Welcome to the NHL On Tap, a daily look at the games on the NHL schedule. There are 14 games on the schedule for Friday, including three televised nationally in the United States and one in Canada.
NHL On Tap: Crosby leads Penguins against Bruins in Thanksgiving Showdown
MacKinnon seeks to move up in scoring race; Stamkos faces Lightning for 2nd time
© Steve Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images
Games of the day
Pittsburgh Penguins at Boston Bruins (6:30 p.m. ET; MAX, TNT, SNP, SNO, SNE, TVAS)
Sidney Crosby and Brad Marchand meet in the first game of the 2024 NHL Thanksgiving Showdown. Crosby needs one goal to tie Jari Kurri (601) for 20th place on the all-time goal scoring list. Crosby leads the Penguins (8-12-4) with 23 points (eight goals, 15 assists) in 24 games. Pittsburgh also seeks consecutive wins for the third time this season following a 5-4 win against the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday. The Bruins (11-10-3) have won three of four games since Joe Sacco took over as interim coach from Jim Montgomery, who was fired on Nov. 19 and hired by the St. Louis Blues on Sunday. Boston won 6-3 at the New York Islanders on Wednesday. Marchand had two goals in the win and has four points (three goals, one assist) in four games under Sacco.
Colorado Avalanche at Dallas Stars (9 p.m. ET; MAX, TNT, SNP, SNO, SNE)
Nathan MacKinnon will look to return to the top of the scoring race when the Avalanche (13-10-0) travel to face the Stars (13-8-0) in the second game of the 2024 NHL Thanksgiving Showdown. The Colorado forward does not have a point in his past two games, a first for him this season, but is still tied for second in the NHL with 35 points (seven goals, 28 assists) in 23 games. Colorado won 2-1 in a shootout against the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday and is 7-2-0 in its past nine games. Dallas seeks to avoid a three-game losing streak for the first time this season following a 6-2 loss at the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday. Forward Matt Duchene leads the Stars with 26 points (12 goals, 14 assists) in 21 games.
Tampa Bay Lightning at Nashville Predators (3 p.m. ET; FDSNSO, FDSNSUN, NHLN, SNO, SNE, TVAS)
Steven Stamkos will face his former team for the second time when the Predators (7-12-4) host the Lightning (11-8-2). The Nashville forward has 11 points (seven goals, four assists) in 23 games this season including two assists in a 3-2 overtime loss at Tampa Bay on Oct. 28. Stamkos is Tampa Bay's all-time leader in points (1,137), goals (555), games (1,082), power-play goals (214), game-winning goals (85) and overtime goals (13), and won the Stanley Cup twice (2020, 2021). Tampa Bay forward Brayden Point had a hat trick in a 5-4 loss to the Washington Capitals on Wednesday and has seven goals in five games since returning from injury.
Other Friday games
New York Rangers at Philadelphia Flyers (1 p.m. ET; NBCSP, MSG 2)
Sean Couturier will be looking to score in his fourth straight game for the Flyers (10-10-3), who have alternated wins and losses in their past four games. The Rangers (12-8-1) are looking to end a four-game losing streak. Prior to a 4-1 loss to the Flyers last season, New York had an 11-game point streak (10-0-1) against their division rival.
Chicago Blackhawks at Minnesota Wild (2 p.m. ET; FDSNWI, FDSNNO, CHSN)
Blackhawks forward Connor Bedard will look for momentum after ending a 12-game goal drought in a 6-2 win against the Dallas Stars on Wednesday, with Chicago (8-12-1) seeking consecutive wins for the first time since Nov. 2-3. Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov scored in a 1-0 win at the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday gave him 35 points (14 goals, 21 assists) in 21 games, two points behind Martin Necas of the Carolina Hurricanes, who has 37 points (12 goals, 25 assists) in 22 games, for the NHL scoring lead.
Vancouver Canucks at Buffalo Sabres (3 p.m. ET; MSG-B, SNP)
The Sabres (11-10-1) look bounce back after having a three-game winning streak end in a 1-0 loss against the Wild on Wednesday. Buffalo is 7-3-0 in its past 10 games. The Canucks (11-7-3) continue a season-long six-game road trip. Vancouver forward Elias Pettersson had a goal and assist in a 5-4 loss at the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday and has 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in his past nine games.
