Tavares playing Islanders, Carter's 1,000th game highlights week in NHL

John Tavares will play for the Toronto Maple Leafs against the New York Islanders for the first time this season and fourth in his NHL career. But there are more stories to watch this week. Here are the top five along with fantasy can't-miss players.

1. Tavares, Islanders meet again

John Tavares will play for the Toronto Maple Leafs against the New York Islanders for the first time this season at Nassau Coliseum on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET; SN, MSG+, NHL.TV).
The center scored one goal in three games against the Islanders after signing a seven-year, $77 million contract with the Maple Leafs on July 1, 2018. He has 11 points (five goals, six assists) in 13 games after setting NHL career highs in goals (47) and points (88) last season. He returned to the lineup Nov. 5 after missing seven games with a broken finger.
The Islanders (12-3-1) have points in 12 consecutive games (11-0-1). They won 10 in a row before a 4-3 overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins at Barclays Center on Nov. 7.

2. Carter to become millennium man

Jeff Carter is expected to play his 1,000th game in the NHL when the Los Angeles Kings face the Vegas Golden Knights at Staples Center on Saturday (4 p.m. ET; SN1, SNE, SNO, SNP, FS-W, ATTSN-RM, NHL.TV).
The 34-year-old center, chosen by the Philadelphia Flyers with the No. 11 pick in the 2003 NHL Draft, has 711 points (369 goals, 342 assists) in 997 games for the Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets and Kings. He has played in Los Angeles since he was traded by Columbus on Feb. 23, 2012 and won the Stanley Cup that season and again in 2014.
Carter has six points (four goals, two assists) this season for the Kings (5-11-1).

3. Quenneville goes for 900th win

Joel Quenneville can become the second NHL coach with 900 wins alongside Scotty Bowman (1,244). The Florida Panthers play three games beginning against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; SN, NESN, FS-F, NHL.TV).
Quenneville has coached 23 seasons in the NHL (898-536-142 with 77 ties) and is 8-4-5 in his first season with the Panthers after he was hired April 8.

4. Sabres, Lightning return to United States

The Buffalo Sabres and Tampa Bay Lightning play their first games since the 2019 NHL Global Series. The Sabres face the Carolina Hurricanes at KeyBank Center (7 p.m. ET; MSG-B, FS-CR, NHL.TV) and the Lightning host the New York Rangers at Amalie Arena on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; ESPN+, SNE, SNO, SNP, TVAS, SUN, MSG, NHL.TV).
The Lightning swept the two-game set by defeating the Sabres 3-2 and 5-3 at Ericsson Globe in Stockholm, Sweden last Friday and Saturday.
Lightning forward Steven Stamkos remains two goals from 400 in the NHL.

5. 'Wednesday Night Hockey' doubleheader

A Metropolitan Division showdown is the first game of a "Wednesday Night Hockey" doubleheader when the Washington Capitals play the Philadelphia Flyers at Wells Fargo Center (7:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN).
Evgeny Kuznetsov (1-1-2), Nicklas Backstrom (2-0-2), John Carlson (0-2-2) and Jakub Vrana (0-2-2) each registered multi-point outings as the Capitals extended their win and point streaks to six and 11 games (10-0-1), respectively.
The Capitals (13-2-3) have won six in a row, have points in 11 straight games (10-0-1) and are first in the division. They face a Flyers team that's 9-5-2 and 6-1-1 on home ice.
The Chicago Blackhawks and Vegas Golden Knights play the second game on NBCSN at 10 p.m. ET.

Fantasy can't-miss picks

Michal Kempny, WSH -- The Washington Capitals defenseman has 10 points (three goals, seven assists) and is plus-10 through his first 10 games of the season. He has been a fixture with John Carlson since returning from injury Oct. 18 and the Capitals are tied for the most games (four) this week. -- Pete Jensen
Anthony Duclair, OTT-- The Ottawa Senators wing has nine points (six goals, three assists) in 16 games and has a favorable schedule with four games this week against the Carolina Hurricanes, New Jersey Devils, Flyers and Sabres.-- Rob Reese