Welcome to the NHL On Tap. Three NHL.com writers will share what they are most looking forward to on the schedule each day. Today, their choices from the two games Sunday.
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Ducks look to climb ladder
The Anaheim Ducks have the look of a team on the rise beginning their home schedule against the Carolina Hurricanes at Honda Center (8:30 p.m. ET; BSSO, BSSD, BSSC, SN1, SN360) despite a season-opening 4-1 loss at the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday. Forward Mason McTavish, 20, scored the lone goal and is part of a young core in Anaheim, which is looking to end a five-year Stanley Cup Playoff drought. The Ducks also feature forward Trevor Zegras, 22, rookie defenseman Pavel Mintyukov, 19, the No. 10 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, and defenseman Jamie Drysdale, 21, the No. 6 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. The Hurricanes are expected to be one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference and will give the Ducks another opportunity to gauge their progress on becoming a playoff contender. Carolina plays the second of a six-game road trip after blowing a 5-2 lead until winning 6-5 in a shootout at the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday. -- Derek Van Diest, staff writer
Cooper's challenge
Jon Cooper is the longest-tenured active coach in the NHL (12 seasons) and 481-251-67 with a .644 points percentage that's seventh in League history among those with at least 200 games. The question is not if the two-time Stanley Cup winner (2020, 2021) will become the 29th member of the 500-win club, but how soon he gets there. The Lightning are facing a test of character. They play the second of a back to back at the Ottawa Senators (7 p.m. ET; RDS2, TSN5, NHLN, BSSUN) after a 6-4 loss at the Detroit Red Wings. They're without Andrei Vasilevskiy, arguably the best goalie in the world who's out at least two months following back surgery and rolling with the untested Jonas Johansson as starting goalie. This is the greatest challenge of Cooper's NHL coaching career. If the Lightning weather the storm and navigate through the rugged Atlantic Division, perhaps he finally wins the Jack Adams Award that eluded him in 2014 and '19. -- Jon Lane, staff writer
Tarasenko time
When Vladimir Tarasenko signed a one-year contract with the Senators on July 27, it was a chance for him to make a statement with a team that just might make some noise in 2023-24. If the form Tarasenko showed during a 5-2 win against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday continues, the signing could be a boon for the Senators. Tarasenko had two assists, his first two points for Ottawa. It wasn't just him -- Jakub Chychrun had two goals and an assist and Brady Tkachuk scored twice -- but it was a good step to see how a healthy, productive Tarasenko can follow up on a season when he scored 50 points (18 goals, 32 assists) in 69 games for the St. Louis Blues and New York Rangers. -- Amalie Benjamin, staff writer
Sunday games
Tampa Bay Lightning at Ottawa Senators (7 p.m. ET; RDS2, TSN5, NHLN, BSSUN)
Goalie Matt Tompkins could make his NHL debut with the Lightning at 29 years, 118 days old after Johansson made 36 saves Saturday. Tompkins played 32 regular-season games and seven playoff games last season for Farjestad in the Swedish Hockey League and three games for Canada (1.01 goals-against average, .963 save percentage) at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. Joonas Korpisalo is likely for the Senators after Anton Forsberg made 19 saves Saturday to start a five-game homestand. He signed a five-year, $20 million contract with Ottawa on July 1 and made 37 saves in his regular-season debut, a 5-3 loss at the Hurricanes last Wednesday.
Carolina Hurricanes at Anaheim Ducks (8:30 p.m. ET; BSSO, BSSD, BSSC, SN1, SN360)
Hurricanes forward Sebastian Aho has scored 17 short-handed goals since 2016-17, most in the NHL in that span. His 471 points (219 goals, 252 assists) are two behind coach Rod Brind'Amour for fourth in Carolina/Hartford Whalers history. The Ducks are 19-9-1 in their 29 home openers, a .672 points percentage that entering this season was the fifth highest in NHL history.
