NHL On Tap: McDavid, Celebrini face off for 1st time, Oilers host Sharks

Welcome to the NHL On Tap, a daily look at the games on the NHL schedule. There are 11 games on the schedule for Saturday, including five televised nationally in Canada and one in the United States.

Games of the day

San Jose Sharks at Edmonton Oilers (4 p.m. ET; SN, NBCSCA)

Connor McDavid, the No. 1 pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, will face Macklin Celebrini, the No. 1 selection in the 2024 NHL Draft, for the first time when the Oilers (19-11-2) host the Sharks (11-19-5). McDavid has 14 points (three goals, 11 assists) on a seven-game point streak; he has 45 points (15 goals, 30 assists) in 29 games for Edmonton, which has won six of its past seven games. Celebrini, 18, has 22 points (11 goals, 11 assists) in 23 games in his rookie season with San Jose, which has lost three straight and six of seven. Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl can become the third player in franchise history (Wayne Gretzky, McDavid) to have an eight-game multipoint streak; he has 18 points (six goals, 12 assists) during the run.

New York Islanders at Toronto Maple Leafs (7 p.m. ET; CBC, SN1, SNO, SNP, MSGSN2)

John Tavares and the Maple Leafs will go for their fourth straight win when they host the Islanders at Scotiabank Arena. Tavares, who was the No. 1 pick in the 2009 NHL Draft by New York and played his first nine NHL seasons there, got his 600th career assist in a 6-3 victory at the Buffalo Sabres on Friday. Tavares has 31 points (15 goals, 16 assists) in 32 games this season for Toronto (21-10-2), which has won five of its past six games. Forward Anthony Duclair will be a game-time decision for the Islanders (12-14-7), which has lost its past two games and three of four. Duclair, who signed a four-year contract as an unrestricted free agent July 1, has missed 28 games since sustaining a lower-body injury Oct. 19. He had three points (two goals, one assist) in five games prior to the injury.

Ottawa Senators at Vancouver Canucks (10 p.m. ET; CBC, SN, CITY, TVAS2)

Senators captain Brady Tkachuk and Canucks captain Quinn Hughes will face each other for the last time before suiting up as teammates for the United States at the 4 Nations Face-Off from Feb. 12-20 in Montreal and Boston. The two were members of Team USA that won gold at the Under-18 World Championships in 2017 and bronze at the World Junior Championship in 2018. The Senators (17-13-2) will look to extend their winning streak to six games; Tkachuk, a forward, scored the winning goal in a 3-2 overtime victory at the Calgary Flames on Thursday. He has 33 points (16 goals, 17 assists) in 32 games this season. Hughes, a defenseman, has 37 points (seven goals, 30 assists) in 32 games for the Canucks (16-10-6), who have lost three of four (1-2-1).

Other Saturday games

Los Angeles Kings at Nashville Predators (1:30 p.m. ET; FDSNW, FDSNSO, NHLN, SNP, SNO, SNE, TVAS)

Anze Kopitar has five points (two goals, three assists) during a three-game point streak for the Kings (19-9-4), who will play the sixth of a seven-game road trip; they are 3-1-1 thus far. Filip Forsberg has not scored in his past 11 games but has five assists during a three-game point streak for the Predators (9-17-7).

Chicago Blackhawks at Calgary Flames (4 p.m. ET; SN1, CHSN)

Jonathan Huberdeau has 11 points (five goals, six assists) in his past nine games for the Flames (15-11-7), who have lost their past two in overtime. Seth Jones (foot) was activated off injured reserve and will return for the Blackhawks (12-19-2), who have won three in a row for the first time since a five-game streak from Feb. 17-25, 2023.

Buffalo Sabres at Boston Bruins (7 p.m. ET; NESN, MSG-B)

The Sabres (11-18-4) will look to end a skid that reached 12 games (0-9-3) with a 6-3 loss to the Maple Leafs on Friday. Brad Marchand has nine points (five goals, four assists) during an eight-game point streak for the Bruins (17-13-4), who return home after going 2-2-1 on a five-game road trip.

Detroit Red Wings at Montreal Canadiens (7 p.m. ET; TVAS, CITY, SNE, NHLN, FDSNDETX)

It’s the second of a home-and-home set after Montreal (13-16-3) won 4-3 at Detroit (13-15-4) on Friday. Patrik Laine has seven goals in his first eight games with the Canadiens, all on the power play.

Pittsburgh Penguins at New Jersey Devils (7 p.m. ET; SN-PIT, MSGSN)

Sidney Crosby ended a 10-game goal drought for the Penguins (15-14-5) in a 5-4 overtime win at the Nashville Predators on Thursday. Jack Hughes will look to extend his point streak to five games (seven points; two goals, five assists) for the Devils (21-11-3).

Columbus Blue Jackets at Philadelphia Flyers (7 p.m. ET; FDSNOH, NBCSP)

The Blue Jackets (13-15-5) ended a five-game skid (0-3-2) with a 4-2 win against the Devils on Thursday. The Flyers (14-15-4) have lost three in a row.

Minnesota Wild at Winnipeg Jets (7 p.m. ET; SN360, SNW, FDSNNO, FDSNWIX)

Kyle Connor has 13 points (six goals, seven assists) in his past eight games for the Jets (23-10-1), who have a three-point lead on the Wild (20-9-4) atop the Central Division. Kirill Kaprizov has six points (four goals, two assists) during a four-game point streak for Minnesota, which has lost three straight.

Seattle Kraken at Vegas Golden Knights (10 p.m. ET; KHN, SCRIPPS, KNOG)

Victor Olofsson has four goals in his past four games for the Golden Knights (21-8-3), who have won six of seven. The Kraken (15-17-2) have lost three in a row, including 3-1 at Chicago on Thursday to open a four-game road trip.