New Jersey Devils at Detroit Red Wings (3 p.m. ET; FDSNDET, MSGSN)
Lucas Raymond will be looking to score in his fifth straight game for the Red Wings (10-10-2). The Detroit forward scored his third game-winning goal in four games in a 2-1 overtime win against the Calgary Flames on Wednesday. New Jersey (15-8-2) had a three-game winning streak end with a 3-0 loss against the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday. The Devils are 8-4-0 in their past 12 games with each of the four losses coming via shutout.
New York Islanders at Washington Capitals (3 p.m. ET; MNMT, MSGSN2)
The Capitals (15-6-1) will look for their third consecutive win without injured captain Alex Ovechkin in the lineup. Forward Dylan Strome had a goal and assist in a 5-4 win at the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday and leads the Capitals with 31 points (seven goals, 24 assists) in 22 games. The Islanders (8-10-5) have one win in their past six games (1-4-1).
Florida Panthers at Carolina Hurricanes (3 p.m. ET; FDSNSO, SCRIPPS)
Martin Necas looks to extend his lead in the scoring race when the Hurricanes (16-5-1) host the Panthers. Necas had two assists in a 4-3 win against the New York Rangers on Wednesday and has 37 points (12 goals, 25 assists) in 22 games, two points ahead of Kaprizov and Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche. Florida (13-9-1) ended a four-game losing streak with a 5-1 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday. Panthers forward Sam Reinhart scored his League-leading fourth shorthanded goal in the victory and leads the NHL with 17 goals.
Calgary Flames at Columbus Blue Jackets (3 p.m. ET; FDSNOH, SNW, SN1)
Connor Zary can extend his point streak to five games for the Flames (12-7-4) in the third of a four-game road trip. Zary scored in a 2-1 overtime loss at the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday and has two goals and two assists in his past four games. The Blue Jackets (9-9-3) will look to bounce back from a 4-3 overtime loss against the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday, which ended a three-game winning streak.
Los Angeles Kings at Anaheim Ducks (3:30 p.m. ET; FDSNW, KTTV, Victory+)
Anze Kopitar will look to continue his hot streak when the Kings (12-8-3) visit the Ducks (9-9-3). The Los Angeles captain is on a three-game point streak (two goals, four assists) and has points in 11 of his past 13 games. Anaheim forward Trevor Zegras had a goal and assist in a 5-2 win at the Seattle Kraken on Wednesday and has six points (two goals, four assists) in a four-game point streak.
Seattle Kraken at San Jose Sharks (3:30 p.m. ET; KHN, KING 5, KONG, NBCSCA)
It's the first of a home-and-home for the Sharks and Kraken, who also play in Seattle on Saturday. Macklin Celebrini, the No. 1 pick by the Sharks in the 2024 NHL Draft, has six points (three goals, three assists) in his past four games. He has 11 points (seven goals, four assists) in 13 games this season for San Jose (7-13-5). The Kraken (11-11-1) have lost three of five since a four-game winning streak.
Winnipeg Jets at Vegas Golden Knights (8:30 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, TSN3)
The Jets (18-5-0) will look to bounce back from a 4-1 loss at the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday and avoid losing consecutive games for just the second time this season. Winnipeg forward Kyle Connor had an assist in the loss to the Kings and has 28 points (13 goals, 15 assists) in 23 games. The Golden Knights (14-6-3) had a three-game winning streak end with a 2-1 shootout loss at the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday. Vegas forward Jack Eichel is fourth in the NHL scoring race with 34 points (eight goals, 26 assists) in 23 games.
Edmonton Oilers at Utah Hockey Club (9 p.m. ET; Utah16, SNW, TVAS)
Connor McDavid and the Oilers (11-9-2) visit Utah for the first time, opening a three-game road trip. McDavid is on a three-game point streak (four goals, three assists) and has 18 points (eight goals, 10 assists) in his past eight games. Forward Dylan Guenther can extend his point streak to four games for Utah (9-10-3). He has six points (three goals, three assists) in his past three games.
