The Saturday before Christmas brings hockey fans a full day of action, with a 12-game schedule that runs from early afternoon until late at night.

The action starts at 1 p.m., when the New York Rangers visit the Wachovia Center for their first meeting of the season with the Philadelphia Flyers. The Rangers are coming off a 5-2 win over the New York Islanders on Thursday, while the struggling Flyers lost 3-2 in a shootout to Pittsburgh the same night.

That game figures to be in the third period when the day's next game gets under way -- the Dallas Stars host the Detroit Red Wings at 3 p.m. Dallas is back home after losses at Carolina on Wednesday and Atlanta (in OT) on Thursday. Detroit blanked Tampa Bay 3-0 on Thursday in its last game.

Two games get under way at 4 p.m. ET. In Anaheim, the Ducks come home after a 4-1 loss at San Jose on Thursday to host Phoenix. The Coyotes are 2-1 on their four-game road trip after a 2-1 shootout win in Columbus on Thursday. In Calgary, the Flames hope to follow Thursday's 2-1 win over Los Angeles with a win over Nashville; the Predators won 5-3 at Edmonton on Thursday.

Then it's time for the evening action, which begins with a half-dozen games at 7 p.m. ET.

The Boston Bruins pay their first visit of the season to the Air Canada Centre to face the Toronto Maple Leafs (CBC, NHL Network-U.S.). The Bruins won the first two meetings between the teams this season, both in Boston

Pittsburgh, which swept a home-and-home series with Philadelphia this week, visits Buffalo, where the Sabres beat Toronto 5-2 on Friday night. Montreal visits the New York Islanders in a meeting of two teams that lost at home on Thursday -- the Canadiens to Minnesota and the Islanders to the Rangers. Florida goes for a home-and-home sweep when it visits Carolina; the Panthers won 6-3 on Friday at the BankAtlantic Center.

New Jersey starts a three-game road trip with a visit to Atlanta. If he starts, goaltender Martin Brodeur will be trying for his 104th shutout, which would break the record he shares with Terry Sawchuk. The Devils completed a five-game homestand Friday night with a 4-2 win over Ottawa.

The Senators are scheduled to be back home for a game with Minnesota. The Wild lot much of their equipment when the truck carrying their gear caught fire in the Scotiabank Place parking lot on Friday. The team hopes to have replacement equipment available in time for the game.

At 9 p.m. ET, the Columbus Blue Jackets visit Colorado. The Jackets have won just three times in 16 visits to the Pepsi Center, but that includes wins in their last two trips to Denver.

The day's activity wraps up when the Washington Capitals visit Edmonton at 10 p.m. ET (CBC). It's a rare chance for Edmonton fans to see Alex Ovechkin and the Caps -- Washington is making its first trip to Rexall Place since Oct. 28, 2006; the Capitals haven't won there since Feb. 7, 1996.