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 15 games Saturday.
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Avalanche seek to stay undefeated in battle of Cup contenders
The Colorado Avalanche have looked awfully impressive with four consecutive wins to begin the season while allowing four total goals and can go 5-0-0 for the first time since 2019-20. They have a tough test against the Carolina Hurricanes at Ball Arena (9 p.m. ET; BSSO, ALT), a matchup of two heavily favored Stanley Cup contenders. Colorado goalie Alexandar Georgiev is 4-0-0 with a 0.98 goals-against average and .965 save percentage after his 40 wins last season tied Linus Ullmark of the Boston Bruins for the NHL lead. The Avalanche have no shortage of offense either, with four players scoring at least two goals. The Hurricanes (3-2-0) continue a six-game road trip following a 7-4 loss at the Seattle Kraken on Thursday. Brady Skjei has six points (one goal, five assists) to lead NHL defensemen. Seth Jarvis and Teuvo Teravainen each has four goals. -- David Satriano, staff writer
Bedard comes home
OK, not truly home for Connor Bedard, who hails from North Vancouver, British Columbia, but it's home ice, finally, for the forward the Chicago Blackhawks selected No. 1 at the 2023 NHL Draft. Chicago gets its up-close view of the 18-year-old making his regular-season home debut when the Blackhawks play the Vegas Golden Knights at United Center (8 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, NBCSCH). Bedard comes home after finishing with three points (one goal, two assists) on a five-game road trip. He'll get the pregame red-carpet treatment, a longstanding staple for the Blackhawks (2-3-0) at their first home game of the season. There have been a few tough seasons in Chicago lately. Bedard is giving the Blackhawks and their fans reason to believe again, and he'll certainly get a great reception Saturday. -- Tracey Myers, staff writer
Leafs, Lightning in rematch of first-round series
A lot has changed with the Toronto Maple Leafs since they defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference First Round on April 29. New general manager (Brad Treliving). Some new players (Max Domi, Tyler Bertuzzi, Ryan Reaves, John Klingberg). A new four-year contract for Auston Matthews. But it's the same rivalry and it's on display for the first time since Toronto finally won the game that advanced them into the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2004. The Maple Leafs (2-2-0) play the Lightning (2-2-1) at Amalie Arena (7 p.m. ET; BSSUN, NHLN, SNW, SNO, CBC). Both teams have dealt with their fair share of issues to start this season. For the Maple Leafs, it's been scoring the past two games. They have two goals, one in each game, and lost both. This after scoring 13 in their first two games, including back-to-back hat tricks for Matthews. For the Lightning it's been figuring out how to survive without goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, who won't be back until December at the earliest because of back surgery. They ended a three-game losing streak with a 4-3 win against the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday. Nikita Kucherov scored two goals. He also had two goals in Tampa Bay's season-opening 5-3 win against the Nashville Predators. But the Lightning have allowed 20 goals in five games. -- Dan Rosen, senior writer
Saturday games
Detroit Red Wings at Ottawa Senators (1 p.m. ET; RDS, TSN5, BSDET)
Alex DeBrincat returns to Ottawa, where he played last season. The Senators traded the forward to the Red Wings on July 9. He has eight points (three goals, five assists) in four games. The Red Wings (3-1-0) and Senators (3-1-0) have each won three in a row.
Anaheim Ducks at Arizona Coyotes (4 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, BSSD, BSSC, SN1)
The Ducks (1-2-0) have 83 wins and 192 points against the Coyotes/Winnipeg Jets, each the most against one opponent in their history. Leo Carlsson scored in a 3-2 home loss to the Dallas Stars on Thursday. The No. 2 pick in the 2023 draft is the second-youngest player (18 years, 297 days) in Ducks history to score in his NHL debut (Mason McTavish, 18 years and 256 days, Oct. 13, 2021). The Coyotes (2-2-0) play their first game at Mullett Arena. Forwards Clayton Keller (five points), Nick Schmaltz (five) and Logan Cooley (four) each has points in three of four games this season.
New York Islanders at Buffalo Sabres (7 p.m. ET; MSGSN, MSG-B)
The Islanders (2-0-1) defeated the Sabres 3-2 at UBS Arena on Oct. 14. New York plays the second of a back to back after a 5-4 overtime loss to the New Jersey Devils on Friday, when Brock Nelson and Bo Horvat each scored two goals. Goalie Semyon Varlamov will start for the Islanders after Ilya Sorokin made 34 saves. The Sabres (1-3-0) lost 4-3 to the Calgary Flames on Thursday. They have nine goals in four games. Goalie Devon Levi and forward Zach Benson each has a lower-body injury and will not play for Buffalo. Goalie Eric Comrie will make his season debut.
Vancouver Canucks at Florida Panthers (7 p.m. ET; BSFL, SNP)
The Panthers (2-2-0) have won five in a row against the Canucks (2-2-0) since Jan. 9, 2020, outscoring them 20-9. Florida forward Sam Reinhart has four goals and six points in his past three games. Ilya Mikheyev will play his first game for the Canucks since Jan. 27. The forward had surgery to repair a torn ACL in February. Brock Boeser has five goals in four games, the most by a Canucks player in the first four games of a season since Alexander Mogilny scored five in 1995-96.
