NHL What to Watch: Pietrangelo, Chara face former teams for first time

Each Monday, we list the can't-miss games for the upcoming week. Grab your remote. This is "NHL What to Watch."

Trotz faces former team

New York Islanders at Washington CapitalsTuesday, 7 p.m. ET; NBCSN, NBCSWA+Thursday, 7 p.m. ET; NBCSWA, MSG+ 2, NHL.TV
Barry Trotz coached the Capitals to the Stanley Cup in 2017-18. Since he joined the Islanders for the 2018-19 season, his new team and old team have been dead even over eight regular-season games against each other. Each team has gone 4-4-0. Each team has scored 21 goals.
But when Trotz faced his old team in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference First Round last season, the Islanders defeated the Capitals in five games, and now they'll face each other eight times as rivals in the MassMutual East Division.
New York needs to take advantage of the opportunity while forwards Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov, defenseman Dmitri Orlov and goalie Ilya Samsonov are out for Washington because of COVID-19 protocols; the Capitals need to find a way to win two critical games without key players.

Pietrangelo sees the Blues

St. Louis Blues at Vegas Golden KnightsTuesday, 9 p.m. ET; ESPN+, ATTSN-RM, FS-MW, NHL.TVThursday, 9 p.m. ET; ESPN+, ATTSN-RM, FS-MW, NHL.TV
When Alex Pietrangelo signed with the Golden Knights as an unrestricted free agent Oct. 13, he knew one day he'd have to play his former team.
He knew it would be a big deal. The defenseman spent 12 seasons in St. Louis and ranks fifth in games (758), third in assists (341) and ninth in points (450) in Blues history. He was the first Blues player to hoist the Stanley Cup when he did it as their captain in 2019.
What he didn't know was that the NHL would realign temporarily because of Canada-United States border restrictions and the need to reduce travel amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Or that Vegas and St. Louis would end up as rivals in the Honda West Division and play each other eight times in a 56-game intradivision schedule this season.

Matchup of the week: Kane vs. Josi

Chicago Blackhawks at Nashville Predators Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN
The Predators have Roman Josi, the reigning winner of the Norris Trophy voted as the best defenseman in the NHL. Still, it will be tough to stop Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane, one of the game's most entertaining offensive talents.
Kane's hands and hockey sense are still at the height of their powers. The 32-year-old scored 84 points (33 goals, 51 assists) in 70 games last season, eighth in the NHL, and has scored seven points (three goals, four assists) in six games this season.
Kane has scored 61 points (24 goals, 37 assists) in 65 games against Nashville.

More than Matthews vs. McDavid

Toronto Maple Leafs at Edmonton OilersThursday, 10 p.m. ET; SNW, TSN4, NHL.TVSaturday, 7 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN, NHL.TV
Connor McDavid of the Oilers and Auston Matthews of the Maple Leafs are just the start of the star power when Edmonton plays Toronto.
Four of the top seven goal-scorers since 2016-17 are on these teams. Matthews (161) is No. 2 behind Ovechkin (182). McDavid and Draisaitl (150) are tied for No. 5 behind David Pastrnak (155) of the Boston Bruins and Nikita Kucherov (153) of the Tampa Bay Lightning. John Tavares (142) of the Maple Leafs is next at No. 7 on the list.
Then there are Toronto's Mitchell Marner, who scored 67 points (16 goals, 51 assists) in 59 games last season, and Edmonton's Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who scored 61 points (22 goals, 39 assists) in 65 games last season.
Tavares (2009), Nugent-Hopkins (2011), McDavid (2015) and Matthews (2016) each was selected No. 1 in the NHL Draft. Draisaitl was the No. 3 pick in 2014. Marner was No. 4 in 2015.

Something to prove

Boston Bruins at Washington CapitalsSaturday, 7 p.m. ET -- ESPN+, NBCSWA, NESN, NHL.TV
Unlike Pietrangelo, Zdeno Chara knew exactly what he was getting into when he signed with the Capitals on Dec. 30. The defenseman knew he'd face the Bruins, his former team, eight times as a rival in the East, and he did it, anyway.
That takes nothing away from Chara's 14 seasons in Boston, which included a Stanley Cup championship in 2011 and appearances in the Stanley Cup Final in 2015 and 2019, not to mention a Norris Trophy in 2009.
But the 43-year-old wanted to still play a large role, and he will have the chance to prove he can against his former executives, coaches and teammates in direct competition in the same division this season.

Stat of the week

1,173 -- The number of regular-season (1,023) and playoff (150) games Chara played for the Bruins, and the number of games he served as captain. Chara signed with Boston as a free agent July 1, 2006 and became captain for the 2006-07 season. His predecessor? Joe Thornton. After Thornton was traded to the San Jose Sharks on Nov. 30, 2005, no one was captain until "Big Z."