NHL On Tap: Sabres, Flyers clash; Crosby tries to pass Lemieux as Penguins' leader

There are 10 games on the NHL schedule for Thursday, with one nationally televised in the United States. Thursday also marks the tenth week of "NHL Coast to Coast," a weekly whip-around studio show on Prime Video in Canada giving viewers live look-ins, highlights and analysis of all the games. Here are five things to watch today, along with the complete game schedule.

Thompson, Zegras clash in battle of goal streaks

It will be a battle of goal streaks when Tage Thompson and the Buffalo Sabres (14-14-4) host Trevor Zegras and the Philadelphia Flyers (17-9-6) at KeyBank Center (7:30 p.m. ET; HULU, ESPN+). Thompson, who is making a case for inclusion on the U.S. roster at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 in February, has scored in four straight games, including a 3-1 win at the Seattle Kraken on Sunday that extended Buffalo's season-high three-game winning streak. The forward has seven points (four goals, three assists) during his streak. Buffalo is looking for its first win under new general manager Jarmo Kekalainen, who replaced Kevyn Adams on Monday. They are 4-2-3 in their first game under a new GM. Zegras scored in his fourth straight game in the Flyers' 4-1 win at the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday. The forward has seven points (four goals, three assists) during a five-game point streak. He can become the 10th different player in Flyers history with a five-game goal streak in his first season with the team.

Crosby on the cusp of Lemieux

Sidney Crosby can pass Mario Lemieux for most points in Pittsburgh Penguins history when the Penguins visit the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre (7 p.m. ET; RDS2, TSN5, SN-PIT). The Penguins captain has 1,722 points (644 goals, 1,078 assists) in 1,384 games, one behind Lemieux (1,723 points; 690 goals, 1,033 assists in 915 games). The center drew closer to the milestone with one assist in 6-4 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday, the Penguins' sixth straight defeat (0-2-4). He can tie Adam Oates for eighth place on the NHL's all-time assists list and can become the seventh player in League history to register at least 18 career 20-goal seasons. Bryan Rust is riding a four-game goal streak for Pittsburgh (14-9-9) and has seven points (four goals, three assists) during the run. Ottawa (15-13-4) went 2-1-0 during a three-game road trip, including a 3-2 overtime win at the Winnipeg Jets on Monday, and is looking to end a three-game home losing streak. Forward Tim Stutzle, who will play in his 400th NHL game, had three assists in the win Monday and has nine points (four goals, five assists) during a four-game point streak.

Wild seeks sixth straight win

Forward Kirill Kaprizov, defenseman Quinn Hughes and the Minnesota Wild (20-9-5) will try to extend the NHL's longest active winning streak to six games when they visit defenseman Zach Werenski and the Columbus Blue Jackets (14-13-6) at Nationwide Arena Jackets (7 p.m. ET; FDSNWIX, FDSNSO, FDSNOH). Kaprizov has three goals in his past two games, while forward Joel Eriksson Ek has eight points (three goals, five assists) during a five-game point streak. Hughes has two points (one goal, one assist) in two games since being traded to Minnesota by the Vancouver Canucks on Dec. 12 for defenseman Zeev Buium, forwards Marco Rossi and Liam Ohgren, and a first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. Columbus looks to build off a 4-3 overtime win against the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday that ended a five-game losing streak. Werenski, who is vying to make the U.S. team at the Olympics, had brings a three-game point streak (two goals, four assists) into the game.

Sharks go for four straight

Macklin Celebrini and the San Jose Sharks (17-14-3) go for a fourth win in a row against the Dallas Stars (22-7-5) at SAP Center (10 p.m. ET; Victory+, NBCSCA). The 19-year-old forward, who is hoping to make Canada's Olympic roster, had two goals and two assists in a 6-3 win against the Calgary Flames on Tuesday and has eight points (three goals, five assists) during a three-game point streak. He has 11 points (four goals, seven assists) over his past five games. Dallas plays the first of back-to-back road games after a 4-1 win against the Los Angeles Kings on Monday when Casey DeSmith made 27 saves. The goalie is 8-1-3 in 12 starts and hasn't lost in regulation since a 5-3 defeat against the Vancouver Canucks on Oct. 16.

NHL's top scorers clash

There could be goals aplenty when forward Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers (16-12-6) visit forward Morgan Geekie and the Boston Bruins (20-14-0) at TD Garden (7 p.m. ET; NESN, SNP, SNW, SNE, TVAS). Geekie's 24 goals are second in the NHL behind Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche (28). McDavid is second in the NHL in points (56 points; 20 goals, 36 assists), two behind MacKinnon, and is tied for fourth in goals. He had two goals and two assists in a 6-4 win at the Penguins to extend a seven-game point streak (nine goals, 11 assists). Teammate Leon Draisaitl is fourth in the NHL with 47 points (17 goals, 30 assists in 34 games) and became the first Germany-born player in NHL history to surpass reach 1,000 points with four assists on Tuesday. He has 1,003 points (416 goals, 587 assists) in 824 games since being selected in the first round (No. 3) by Edmonton in the 2014 NHL Draft.

The schedule

Edmonton Oilers at Boston Bruins (7 p.m. ET; NESN, SNP, SNW, SNE, TVAS)

Chicago Blackhawks at Montreal Canadiens (7 p.m. ET; RDS, TSN2, CHSN)

Pittsburgh Penguins at Ottawa Senators (7 p.m. ET; RDS2, TSN5, SN-PIT)

Los Angeles Kings at Tampa Bay Lightning (7 p.m. ET; The Spot, FDSNW)

Toronto Maple Leafs at Washington Capitals (7 p.m. ET; MNMT, SNO)

Minnesota Wild at Columbus Blue Jackets (7 p.m. ET; FDSNWIX, FDSNSO, FDSNOH)

Philadelphia Flyers at Buffalo Sabres (7;30 p.m. ET; HULU, ESPN+)

New York Rangers at St. Louis Blues (8 p.m. ET; FDSNMW, MSGSN)

Seattle Kraken at Calgary Flames (9 p.m. ET; TVAS, SN1, KONG, KING 5, KHN/Prime)

Dallas Stars at San Jose Sharks (10 p.m. ET; Victory+, NBCSCA)