NHL On Tap: Stars return, look to get back on track against Panthers

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 eight games Monday.

Stars back in action

How will the Dallas Stars respond after not playing since Feb. 13? We'll find out when they visit the Florida Panthers on Monday (7 p.m. ET; FS-F, FS-SW, NHL.TV). It's been a brutal week in Texas, where extreme winter storms left hundreds of thousands in the state without power and water. As a result, the Stars had four home games postponed, two against the Nashville Predators and two against the Tampa Bay Lightning. It is the second set of postponements for Dallas, which started its season late because of NHL COVID-19 protocols. The Stars will try to rebound against the Panthers after going 0-1-3 in their past four games. Led by forward Joe Pavelski, who has scored 17 points (nine goals, eight assists) in 12 games, Dallas is 10th in the NHL in scoring (3.33 goals per game) and it's been solid defensively, ranking eighth in goals against per game (2.67). Meanwhile, the Panthers are 6-3-1 in their past 10 games. Forward Jonathan Huberdeau has been outstanding, leading Florida with 22 points (seven goals, 15 assists) in 16 games.-- Tracey Myers, staff writer

Hurricanes look to keep rolling

The Carolina Hurricanes lead the Discover Central Division and will host the Tampa Bay Lightning (7 p.m. ET; ESPN+, FS-CR, SUN, NHL.TV) again after a 4-0 win against them Saturday. Carolina is 2-0-0 against the defending Stanley Cup champions this season and has shut them out twice, including 1-0 in overtime Jan. 28. This is the second of four straight games between the teams, the next two being played at Tampa Bay on Wednesday and Thursday. The Hurricanes have won two straight games, five of their past six and are 6-0-1 at home. The Lightning, who are 4-3-1 on the road, have lost two in a row and three of their past four. Watch Carolina forward Vincent Trocheck. He is tied with forwards Andrei Svechnikov and Sebastian Aho for the Hurricanes lead with 16 points (nine goals, seven assists) and has scored seven points (three goals, four assists) in a six-game point streak. -- Dave Stubbs, columnist

Calgary's response

The Calgary Flames have lost four of their past five games including a 7-1 defeat to the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday. Things won't get any easier when they visit the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday (7 p.m ET; TVAS, TSN4, SNW, NHL.TV). The Maple Leafs have won three straight and are 7-1-1 in their past nine games. They are first in the Scotia North Division and the NHL with 30 points in 19 games. Though it's still relatively early in the season, the Flames are facing adversity and need to regain ground in the division. Calgary has scored one goal in each of its past five losses and, after a strong start, goalie Jacob Markstrom has allowed five goals in each of his past two games. Center Sean Monahan missed the game Saturday with a lower-body injury. The Flames will need to dig deep Monday against a hot Maple Leafs team that is without injured forwards Joe Thornton and Zach Hyman, and defenseman Jake Muzzin, but still features center Auston Matthews, who leads the NHL with 18 goals and has scored at least one point in 17 of the 18 games he's played this season. -- Rob Reese, fantasy editor

Monday schedule

Dallas Stars at Florida Panthers, 7 p.m. ET (FS-F, FS-SW, NHL.TV)
An intriguing angle to this game will be which team's power play has more success. Dallas is second in the NHL on the man-advantage (33.3 percent); Florida is fifth (30.4 percent).
Tampa Bay Lightning at Carolina Hurricanes, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN+, FS-CR, SUN, NHL.TV)
The Hurricanes are 12-3-1 (25 points), tying the best start through 16 games in Carolina/Hartford Whalers history (2005-06).
Buffalo Sabres at New York Islanders, 7 p.m. ET (MSG+, MSG-B, NHL.TV)
The Islanders start a four-game homestand and play nine of their next 10 at Nassau Coliseum. They are 2-0-0 against the Sabres this season, outscoring them 6-1.
Calgary Flames at Toronto Maple Leafs, 7 p.m. ET (TVAS, TSN4, SNW, NHL.TV)
The Maple Leafs lead the NHL in scoring, averaging 3.79 goals per game, and are first on the power play (37.5 percent).
Los Angeles Kings at St. Louis Blues, 8 p.m. ET (NHLN, FS-MW, FS-W, NHL.TV)
The Kings look to extend their winning streak to five games, their longest since closing the 2019-20 regular season with seven consecutive victories.
Vegas Golden Knights at Colorado Avalanche, 9 p.m. ET (ESPN+, SN1, SNE, SNO, SNP, ALT, ATTSN-RM, NHL.TV)
The two teams play the final game of four straight against each other and move back indoors after the Avalanche defeated the Golden Knights 3-2 in the NHL Outdoors at Lake Tahoe on Saturday.
Anaheim Ducks at Arizona Coyotes, 9 p.m. ET (FS-A, PLUS, PRIME, FS-SD, NHL.TV)
The Ducks, who have lost three straight games and four of their past five, are last in the NHL in scoring (1.83 goals per game).
Minnesota Wild at San Jose Sharks, 10:30 p.m. ET (NBCSCA, FS-N, NHL.TV)
The Sharks, who have points in three consecutive games (2-0-1), begin an eight-game homestand.