Welcome to the NHL On Tap, a daily look at the games on the NHL schedule. There are three games on the schedule for Wednesday, including one nationally televised in the United States and one in Canada:
Games of the day
Vegas Golden Knights at Edmonton Oilers (8:30 p.m. ET; TVAS, SN, SCRIPPS)
Mark Stone has 20 points (five goals, 15 assists) for the Golden Knights (8-3-1), tied for sixth in the NHL, including 11 points (three goals, eight assists) during a six-game point streak. He has been held off the score sheet once this season. Vegas is 5-1-1 in its past seven games. Connor McDavid will return for the Oilers (6-6-1) after missing three games with an ankle injury. Leon Draisaitl had six points (three goals, three assists) in the first two games without McDavid, and Edmonton defeated the Nashville Predators and the Calgary Flames by a combined score of 9-3. When Draisaitl was held off the score sheet against the New Jersey Devils on Monday, the Oilers lost 3-0.
Nashville Predators at Washington Capitals (7 p.m. ET; FDSNSO, MNMT, TVAS)
Alex Ovechkin has seven goals in 11 games for the Capitals (8-3-0), including five during a four-game goal streak. He has 860 in his NHL career. At this pace, the 39-year-old will reach 52 goals this season and break Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record of 894 goals at the Los Angeles Kings on March 13. The Predators (4-7-1) have lost three of their past four (1-2-1).
Detroit Red Wings at Chicago Blackhawks (8 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TNT, TVAS-D)
Patrick Kane returns to Chicago for the second time since the Blackhawks traded him to the New York Rangers on Feb. 28, 2023. The first time, he assisted on the tying goal in the third period and scored in Detroit’s overtime 3-2 victory Feb. 25. The 35-year-old has eight points (two goals, six assists) in 11 games this season for the Red Wings (5-5-1). Connor Bedard has 12 points (three goals, nine assists) in 13 games for the Blackhawks (5-7-1). The 19-year-old will play his 82nd NHL game, the length of a regular season. The No. 1 pick of the 2023 NHL Draft has four more goals (25) and one more point (73) than Kane, the No. 1 pick of the 2007 NHL Draft, did through his first 82.
