NHL On Tap: Kessel to break ironman record for Golden Knights at Sharks

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 Tuesday.

Kessel to become new NHL ironman

Phil Kessel is set to break the NHL record by playing his 990th consecutive regular-season game when the Vegas Golden Knights (5-2-0) play the San Jose Sharks (2-6-0) at SAP Center (10:30 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN NOW). The forward tied the record held by retired defenseman Keith Yandle by playing his 989th consecutive game Monday, a 3-1 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Kessel hasn't missed a game since Oct. 31, 2009, when he was with the Maple Leafs against the Montreal Canadiens. He remains one goal shy of 400 in the NHL after having a first-period goal wiped out Monday by a successful Maple Leafs coach's challenge for offside. -- Tom Gulitti, staff writer

Hot Panarin, Nichushkin meet

Two of the hottest scorers in the NHL play when the New York Rangers (3-2-1) host the Colorado Avalanche (3-2-1) at Madison Square Garden (8 p.m. ET: ESPN, ESPN+, SN NOW). Artemi Panarin has a six-game point streak (four goals, eight assists), the longest by a Rangers player to start a season since Marian Gaborik's eight-game streak in 2009-10. Valeri Nichushkin, who signed an eight-year contract with the Avalanche on July 11, also has a season-opening six-game point streak (six goals, five assists). The Rangers will be without center Filip Chytil for at least the next four games; he left 1:32 into New York's 5-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday because of an upper-body injury after a collision with Columbus forward Cole Sillinger. Chytil has three points (two goals, one assist) in six games. -- William Douglas, staff writer

Dahlin delivers on defense

Rasmus Dahlin will look to extend his goal streak to six games when the Buffalo Sabres (4-1-0) visit the Seattle Kraken (2-3-2) at Climate Pledge Arena (10 p.m. ET; ROOT-NW, MSG-B, ESPN+, SN NOW). The No. 1 pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, Dahlin not only was the first defenseman in NHL history to score in the first four games of a season, he's also the first defenseman in Sabres history to score a goal in five straight games. He's the first Sabres player with a five-game run since Thomas Vanek (five games, Oct. 10-18, 2008). Dahlin, who was named NHL First Star for the week ending Oct. 23, leads NHL defensemen in goals (five) and points (eight). The game also will mark the first time Buffalo defenseman Owen Power and Seattle forward Matty Beniers, who were teammates at the University of Michigan for two seasons (2019-2021), will play against each other in an NHL game. Power, the No. 1 pick of the 2021 NHL Draft, has two assists in five games. Beniers, the No. 2 selection in 2021, has five points (two goals, three assists) in seven games. -- Mike G. Morreale, staff writer

