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 Dallas Stars (9:30 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, MAX, TNT)
VGK moneyline: +105
DAL moneyline: -125
This is a rematch of the 2023 Western Conference Final, when the Golden Knights defeated the Stars in six games on the way to their first Stanley Cup championship. The Golden Knights are second in the NHL standings (28 points; 13-4-2) this season, and the Stars are not far behind (tied for fourth with 25 points; 12-3-1). The Golden Knights defeated the Stars 3-2 in a shootout Oct. 17 at home.
The Golden Knights are led by their strong goalie tandem of Adin Hill and Logan Thompson (.918 team save percentage; third best in NHL), and the Stars rank fifth in the category (.915) thanks largely to elite starter Jake Oettinger, who has played in 12 of their 17 games and is 8-3-1 with a .920 save percentage.
Dallas forward Matt Duchene has a six-game point streak with 10 points (four goals, six assists) in the span. The Stars scored six unanswered goals to defeat the New York Rangers 6-3 at home on Monday, giving Dallas five wins in its past six games. The Golden Knights lost consecutive games on the road to the Philadelphia Flyers (4-3 in overtime Saturday) and Pittsburgh Penguins (3-0 on Sunday) this past weekend.
2. Vancouver Canucks at Colorado Avalanche (10 p.m. ET; ALT, SNP)
Over 6.5 total goals: -110
Under 6.5 total goals: -110
This matchup features two of the best offenses in the NHL; the Canucks lead the League in goals per game (4.11) and the Avalanche rank third (3.76). But each team also has a top-notch goalie option with Alexandar Georgiev leading the NHL in wins (10 in 15 games; also was tied with Linus Ullmark of Boston Bruins for League lead with 40 last season) and Thatcher Demko tied for second (nine in 13 games) in the category. Among the 27 NHL goalies who have played at least 10 games this season, Demko ranks second in save percentage (.929) behind Cam Talbot of the Los Angeles Kings (.930 in 13 games).
Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes leads the entire NHL in points (30 in 19 games) and ranks second in power-play points (14; behind New Jersey Devils forward Jesper Bratt’s 16 PPP), while his forward teammates J.T. Miller (29 points; tied for second) and Elias Pettersson (28; tied for fourth) join him among the League’s best. Right wing Brock Boeser is also among the leaders in goals (13 in 19 games; tied for third). But the Avalanche are led by a high-scoring defenseman of their own in Cale Makar, who leads the entire NHL in assists (23 in 17 games). The Avalanche’s strong penalty kill (86.8 percent; fifth in NHL) looks to contain the Canucks’ potent power play (31.0 percent; third in League).
3. Edmonton Oilers at Carolina Hurricanes (7 p.m. ET; BSSO, SNP, SNO, SNE, SN1)
EDM puckline (+1.5 goals): -205
CAR puckline (-1.5 goals): +170
Per NHL EDGE stats, the Hurricanes lead the League in offensive zone time percentage (47.2), and the Oilers rank right behind them in that category (44.6; second). But each team has struggled on the other end of the ice; Edmonton has the worst team save percentage (.867) in the NHL this season, and Carolina is fourth worst (.878) in the category.
Edmonton is 2-2-0 under new coach Kris Knoblauch, who was hired to replace Jay Woodcroft on Nov. 12; the Oilers scored a combined eight goals and allowed four over Knoblauch’s first two games but have since allowed 11 over their next two games, consecutive road losses to the Tampa Bay Lightning (6-4 on Saturday) and Florida Panthers (5-3 on Monday) by two-goal margins. The Hurricanes have allowed five goals over their past three games (2-1-0 in span) and have a better power-play percentage (24.6; tied for seventh in NHL) than the Oilers (21.7; 12th), who have taken a step back after leading the League in the category (32.4) last season.
Hurricanes wing Andrei Svechnikov is still seeking his first goal of the season (none on 19 shots on goal in nine games) after missing the start of the season in his recovery from knee surgery but had two hat tricks (six goals) in two games against the Oilers last season. Forward Evander Kane leads Edmonton in goals (five) and shots on goal (19) over the first four games under Knoblauch, including a hat trick against the Seattle Kraken on Nov. 15.
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