Top games to watch on 16-game schedule Saturday

All 32 NHL teams will play Saturday, a 12-hour stretch of non-stop hockey.

It's the second time this season that there have been 16 games (also Oct. 24).

With staggered start times, the dedicated fan should be able to see a bit of everything if they are handy with the remote or watching multiple screens.

To help with the viewing choices, NHL.com staff members each picked one can't-miss game.

Here are their selections:

Can Canucks continue to soar?

The Vancouver Canucks are excitement personified as the winners of four straight games and would like nothing more than to keep it going against the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center (4 p.m. ET; MSG-B, SN). Forward Elias Pettersson has seven goals during a four-game streak and has scored nine in his past six games, Quinn Hughes leads NHL defensemen with 51 points (11 goals, 40 assists), and goalie Thatcher Demko is 5-1-0 in his past six starts. The Canucks (28-11-3), who play the sixth game of a seven-game road trip, are 25-0-0 when leading after two periods. Buffalo (18-20-4) has won four of its past six games (4-2-0), but could be without forward Tage Thompson, who left a 5-3 win against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday because of an undisclosed injury. -- Mike G. Morreale, Senior Draft Writer

Panthers streaking in Sunrise

How can you look away from the Florida Panthers right now? They're riding a nine-game winning streak, tied with the Edmonton Oilers for the longest current winning streak in the NHL. They go for 10 against the New Jersey Devils (6 p.m. ET; MSGSN, BSFL). It's the third-longest winning streak in franchise history, behind a 13-game stretch in 2021-22 and a 12-game stretch in 2015-16. Their stars are being stars, with Sam Reinhart scoring his 30th goal of the season in his 41st game Thursday, becoming the second-fastest Panthers skater to hit 30 after Pavel Bure did it in 34 games in 1999-00, scoring a power-play goal with a second left in overtime to extend the streak. Reinhart now has goals in each of his past five games, as does forward Matthew Tkachuk, including a hat trick Tuesday. Not bad. The Panthers (27-12-2) can extend the run against the shorthanded New Jersey Devils (21-15-3), who lost 4-3 in overtime against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday. The Devils need every point they can get, sitting two points out of the second wild card in an extremely crowded Eastern Conference race. Should be a good one. -- Amalie Benjamin, staff writer

All-Star Game preview in Toronto

The 2024 NHL All-Star Game will be held three weeks from Saturday in Toronto, and for a preview there will a ton of all-star caliber talent on the ice in Toronto (7 p.m. ET; SN, ALT, NHLN). On the home side for the Toronto Maple Leafs (21-10-8), there is Auston Matthews, who is already going to the All-Star Game, and William Nylander and Mitch Marner, who are hoping to be named via the 2024 NHL All-Star Fan Vote presented by MassMutual, which ended Thursday. As for the Colorado Avalanche (27-12-3), Nathan MacKinnon is having a Hart Trophy-caliber season, and also will be in the All-Star Game. Defenseman Cale Makar and goalie Alexandar Georgiev also are contenders in the fan vote. This should be a great game between two loaded teams and provide a great glimpse of not only All-Star Weekend but possibly the Stanley Cup Final. -- Bill Price, Editor-in-Chief

Red-hot Oilers make appearance in Montreal

There may be no more exciting team to watch right now than the Edmonton Oilers who travel to one of hockey's meccas, Bell Centre, to face the Montreal Canadiens (7 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN1). The Oilers (22-15-1) are going for a franchise-record 10th straight win, topping the mark set in 2000-01 and tied last season. They have outscored their opposition 38-16 during the winning streak and there is no hotter player in the League than Connor McDavid, who has 56 points (16 goals, 40 assists) in 36 games and has pulled himself into the top 10 in the League scoring race after an uncharacteristic slow start. He has 15 points (five goals, 10 assists) in his past nine games. The Canadiens (17-18-6) are playing entertaining hockey as they go through a rebuild. -- Shawn P. Roarke, senior director of editorial

Is eight enough for Kraken?

