NHL On Tap: McDavid, Oilers look to keep rolling against Flyers

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 five games Wednesday.

Oilers can continue hot start

The Edmonton Oilers seek their sixth straight win when they host the Philadelphia Flyers (10 p.m. ET; TNT, SN360, SN1, TVAS, NHL LIVE). It would be the second-best start in Oilers history; they were 7-0-0 in 1983-84. That season, they won the Stanley Cup for the first of five times in seven seasons. Everything has been working for Edmonton, which is second in the NHL in goals per game (4.60), first on the power play (47.1 percent) and fifth on the penalty kill (88.2 percent). The Flyers play their first road game of the season and begin a three-game trip. They are tied for third in scoring with the Florida Panthers (4.50 goals per game), so we could be in line for a high-scoring affair. -- David Satriano, staff writer

Panthers look to keep rolling against Bruins

Everything has been clicking for the Florida Panthers during their six-game winning streak to start the season. They're averaging 4.50 goals per game and are allowing 2.00 per game (third in the NHL). The power play is 4-for-15 (26.7 percent) in its past three games, and they've killed 13 of the past 14 opposing power plays. Depth scoring? Florida has that as well, with 12 players scoring at least one goal. And the Panthers have wins against four teams that reached the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season. They will try to keep it going at home against the Boston Bruins on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET; NHLN, TVAS, BSFL, NESN, NHL LIVE). The Bruins have won two straight games, with goalie Linus Ullmark allowing four goals on 62 shots. Boston also is getting some nice depth contributions, especially from forwards Taylor Hall (two goals, one assist) and Charlie Coyle (one goal, two assists), each of whom has scored three points in four games. -- Adam Kimelman, deputy managing editor

Maple Leafs, Blackhawks look for course correction

Neither the Toronto Maple Leafs (2-4-1) nor Chicago Blackhawks (0-5-1) envisioned such a poor start to the season, and the winner of their game at the United Center on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. ET; SN1, NBCSCH, ESPN+, NHL LIVE) will be hoping it's a springboard to better days ahead. The Maple Leafs have lost four in a row (0-3-1), average 1.86 goals per game (29th in the NHL), and at minus-10 have the second-worst goal differential in the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference (Montreal Canadiens, minus-14). The Blackhawks have not held a lead in any of their six games, and have allowed 27 goals in six games, an average of 4.50 per game (31st). -- Tim Campbell, staff writer

Wednesday schedule

Boston Bruins at Florida Panthers (7 p.m. ET; NHLN, TVAS, BSFL, NESN, NHL LIVE)
The Panthers can become the 14th team in NHL history to start a season 7-0-0 and the first since the Montreal Canadiens were 9-0-0 in 2015-16. Florida defenseman Aaron Ekblad is expected to play his 500th NHL game. Boston forward Taylor Hall is one point from 600 in the NHL. Forwards Brad Marchand (seven points; four goals, three assists) and David Pastrnak (five points; two goals, three assists) each has a four-game point streak for the Bruins.
Detroit Red Wings at Washington Capitals (7 p.m. ET; NBCSWA+, BSDET, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
The Capitals have earned at least one point in each of their first six games this season (4-0-2) and are allowing 27.5 shots against per game, second fewest in the NHL (New Jersey Devils, 27.4). Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond, the No. 4 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, leads all rookies with seven points (four goals, three assists) in six games and is second on Detroit in goals, behind Tyler Bertuzzi, who has scored six.
Toronto Maple Leafs at Chicago Blackhawks (7:30 p.m. ET; SN1, NBCSCH, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
Auston Matthews, the Rocket Richard Trophy winner last season after he led the NHL with 41 goals, has scored one goal in four games this season. Toronto's power play has struggled at 13.6 percent (3-for-22), which is tied for 25th in the NHL. The Blackhawks' special teams have been sharp, at 26.1 percent on the power play (6-for-23) and 90.9 percent on the penalty kill (20-for-22), but they have struggled at 5-on-5, outscored 22-7 in six games.
Vegas Golden Knights at Dallas Stars (8:30 p.m. ET; BSSW, ATTSN-RM, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
The Golden Knights (2-4-0) got 26 saves from Robin Lehner and ended a four-game losing streak with a 3-1 win at the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday. Vegas has not scored a power-play goal this season (0-for-14). The Stars (3-3-0) lost 4-1 to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday. Each of their three wins has come in overtime or a shootout. It's the first game between the teams since the Stars eliminated the Golden Knights in five games in the best-of-7 Western Conference Final in 2020.
Philadelphia Flyers at Edmonton Oilers (10 p.m. ET; TNT, SN360, SN1, TVAS, NHL LIVE)
Oilers center Connor McDavid has scored multiple points in each of his five games this season and leads the NHL with 13 points (six goals, seven assists). Flyers forwards Cam Atkinson (five points; four goals, one assist) and Claude Giroux (four points; three goals, one assist) each has a four-game point streak.