Wings-Bruins begin home-and-home

The Detroit Red Wings and Boston Bruins don't see each other much any more -- not like the Original Six days, when they'd play 14 times. But they'll become very familiar with each other over the next three days -- they begin a home-and-home series with a Friday night date at TD Garden.

The Bruins are coming off an 8-6 victory against Montreal on Wednesday, while the Wings come to Boston off a 4-1 home loss to Nashville.

The NHL Network will show the game in the U.S., beginning at 7 p.m. ET. The rematch in Detroit on Sunday afternoon is NBC's Game of the Week.

The Wings-Bruins game is one of eight on Friday's NHL schedule, and one of four starting at 7.

Two of the NHL's hottest teams collide at the Prudential Center when the San Jose Sharks visit New Jersey. The Sharks are 4-0-0 on their seven-game trip after a 3-2 win at Columbus on Wednesday, while the Devils improved to 11-1-2 in their last 14 with a 2-1 OT win at Toronto on Thursday.

Columbus tries to bounce back from the loss to the Sharks when it hosts Colorado, a 3-2 loser at Minnesota on Wednesday. Also at 7, Pittsburgh visits Long Island in a battle of teams that won Thursday -- the Penguins topped Los Angeles 2-1 in overtime, while the Islanders were 4-3 shootout winners at Montreal.

A half-hour later, the New York Rangers try to snap a five-game slide when they visit Atlanta. The Rangers have been off since a 3-2 loss at Detroit on Monday, the same night the Thrashers lost 5-4 at Toronto.

Minnesota and St. Louis begin a home-and-home series when the Wild comes to the Scottrade Center for an 8 p.m. ET start. At 8:30, Chicago continues its six-game road trip with a visit to Dallas. The Hawks won 4-1 at Edmonton on Wednesday, while the Stars lost 3-2 in OT at home to Phoenix.

The final game of the night begins at 9:30 p.m. ET, when the Anaheim Ducks continue their swing through Western Canada with a visit to Calgary. The Ducks won 4-3 in Vancouver on Wednesday, ending the Canucks' six-game winning streak, while the Flames improved to 8-0-1 in their last nine by beating Ottawa 5-2 on Wednesday.