Welcome to the NHL On Tap, a daily look at the games on the NHL schedule. There are 12 games on the schedule for Saturday, including three televised nationally in Canada and one in the United States.
NHL On Tap: Maple Leafs host Canadiens, seek 3rd straight win without Matthews
Hurricanes go for 9th consecutive victory; McDavid, Oilers visit Canucks
© Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images
Games of the day
Montreal Canadiens at Toronto Maple Leafs (7 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN)
John Tavares will look to continue to step up in the absence of Auston Matthews when the Toronto Maple Leafs (8-5-2) host the Montreal Canadiens (4-8-2) in this Original Six showdown at Scotiabank Arena as part of Hockey Hall of Fame weekend. Tavares scored twice in the Maple Leafs’ 3-1 win against the Detroit Red Wings on Friday and has 13 points (seven goals, six assists) in 14 games. Matthews (upper body) was placed on injured reserve Friday and will miss his third straight game for Toronto, which has outscored opponents 7-1 in back-to-back victories. Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki has been held off the score sheet the past three games but leads them with 13 points (four goals, nine assists) in 14 games. Montreal has lost five in a row (0-4-1).
Carolina Hurricanes at Colorado Avalanche (9 p.m. ET; FDSNSO, ALT)
The Hurricanes (10-2-0) can extend their winning streak to nine games in the first of a three-game road trip. Their eight-game run is the longest in the NHL this season and three from a franchise record set in 2022-23. Forward Martin Necas will look to extend his point streak to nine games (18 points; (six goals, 12 assists). Necas leads Carolina with 21 points (seven goals, 14 assists) in 12 games. Nathan MacKinnon had his 13-game point streak from the start of the season end in a 1-0 defeat at Winnipeg on Thursday, the Avalanche’s (6-8-0) fourth loss in five games.
Edmonton Oilers at Vancouver Canucks (10 p.m. ET; CBC, SN, CITY)
Oilers captain Connor McDavid will play his second game since returning from an ankle injury. He has 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in 11 games and is eight away from 1,000 points heading into his 657th game. McDavid can become the fourth fastest to 1,000 points behind Wayne Gretzky (424 games), Mario Lemieux (513), and Mike Bossy (656). Peter Stastny is currently fourth on the list (682). McDavid missed three games after injuring his left ankle 37 seconds into a 6-1 loss at the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 28. He was held off the score sheet (6-7-1) in his first game back, a 4-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday. The game is the first between the teams since Edmonton (6-7-1) defeated Vancouver (7-2-3) in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season. The Canucks have won three in a row, sweeping a trip through California. Vancouver captain Quinn Hughes can extend his point streak to four games (six points; one goal, five assists). The defenseman leads the Canucks with 14 points (three goals, 11 assists) in 12 games.
Other Saturday games
Calgary Flames at Buffalo Sabres (1 p.m. ET; MSG-B, SN)
Tage Thompson has had a point in 11 of 14 games this season for the Sabres (6-7-1). He has 16 points (nine goals, seven assists). The Flames (7-5-2) are playing the finale of a three-game road trip; each of the first two required overtime (1-0-1).
Dallas Stars at Winnipeg Jets (3 p.m. ET; TSN3, Victory+)
The Jets (13-1-0) go for their sixth straight victory after becoming the second team in NHL history to win 13 of its first 14 games, joining the 2007-08 Ottawa Senators (13-1-0); they’ve won five in a row since their only loss of the season on Oct. 28 to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Connor Hellebuyck, the reigning Vezina Trophy winner as the League’s top goalie, got his second straight shutout when he made 35 saves in a 1-0 win against the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday; he is 10-1-0 in 11 starts with a 1.91 goals-against average and .932 save percentage. Forward Matt Duchene has 15 points (seven goals, eight assists) in 12 games for the Stars (8-4-0), who won 3-1 against the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday in their return from the NHL Global Series in Finland last week.
Philadelphia Flyers at Florida Panthers (6 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, NBCSP)
The Panthers (10-3-1) will go for their seventh straight win, led by forward Sam Reinhart, who has a six-game point streak (10 points; six goals, four assists). Forward Travis Konecny has five points (two goals, three assists) in his past two games for the Flyers (5-8-1).
Ottawa Senators at Boston Bruins (7 p.m. ET; NHLN, NESN, CITY)
Goalie Linus Ullmark returns to Boston for the first time since being traded to Ottawa on June 24; he has a 3.02 GAA and .892 save percentage in six starts for the Senators (6-7-0). The Bruins (7-7-1) have won three of four.
New York Rangers at Detroit Red Wings (7 p.m. ET; FDSNDET, MSG)
The Rangers (8-3-1) will look to respond after a 6-1 loss at home to the Sabres on Thursday. Forward Artemi Panarin got his 800th NHL point with an assist in the loss and leads New York with 19 points (nine goals, 10 assists) in 12 games. The Red Wings (6-6-1) are playing the second of a back-to-back following the 3-1 loss at Toronto on Friday.
Washington Capitals at St. Louis Blues (7 p.m. ET; FDSNMW, MNMT)
Alex Ovechkin will look to start a new goal streak after having a five-game run end for the Capitals (9-4-0) in a 4-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday. The forward is 34 goals away from passing Gretzky for the NHL record (894). Jordan Kyrou can extend his goal streak to four games for the Blues (7-7-0); the forward has 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in 14 games.
New Jersey Devils at New York Islanders (7:30 p.m. ET; MSGSN2, MSGSN)
Jesper Bratt has five points (three goals, two assists) in his past two games for the Devils (9-5-2), who are 4-1-1 in their past six. Bo Horvat had a goal and two assists for the Islanders (6-6-2) in their 4-2 win at the Senators on Thursday. New York has won three of four.
Utah Hockey Club at Nashville Predators (8 p.m. ET; FDSNSO, Utah16)
Steven Stamkos has three goals in his past four games, but the Predators (4-9-1) have lost three straight. Utah (6-5-3) is looking to win consecutive games for the first time since winning its first three games of the season.
Columbus Blue Jackets at Los Angeles Kings (9 p.m. ET; FDSNOH, KCAL)
Kings captain Anze Kopitar had a four-game point streak (six points; two goals, four assists) end in a 4-2 loss to the Canucks on Thursday. Los Angeles (8-4-3) is 5-2-1 in its past eight. The Blue Jackets (5-5-2) look to end a three-game skid (0-2-1); Kirill Marchenko leads them with 13 points (five goals, eight assists) in 12 games.
