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 nine games Tuesday.
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Vatrano, Ducks seek to keep pace in Pacific Division
Frank Vatrano will try to continue his torrid start when the Anaheim Ducks visit the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena (8 p.m. ET; HULU, ESPN+). Vatrano had two goals and an assist in a 4-1 win against the San Jose Sharks on Sunday for his third multigoal game this season. The 29-year-old right wing leads the Ducks with 11 goals and is tied with Mason McTavish for the team lead with 15 points in 14 games. He has scored 33 goals in 95 games since signing a three-year contract with the Ducks on July 14, 2022. Anaheim (8-6-0) went 3-2-0 on a five-game homestand and is fourth in the Pacific Division with 16 points, three behind the third-place Los Angeles Kings, and it took them 17 fewer games to get to eight wins than in 2022-23. The Predators (5-9-0) have lost four of five (1-4-0) and play the second of a five-game homestand after a 7-5 loss to the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday. -- Mike G. Morreale, staff writer
Panthers rolling into San Jose
Some may have doubted the Florida Panthers coming into the 2023-24 season, but they come into their game against the Sharks (2-12-1) at SAP Center (10:30 p.m. ET; HULU, ESPN+, SN) winners of four in a row, rising to second in the tough Atlantic Division at 9-4-1. The Panthers are led by Sam Reinhart, a forward who had four points (two goals, two assists) in a 4-3 victory against the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday and has 10 in his past four, with at least two points in each. Reinhart has 21 points (11 goals, 10 assists) in 14 games after getting 67 (31 goals, 36 assists) in 82 games last season and leads the NHL with nine multipoint games. The NHL First Star for the week ending Nov. 12 tied Matthew Tkachuk (2022-23) and Jonathan Huberdeau (2020-21) for the fewest games to reach 20 points, getting there in his 14th of the season. -- Amalie Benjamin, staff writer
Stars looking to bring road success home
The Dallas Stars (10-3-1) have found a lot of success early, especially on the road where they're 7-1-1. They'll try to bring that magic back to Dallas when they begin a five-game homestand against the Coyotes at American Airlines Center (8 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, BSSWX). Dallas is 3-2-0 at home but on a three-game winning streak and clicking in a lot of areas. The Stars scored five power-play goals, tied for most in Dallas/Minnesota North Stars history, in an 8-3 win against the Minnesota Wild on Sunday. Three forwards lead them in scoring with 13 points apiece: Wyatt Johnston (seven goals, six assists), Joe Pavelski(six goals, seven assists) and Jason Robertson (five goals, eight assists). Goalie Jake Oettinger is 7-2-1 with a 2.19 goals-against average and .929 save percentage. The road's been a little less friendly for the Coyotes (7-6-1), who are 3-4-1 away from Mullett Arena but coming off a 7-5 win at the Predators on Saturday. Forward Jack McBain, who missed that game with an undisclosed injury, is day to day. -- Tracey Myers, staff writer
Tuesday games
Boston Bruins at Buffalo Sabres (7 p.m. ET; NESN, MSG-B, SNP, SNO, SNE)
The Bruins (11-1-2) are 3-1-1 to start November. Brad Marchand has 74 power-play goals, tied with Bobby Orr for ninth in team history. The Sabres (7-7-1) are 3-3-1 away from Buffalo this season.
Pittsburgh Penguins at Columbus Blue Jackets (7 p.m. ET; SN-PIT, BSOH)
The Penguins (7-6-0) have won four in a row, including two shutouts (2-0 against the Ducks on Tuesday and 4-0 against the Sabres on Saturday). Tristan Jarry has 16 shutouts, third in Penguins history behind Marc-Andre Fleury (44) and Tom Barrasso (22). Jake Guentzel's 10-game point streak (five goals, eight assists) against the Blue Jackets is the second-longest active run by Penguins player against one team behind Sidney Crosby's 14 game-stretch against the Philadelphia Flyers (11 goals, 11 assists). Columbus (4-7-4) has lost five in a row (0-3-2). Zach Werenski's secondary assist in a 4-3 shootout loss to the New York Rangers on Sunday was the 173rd in his NHL career, tying him with Seth Jones for most by a defenseman in Blue Jackets history.
