NHL.com identifies key gameday matchups and players to watch throughout the 2023-24 season.
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Note: Betting lines provided by Betway (U.S., Ontario)
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1. Vegas Golden Knights at Carolina Hurricanes (7 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, BSSO)
VGK moneyline: +110
CAR moneyline: -130
The defending Stanley Cup champion Golden Knights have the second-best goal differential (plus-32) in the NHL behind the Vancouver Canucks (plus-41). Vegas is 9-3-3 on the road this season and 7-1-1 over its past nine games overall, and Carolina is 8-2-3 at home after consecutive losses to the Nashville Predators (6-5 in overtime) and Washington Capitals (2-1 in shootout) at PNC Arena.
The Golden Knights have the third-best team save percentage (.914) in the NHL, while the Hurricanes have the worst (.874) in the League. But Carolina is tied for the second-most shots on goal per game (33.9) behind the Edmonton Oilers (34.4) and has plenty of room for improvement in its 5-on-5 shooting percentage (7.7; tied for fifth lowest).
Hurricanes center Sebastian Aho has scored goals in three of his past four games with four in the span and leads them in points (27 in 28 games) this season. Carolina forward Andrei Svechnikov, who has missed the past six games with an upper-body injury, could return Tuesday. Forwards Jack Eichel and Mark Stone each has 12 points in eight games to lead the Golden Knights since Dec. 1.
2. Edmonton Oilers at New York Islanders (7:30 p.m. ET; HULU, ESPN+, SNW)
Over 6.5 total goals: -135
Under 6.5 total goals: +114
This matchup features the NHL’s top two teams in goals per game since Nov. 18, with the Oilers averaging 4.08 and the Islanders close behind at 3.86. New York has the ninth-best team save percentage (.909), while Edmonton is second worst (.878) in that category. The Oilers are 10-5-0 since hiring Kris Knoblauch to replace Jay Woodcroft as coach, including a 4-1 home win against the Islanders on Nov. 13, but have lost consecutive games to the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers by a combined 12-5 margin.
Islanders center Bo Horvat has a 10-game point streak (16 points in span) and is tied for the second-most points (14 in eight games) since Dec. 1 behind Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche (18 in nine games). The Oilers are the only team in the NHL with five players having at least a point per game: Connor McDavid (1.58; second in League behind Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov’s 1.68), Leon Draisaitl (1.18), Evan Bouchard (1.14), Zach Hyman (1.11) and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (1.04).
3. New York Rangers at Toronto Maple Leafs (7 p.m. ET; TSN4, MSG)
NYR puckline (+1.5 goals): -245
TOR puckline (-1.5 goals): +200
The Maple Leafs defeated the Rangers 7-3 at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 12. Toronto is on a nine-game point streak (6-0-3), has scored at least three goals in eight straight games and each of its past three wins have come by multiple goals. New York is coming off a 2-1 win at the Boston Bruins on Saturday, improving to 11-4-1 on the road -- the most such victories in the Eastern Conference.
Four Toronto forwards had multiple points in the first game against New York; Auston Matthews (two goals, two assists), Mitch Marner (two goals, one assist), William Nylander (two assists) and Calle Jarnkrok (one goal, one assist). Maple Leafs goalie Martin Jones stopped 28 of 31 shots faced in the win against the Rangers and is 3-0-0 with a .949 save percentage and one shutout since the injury to rookie Joseph Woll. New York has two players with a point per game this season: forward Artemi Panarin (1.45; fourth in NHL with 42 in 29 games) and defenseman Adam Fox (1.11; 21 in 19 games).
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