chicago Blackhawks (8:30 p.m. ET; HULU, ESPN+)
Sam Reinhart is one of the hottest players in the NHL with an 11-game point streak (17 points; nine goals, eight assists). His 14 goals are tied with Leon Draisaitl for second in the League and he's two assists from 300 in his NHL career. Reinhart looks to keep pace when the Stanley Cup champion Panthers (12-6-1) face Connor Bedard and the Blackhawks (6-12-1). Bedard had two assists in a 3-2 loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday but is without a goal in 10 games. The Panthers are coming off a 6-3 loss at the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday after defeating them 5-0 on Saturday in the first of a home-and-home set.
Colorado Avalanche at Washington Capitals (7 p.m. ET; KUSA, MNMT, ALT, SNP, SNO, SNE)
The Capitals (13-4-1) play their first game of the season without NHL goal-scoring leader Alex Ovechkin (15), who is out 4-6 weeks with a fractured left leg sustained in 6-2 win at the Utah Hockey Club on Monday. Ovechkin scored two goals in the game, putting him 27 away from surpassing Wayne Gretzky's NHL record of 894. Washington has won three straight and is on a five-game point streak (4-0-1). Nathan MacKinnon leads the NHL with 34 points (seven goals, 27 assists) in 19 games for the Avalanche (10-9-0). Mikko Rantanen has 27 points (12 goals, 15 assists) for Colorado, including two assists in a 3-2 win at the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday.
Minnesota Wild at Edmonton Oilers (9 p.m. ET; TVAS, SNW, FDSNNOX, FDSNWI)
Kirill Kaprizov brings a six-game point streak and 10-game road point streak to Rogers Place with the Wild (12-3-3) to face Connor McDavid and the Oilers. Kaprizov has 12 points (six goals, six assists) on the six-game run and 23 points (eight goals, 15 assists) in 10 straight away from home, and can surpass Joel Eriksson Ek (10 games, Dec. 31, 2022, to Feb. 8, 2023) and Eric Staal (10 games, Dec. 4, 2016, to Jan. 14, 2017) for the longest road point streak in team history. He had his NHL-best 12th multipoint game when he scored twice in a 4-2 win at the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday. McDavid has 14 points (six goals, eight assists) in his past six games for the Oilers (10-8-2), including two goals and an assist in a 5-2 win at the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday. McDavid (three goals, seven assists) and Kaprizov (one goal, nine assists) have 10 points apiece in eight head-to-head games with Minnesota holding a 6-2-0 edge.
Other Thursday games
Utah Hockey Club at Boston Bruins (7 p.m. ET; Utah16, NESN, SNO, TVAS)
Joe Sacco makes his debut as interim coach for the Bruins (8-9-3) after Jim Montgomery was fired Tuesday, one day after a 5-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets at TD Garden, Boston's fourth defeat in five games (1-2-2). Defenseman Olli Maatta is set to play his 700th NHL game with Utah (7-8-3) on its first visit to Boston and the first stop of a four-game road trip.
Vegas Golden Knights at Ottawa Senators (7 p.m. ET; RDS, TSN5, SCRIPPS)
Senators forward Tim Stutzle, the No. 3 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, is one goal from 100 for his NHL career. Ottawa (8-9-1) has lost three straight (0-2-1). The Golden Knights (11-6-2) play the second of back-to-back games looking to regroup after a 3-0 loss at the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday.
New York Islanders at Detroit Red Wings (7 p.m. ET; FDSNDET, MSGSN2)
Pierre Engvall has goals in three straight games for the Islanders (7-7-5), including one in a 2-1 shootout loss at the Calgary Flames on Tuesday. The Islanders have lost four of five (1-1-3). New York defenseman Alexander Romanov is one game shy of 300 for his NHL career. Alex DeBrincat looks to keep a five-game point streak (five points; two goals, three assists) going for the Red Wings (7-9-2), who have lost five of six (1-4-1).
Carolina Hurricanes at New Jersey Devils (7 p.m. ET; FDSNO, MSGSN)
Though Martin Necas' 13-game point streak (10 goals, 17 assists) ended, the Hurricanes (14-4-0) are still rolling and look for their fourth straight win when they play Jack Hughes and the Devils (12-7-2) at Prudential Center. Carolina is coming off a 4-1 victory at the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday, when Sebastian Aho had a goal and an assist to pass Hockey Hall of Famer Ron Francis for most game-winning goals (58) in Hurricanes/Hartford Whalers history. Carolina goalie Frederik Andersen will have knee surgery Friday that will sideline him for 8-12 weeks. The Devils (12-7-2) play their first game since a 4-0 loss at the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday. Hughes has a team-high seven multipoint games. His three assists in a 6-2 win at the Florida Panthers on Thursday was his fourth three-point game of the season.
Tampa Bay Lightning at Columbus Blue Jackets (7 p.m. ET; FDSNOH, FDSNSUN)
Nikita Kucherov is one point shy of 900 in the NHL and the Lightning (10-6-1) seek their fourth straight win. Kucherov has 26 points (11 goals, 15 assists) in 17 games and 899 points (331 goals, 568 assists) in 742 games, all with Tampa Bay. The Blue Jackets (7-9-2) activated Kent Johnson off injured reserve and he will play. The forward has missed 14 games with an upper-body injury sustained in a 6-4 win against the Buffalo Sabres on Oct. 17.
San Jose Sharks at St. Louis Blues (8 p.m. ET; FDSNSW, NBCSCA)
Macklin Celebrini and the Sharks (6-11-4) host the Blues (8-11-1) at SAP Center. Celebrini, the No.1 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, has five points (four goals, one assist) in nine games. William Eklund, the No. 7 pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, has seven points (two goals, five assists) on a five-game point streak, including an assist in San Jose's 5-2 loss at the Dallas Stars on Wednesday. St. Louis is 1-5-1 in its past seven games.
New York Rangers at Calgary Flames (9 p.m. ET; SN1, MSG)
The Rangers (12-4-1) go for their fourth win in a row after defeating the Vancouver Canucks 4-3 on Tuesday. Mika Zibanejad needs two goals for 300 in the NHL. Dustin Wolf is 6-1-0 with a 1.83 goals-against average, .944 save percentage and one shutout in seven home starts this season for the Flames (10-6-3).