Washington Capitals at Montreal Canadiens (7 p.m. ET; TVAS, CITY, SNE, MNMT)
Alex Ovechkin seeks his first goal of the season for the Capitals (1-2-0). The forward has been held without a shot on goal for consecutive games for the first time in his NHL career. Washington has scored three regulation goals in three games. Montreal (1-1-1) has not played since a 5-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday, its first game without forward Kirby Dach, who will be out for the season because of an ACL and MCL tear in his knee.
Toronto Maple Leafs at Tampa Bay Lightning (7 p.m. ET; BSSUN, NHLN, SNW, SNO, CBC)
Steven Stamkos is back for the Lightning. The forward had an assist Thursday after missing two games with a lower-body injury. Bertuzzi, Toronto's forward, said he should be good to go despite coach Sheldon Keefe saying he's "less than 100 percent" after the game Thursday. Bertuzzi practiced Friday. He played Thursday but was limited after missing practice Wednesday.
Vegas Golden Knights at Chicago Blackhawks (8 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, NBCSCH)
The Golden Knights (5-0-0) tied the longest season-opening winning streak by a defending Stanley Cup champion. The Senators did it in 1920-21 and the Edmonton Oilers in 1985-86. Chandler Stephenson leads Vegas with six points (two goals, four assists). The Blackhawks (2-3-0) are coming off a 4-0 loss to another undefeated team, the Avalanche. Chicago has gone 12 for 13 on the penalty kill (92.3 percent, tied with Vegas for eighth in the NHL).
Philadelphia Flyers at Dallas Stars (8 p.m. ET; BSSW, NBCSP)
Goalie Samuel Ersson will start for the Flyers after Carter Hart went 3-1-0 with a 2.01 GAA, .929 save percentage and one shutout in their first three games of the season. Goalie Scott Wedgewood will start for the Stars (2-0-1). They've won six consecutive games against the Flyers on home ice and have points in eight straight (7-0-1).
Columbus Blue Jackets at Minnesota Wild (8 p.m. ET; BSWI, BSN, BSOH)
The Blue Jackets (2-2-0) are coming off a 3-1 win against the Calgary Flames on Friday, when goalie Spencer Martin made 36 saves. Patrik Laine won't play because of an upper-body injury sustained late in 3-1 loss to the Calgary Flames on Friday on a hit from Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson. The forward is day to day and will continue to be evaluated. The Wild (2-2-0) lost 7-3 to the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday. They have allowed 14 goals in their two losses and two goals in their two wins. Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov has points in all four games (two goals, four assists).
San Jose Sharks at Nashville Predators (8 p.m. ET; BSSO, NBCSCA)
This is the first of a five-game road trip for the Sharks (0-3-1). Anthony Duclair, acquired in a trade with the Panthers on July 1, scored his first goal for San Jose in a 3-1 loss to the Boston Bruins on Thursday. Filip Forsberg scored his first goal in nearly nine months for the Predators (2-3-0) in their 4-1 win against the New York Rangers on Thursday. The forward's last goal was Jan. 26; he missed the final 32 games of last season with an upper-body injury.
Pittsburgh Penguins at St. Louis Blues (8 p.m. ET; SN-PIT, BSMW)
Evgeni Malkin leads the Penguins (2-2-0) with seven points (three goals, four assists). Pittsburgh defenseman Kris Letang practiced Friday after missing Thursday with a lower-body injury. The Blues (1-1-1) have yet to have a lead at any point this season, a span of 190 minutes. This is their final home game before a five-game road trip.
Carolina Hurricanes at Colorado Avalanche (9 p.m. ET; BSSO, ALT)
The Hurricanes have scored at least three goals in every game this season but have also allowed at least three in each. Georgiev could become the second Avalanche/Quebec Nordiques goalie to begin a season 5-0-0, joining Stephane Fiset in 1994-95.
Winnipeg Jets at Edmonton Oilers (10 p.m. ET; CBC, SN, CITY, TVAS2)
The Jets (1-3-0) have allowed at least four goals in each of their four games and will be without forward Gabriel Vilardi for 4-6 weeks because of a knee injury. Connor McDavid can extend his season-opening point streak to five games (two goals, four assists) for the Oilers (1-3-0), who have allowed 17 goals in four games.
New York Rangers at Seattle Kraken (10 p.m. ET; ROOT-NW, MSG)
The Rangers (2-2-0) begin a five-game road trip. They played what defenseman Jacob Trouba called the worst game in the early part of the season Thursday. The Kraken (1-3-1) won their first game Thursday. They scored at least seven goals in a game for the eighth time dating back to the start of the 2022-23 season, the most in the NHL.
Boston Bruins at Los Angeles Kings (10:30 p.m. ET; BSW, NESN)
Anze Kopitar (1,296) will become the Kings' all-time leader in games played. The forward is tied with former teammate Dustin Brown. Drew Doughty will play his 1,100th game, becoming the first Kings defenseman to reach the milestone. David Pastrnak has scored four of nine goals in three games for the Bruins (3-0-0. The Kings (2-1-1) have scored 17 goals in their past three, led by Trevor Moore's four.