For the first time in NHL history, four teams are riding an active win streak of eight games or more. One of the four happens to be the League's newest team: the Seattle Kraken. In their third season, the Kraken (18-14-9) have tied the Seattle record with eight straight wins entering their game against the Columbus Blue Jackets (13-20-9) at Nationwide Arena (7 p.m. ET; ROOT-NW, BSOH). They're also on a Kraken-record 12-game point streak (10-0-2). Goalie Joey Daccord is 9-0-2 with a 1.35 goals-against average, a .957 save percentage and two shutouts since Dec. 12. Defenseman Vince Dunn leads Seattle with 12 points (four goals, eight assists) during that span. Forward Oliver Bjorkstrand is next with 10 points (three goals, seven assists). -- Nicholas J. Cotsonika, columnist

Jets looking to soar higher against Flyers

With all the uncertainty surrounding the Winnipeg Jets and their roster during the offseason, few could have predicted they would be first in the NHL standings at the midway point of the season. Yet here we are, with Winnipeg (28-9-4) holding a slim lead on the Vancouver Canucks for the best record in the League. The Jets are on a franchise-high eight-game winning streak and have points in 14 straight (12-0-2) as they host the Philadelphia Flyers (7 p.m. ET; CITY, NBCSP), who are a surprise as well with a 21-14-6 record. Winnipeg set the team record with a 2-1 win against the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday but may have to play without leading scorer Mark Scheifele, who left that game because of a lower-body injury. I expect Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg to be rocking as fans enjoy the view from the top of the standings and hope the Jets can maintain it for as long as possible. -- Derek Van Diest, staff writer

Playoff intensity in Raleigh

I'll be watching the Carolina Hurricanes host the Pittsburgh Penguins at PNC Arena (7 p.m. ET; SN-PIT, BSSO) for a dose of playoff intensity in January from two teams in a tight Metropolitan Division. The Hurricanes (23-13-5) have a seven-game point streak (6-0-1). Sebastian Aho has helped lead the way with 16 points (two goals, 14 assists) during that span. The Penguins (20-15-5) have lost three of their past five games (2-2-1), but are on a mission to return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs after missing out last season for the first time in 16 years. Sidney Crosby epitomizes that determination. He scored twice, including the game-tying goal, in Pittsburgh's 4-3 overtime loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday. He leads the Penguins with 24 goals. Erik Karlsson acquired in the offseason after he won the Norris Trophy as the top defenseman in the NHL, has six points (one goal, five assists) during a five-game point streak. -- William Douglas, staff writer

Reunion time in Music City

It will be a reunion between Barry Trotz and his former coaching protégé, Lane Lambert, and the Islanders when New York visits Bridgestone Arena (8 p.m. ET; MSGSN2, BSSO). Trotz, now the general manager of the Nashville Predators (22-18-1), coached the Islanders for four seasons (2018-22) and guided them to the third round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2020 and 2021, but was fired after they didn't qualify for the postseason in 2022. Lambert, Trotz's assistant with Nashville (2011-14), the Washington Capitals (2014-18) and New York (2018-22), replaced Trotz as coach of the Islanders (19-12-10) and guided them to the playoffs last season. Trotz succeeded David Poile as Predators GM after last season. The Islanders and the Predators are battling for playoff position in their respective conferences, and each could use a win to help its cause. -- Tom Gulitti, staff writer

Slump ending in St. Paul?

OK, when I first started looking at this game the slump by the Arizona Coyotes was minimal. It's grown, with them losing four of their past five games (1-4-0). So I want to see them pick themselves up off the canvas and get back into the hunt for a playoff spot, starting with this game against the Minnesota Wild (8 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, BSWIX, BSN). Let's see how the Coyotes (20-18-2) fare at the start of a three-game road trip against the Wild (17-19-4), another team that has struggled recently. Since I can't watch injured Connor Bedard, the Chicago Blackhawks' No. 1 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, I'll focus on another rookie: center Logan Cooley, who was taken by the Coyotes with the No. 3 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. Cooley is putting together a solid season, with 20 points (three goals, 17 assists) in 40 games. That includes 10 power-play points, third on the Coyotes behind forwards Clayton Keller (17) and Nick Schmaltz (13). -- Tracey Myers, staff writer