Calgary Flames at Montreal Canadiens (7 p.m. ET; RDS, TSN2, SNW)
Goalie Jacob Markstrom will start for the Flames (4-8-2) after missing two games with an upper-body injury. It's the second of a four-game homestand for the Canadiens (7-6-2), who are 5-4-0 at Bell Centre. Cole Caufield leads Montreal with 14 points (five goals, nine assists).
Vegas Golden Knights at Washington Capitals (7 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, MNMT)
The Golden Knights (12-2-1) defeated the Sharks 5-0 on Friday, the 66th time they scored five goals in a home game since joining the NHL in 2017-18 (65-0-1). With two goals for the Capitals (7-4-2) in a 4-1 win against the New York Islanders on Saturday, Alex Ovechkin is the fourth player in team history to have a multigoal game at age 38 or older (Adam Oates, Sergei Fedorov, Mike Knuble).
Arizona Coyotes at Dallas Stars (8 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, BSSWX)
Pavelski has 1,014 points (455 goals, 559 assists) in 1,264 NHL played, ninth most among United States-born players. The Stars have points in 17 consecutive home games (16-0-1) against the Coyotes since March 20, 2012. With three assists against Nashville, Logan Cooley became the ninth player in Coyotes/Jets history with a three-point game before age 20, joining Dale Hawerchuk (20 times), Peter Mueller (5 times), Dave Babych (twice), Clayton Keller (twice), Jakob Chychrun, Kyle Turris, Deron Quint and Andrew McBain.
Anaheim Ducks at Nashville Predators (8 p.m. ET; HULU, ESPN+)
Ducks forward Trevor Zegras will miss at least the next two games after he was placed on injured reserve Tuesday, retroactive to Nov. 10, because of a lower-body injury. He's eligible to return against the Panthers on Friday. Anaheim leads the NHL with five third-period comeback wins; one against the Predators will make the Ducks the first team in League history to do so six times in its first 15 games of a season. Anaheim is 15-for-15 on the penalty kill in its past five games. Nashville forward Tommy Novak will be out 4-6 weeks with an upper-body injury, so Cody Glass will take his place on a line with Kiefer Sherwood and Luke Evangelista. Glass returned Saturday and played 14:00 after missing eight games with a lower-body injury.
Tampa Bay Lightning at St. Louis Blues (8 p.m. ET; BSSUN, BSMW, TVAS)
The Lightning (6-5-4) are 1-2-1 in their past four. Erik Cernak is day to day but made the trip to St. Louis. The defenseman left with an undisclosed injury at 11:00 of the second period in a 4-0 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday. Robert Thomas had four assists for the Blues (7-5-1) in an 8-2 win against the Colorado Avalanche to extend his point streak to an NHL career-high six games (five goals, five assists).
New Jersey Devils at Winnipeg Jets (8 p.m. ET; TSN3, MSGSN)
The Devils (7-5-1) have lost three of four (1-3-0). New Jersey forward Tomas Nosek returned for a 4-2 loss to Washington on Nov. 10 after missing 10 games with a lower-body injury. The Jets (7-5-2) won three in a row prior to a 3-2 loss to the Stars on Saturday. Forward Mark Scheifele has eight points in his past three games (one goal, seven assists).
Florida Panthers at San Jose Sharks (10:30 p.m. ET; HULU, ESPN+, SN)
Reinhart can become the seventh player in Panthers history with a five-game multipoint streak and the first since Aleksander Barkov (six) and Huberdeau (five) in 2021-22. The Sharks have lost two in a row after winning their first two games of the season. San Jose forward Anthony Duclair has missed two games with an illness.
