NHL On Tap: Capitals host Canadiens with Ovechkin in pursuit of NHL goal-scoring record

Welcome to the NHL On Tap, a daily look at the games on the NHL schedule. There are seven games on the schedule for Thursday, one that will be nationally televised in the United States. Thursday also marks the fourth week of "NHL Coast to Coast," a weekly whip-around studio show on Prime Video in Canada.

Games of the day

Montreal Canadiens at Washington Capitals (7 p.m. ET; MNMT, TSN2, RDS)

Alex Ovechkin, who scored twice for the Capitals (6-2-0) in a 5-3 win against the New York Rangers on Tuesday, is 38 goals from breaking Wayne Gretzky's NHL record of 894. Washington's captain has scored 38 times against the Canadiens. Cole Caufield has scored in three straight games for the Canadiens (4-5-1) to give him nine goals in 10 games this season.

Edmonton Oilers at Nashville Predators (8 p.m. ET; HULU, ESPN+, SNW)

The Oilers (4-5-1) visit the Predators (3-5-1) with captain Connor McDavid out 2-3 weeks because of an ankle injury. The forward was injured 37 seconds into a 6-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday. Predators forward Steven Stamkos returned to where he played for 16 seasons, a 3-2 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena on Monday that ended Nashville's three-game winning streak. Ryan O'Reilly (two goals, five assists) and Filip Forsberg (three goals, four assists) each have a point in their past six home games. They are one of three sets of teammates to achieve the feat to start the season (Alex Pietrangelo, Mark Stone and Jack Eichel, seven games for the Vegas Golden Knights; Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar, seven for the Colorado Avalanche).

Seattle Kraken at Toronto Maple Leafs (7 p.m. ET; TSN4, KONG, KING 5, KHN)

The Kraken (5-4-1) scored eight goals (8-2) against the Canadiens on Tuesday, when defenseman Brandon Montour had his first NHL hat trick. Seattle forward Jared McCann has a seven-game point streak (four goals, eight assists). The Maple Leafs (5-4-1) ended a three-game skid (0-2-1) when they handed the Winnipeg Jets their first loss of the season, 6-4 on Monday. John Tavares had a hat trick and is on a five-game point streak (three goals, four assists).

Other Thursday games

St. Louis Blues at Philadelphia Flyers (7 p.m. ET; FDSNMW, NBCSP)

The Blues (5-5-0) lost 8-1 to the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday. They're led by Jordan Kyrou's nine points (two goals, seven assists). The Flyers (3-6-1) have won two of three (2-1-0) including a 2-0 victory at the Boston Bruins on Tuesday behind Samuel Ersson's 25 saves.

Anaheim Ducks at Pittsburgh Penguins (7 p.m. ET; Victory+, SNPIT, KCOP-13)

The Ducks (4-4-1) saw Troy Terry score his 100th NHL goal in a 3-1 win at the New York Islanders on Tuesday, extending the forward's point streak to eight games (five goals, three assists). Sidney Crosby had three assists for the Penguins (3-7-1) in 5-3 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday. Pittsburgh has been outscored 26-13 during a six-game slide (0-5-1).

Boston Bruins at Carolina Hurricanes (7 p.m. ET; FDSNSO, NESN, SNP, SNO, SN360)

The Bruins (4-5-1) have lost four of five (1-3-1) and may make some lineup changes; Elias Lindholm and David Pastrnak were separated during practice Wednesday. Sebastian Aho is looking to score his 58th game-winning goal, which would give him sole possession of the most in Hurricanes/Hartford Whalers history; he tied Ron Francis with his 57th in a 4-3 overtime win against the Vancouver Canucks on Monday. The Hurricanes (6-2-0) have won four in a row and finished their season-long six-game road trip 5-1-0.

Chicago Blackhawks at San Jose Sharks (10:30 p.m. ET; CHSN, NBCSCA, SN360, SN)

The Blackhawks (3-6-1) ended a four-game losing streak by defeating the Avalanche 5-2 on Monday. Connor Bedard leads Chicago with nine points (three goals, six assists). The Sharks (2-7-2) have won two in a row, defeating the Utah Hockey Club (5-4 in overtime) and the Los Angeles Kings (4-2) in a back-to-back set Monday and Tuesday.