The Vancouver Canucks are on top of the overall standings for the first time in nearly seven years thanks to a seven-game winning streak. They’ll try to make it eight in a row when they host the Edmonton Oilers at 10 p.m. ET in one of seven games on Friday’s NHL schedule.
Win No. 7 came on Wednesday night, when the Canucks survived a 44-shot barrage by Calgary in a 3-1 win at home. The slumping Oilers are last in the Western Conference.
The action starts with a pair of games at 7:30 p.m. ET when the Atlanta Thrashers try for their third win in a row as they host the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Thrashers return home after a 3-2 win at Florida on Wednesday. The Panthers are home again to face Carolina, which lost 2-1 in overtime at New York on Wednesday.
Two more games start at 8:30 p.m. Chicago tries to bounce back from a 4-2 home loss to Dallas on Wednesday when it hosts Ottawa in a game that can be seen in Canada on RDS. The Senators have been off since losing 5-1 to Toronto on Saturday. Also at 8:30, the Pacific Division-leading Stars return home for a visit from the Rangers.
A half-hour later, Detroit continues its tour of Western Canada with a visit to Calgary. The Wings started their trip on Tuesday with a 5-3 win at Edmonton on Tuesday.
The final game of the night begins at 10:30 when the Columbus Blue Jackets visit Anaheim. The Jackets had a couple of days off after Tuesday’s 4-2 loss at Phoenix, while the Ducks lost 4-1 at home to Nashville on Wednesday.