Tuesday games

Arizona Coyotes at Columbus Blue Jackets (7 p.m. ET; BSOH, BSAZ, ESPN+, SN NOW)
Patrik Laine will play for Columbus after the forward was expected to be out 3-4 weeks with an elbow sprain sustained in a 4-1 season-opening loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Oct. 12. The Blue Jackets (3-4-0) will look to build on their victory at the Rangers and win for the fourth time in five games following an 0-3-0 start. Johnny Gaudreau leads Columbus with seven points (four goals, three assists) in seven games, including at least one point in each of its four home games (four goals, two assists). The Coyotes (1-4-0) end a season-opening six-game road trip before playing their first game at Mullett Arena in Tempe, Arizona, against the Winnipeg Jets on Friday.
Dallas Stars at Boston Bruins (7 p.m. ET; SNE, SNO, SNP, TVAS, NESN, BSSW, ESPN+, SN NOW)
The Bruins (5-1-0) will put a strong start in their first season with Jim Montgomery as coach to the test when they host the Dallas Stars (4-1-1) at TD Garden. This will be his Montgomery's first game as a head coach against the Stars since they fired him Dec. 10, 2019. The Stars' 4-2 loss at the Ottawa Senators on Monday was their first regulation loss of the season under coach Peter DeBoer. Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo will play after missing four games with a concussion sustained in the season opener Oct. 15.
Minnesota Wild at Montreal Canadiens (7 p.m. ET; TSN2, RDS, BSN, BSWI, ESPN+, SN NOW)
Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury is expected to play his 944th regular-season game and pass Curtis Joseph for sixth in NHL history when he starts for the Wild (1-3-1) against the Canadiens (3-3-0). Born in Sorel, Quebec, Fleury is 1-1-1 with a 5.25 goals-against average and .847 save percentage in four games (all starts) this season. Forward Nick Suzuki has seven points (three goals, four assists) and Cole Caufield has scored four goals in Montreal's four home games.
New Jersey Devils at Detroit Red Wings (7 p.m. ET; BSDET, MSGSN, ESPN+, SN NOW)
Dominik Kubalik leads the Red Wings with eight points (three goals, five assists) in his first five games. Detroit (3-0-2) is the only team in the NHL without a regulation loss. The Devils (3-3-0) had won three in a row before a 6-3 loss to the Washington Capitals on Monday. Jesper Bratt has points in each of New Jersey's first six games (one goal, eight assists).
Colorado Avalanche at New York Rangers (8 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN NOW)
Goalie Alexandar Georgiev makes his return to Madison Square Garden after he was traded to the Avalanche by the Rangers on July 8 for a third- and fifth-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft and a fifth-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. Georgiev and New York's Igor Shesterkin, the reigning Vezina Trophy winner as the top goalie in the NHL, have similar stats this season. Georgiev is 3-0-1 with a 2.76 goals-against average and .908 save percentage in four games; Shesterkin is 3-0-1 with a 2.75 GAA and .901 save percentage in four games.
Florida Panthers at Chicago Blackhawks (8:30 p.m. ET; NBCSCH, BSFL, ESPN+, SN NOW)
The Blackhawks (3-2-0) rallied from multigoal deficits in each of their three consecutive wins following losses in their first two games. Chicago scored four shorthanded goals in its first five games to lead the NHL. Only the 1973-74 Philadelphia Flyers scored more shorthanded goals in their first five games since 1933-34. Matthew Tkachuk leads Florida (4-1-1) with eight points (three goals, five assists), including at least one in each of his first five games before being held off the score sheet in a 3-2 win against the New York Islanders on Sunday.
Pittsburgh Penguins at Calgary Flames (9 p.m. ET; SN1, SNW, ATTSN-PT, ESPN+, SN NOW)
Nazem Kadri will look to extend his season-opening five-game point streak (two goals, four assists) for the Flames (4-1-0), who are 2-1-0 through the first three games of their eight-game homestand. The Penguins (4-1-1) gave up five unanswered goals in a 6-3 loss at the Edmonton Oilers on Monday, their first regulation loss of the season. Sidney Crosby is tied with Adam Oates for 18th in NHL history with 1,420 points (521, goals, 899 assists) after scoring Pittsburgh's second goal Monday.
Buffalo Sabres at Seattle Kraken (10 p.m. ET; ROOT-NW, MSG-B, ESPN+, SN NOW)
Alex Tuch has scored in four straight games (six goals) for the Sabres, including a hat trick in a 6-3 win at the Flames on Oct. 20, tying the longest streak of his NHL career. Jaden Schwartz (three goals, three assists), Andre Burakovsky (three goals, three assists) and Jared McCann (three goals, three assists) share the Kraken scoring lead with six points apiece in seven games.
Tampa Bay Lightning at Los Angeles Kings (10:30 p.m. ET; BSW, BSSUN, ESPN+, SN NOW)
Steven Stamkos is tied for the NHL lead with seven goals for the Lightning (3-3-0), who have won two in a row following a 1-3-0 start. The Kings (3-4-0) will seek their first home win of the season (0-2-0) after a five-game road trip (3-2-0).
Vegas Golden Knights at San Jose Sharks (10:30 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN NOW)
Chandler Stephenson has scored goals in three consecutive games for the Golden Knights, including his second game-winner of the season Monday. The Sharks begin a six-game homestand seeking their first win at SAP Center this season (0-2-0), but have won two of their past three, including a 3-0 victory at the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday.