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 10 games Monday.
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Bedard rolling again for Blackhawks
Oh, did the Chicago Blackhawks miss Connor Bedard, and Bedard missed hockey. That's been evident the past two games since Bedard returned from a fractured jaw he sustained Jan. 5. The 18-year-old center has one goal and two assists and looks for more against the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena (7 p.m. ET; BSSO, NBCSCH). Bedard leads NHL rookies with 36 points (16 goals, 20 assists) and the Blackhawks (15-37-3) with 127 shots on goal despite not playing for nearly six weeks. The Hurricanes (32-17-5) are 4-1-0 in their past five games and second in the Metropolitan Division, six points behind the New York Rangers. Jordan Staal's 417 points in 796 games are sixth in Hurricanes/Hartford Whalers history. -- Tracey Myers, staff writer
Lightning hit reset after 9-2 loss
The Tampa Bay Lightning have no choice but to move ahead to the third of a four-game homestand against the Ottawa Senators at Amalie Arena (7 p.m. ET; BSSUN, NHLN, SN, TVAS). Their three-game home winning streak ended with a 9-2 loss to the Florida Panthers on Saturday that, combined with Toronto Maple Leafs defeating the Anaheim Ducks, dropped them from third place in the Atlantic Division to the first wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference. It was a wakeup call for the Lightning (30-21-5), who won five in a row from Jan. 9-20 and are 6-4-0 since, but now sit five points ahead of the New Jersey Devils in a race that will become more precarious in the coming months. Ottawa (22-27-2) trails the Detroit Red Wings by 16 points for the second wild card and is getting closer to its seventh consecutive season without a playoff appearance. It gets harder for the Senators with a back-to-back set against the Lightning and the Panthers, whose 76 points are four behind the Vancouver Canucks for most in the NHL. -- Jon Lane, staff writer
Kane looks to extend point streak to five games
Patrick Kane is heating up at the most opportune time and will look to keep it going for the Detroit Red Wings (28-20-6) on the road against the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena (3:30 p.m. ET; ESPN). Kane had a goal and an assist in a 5-0 win against the Calgary Flames to extend his point streak to four games (two goals, four assists) since returning from a lower-body injury Feb. 10. The 35-year-old forward needs one assist to become the third United States-born player with 800 in his NHL career, following Phil Housley (894) and Mike Modano (813). Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby (976) is the only other active player with at least 800. Seattle (23-21-10) ended a four-game road trip with its second win in a row, 4-1 at the Boston Bruins on Feb. 15 and begin a six-game homestand. -- Mike G. Morreale, senior draft writer
Monday games
Anaheim Ducks at Buffalo Sabres (12:30 p.m. ET; BSSD, BSSC, MSG-B)
Frank Vatrano's 10 power-play goals lead the Ducks (19-33-2). He is the second Anaheim skater to reach the mark in the past decade (Corey Perry, 12 in 2015-16). The Sabres (24-26-4) have allowed 34 goals in 15 games since Jan. 1, second fewest in the NHL to the Winnipeg Jets (31).
Dallas Stars at Boston Bruins (1 p.m. ET; BSSW, NESN, SNW, SNE, SN1, SN360)
The Stars (34-14-7) have points in four straight games (3-0-1). Forward Mason Marchment is on a nine-game point streak (four goals, nine assists), tied with Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov and Montreal Canadiens forward Nick Suzuki for the longest active run in the NHL. The Bruins (32-12-11) have lost four in a row (0-2-2). James van Riemsdyk had two goals and an assist, his third three-point game this season, in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday.
Toronto Maple Leafs at St. Louis Blues (1 p.m. ET; ESPN, SNO)
Auston Matthews will look for his third straight hat trick and seventh of the season for the Maple Leafs (29-16-8), who have won three in a row. Matthews' six hat tricks are most in a season since 1995-96, when Mario Lemieux had six for the Penguins. Robert Thomas has 17 points (three goals, 14 assists) in his past 11 games for the Blues (29-23-2), who lost 5-2 to the Nashville Predators on Saturday and are 8-3-0 in their past 11.
Vancouver Canucks at Minnesota Wild (2 p.m. ET; BSWI, BSN, SNP)
The Canucks (37-13-6) hold a four-point lead over the Panthers for the best record in the NHL. Joel Eriksson Ek (four goals, two assists) and Kirill Kaprizov (one goal, five assists) each has a four-game point streak for the Wild (25-23-6). Kaprizov has 285 points (134 goals, 151 assists) in 250 NHL games. Four other active players had that many after their first 250: Sidney Crosby (344), Connor McDavid (318), Evgeni Malkin (314) and Alex Ovechkin (313).
Detroit Red Wings at Seattle Kraken (3:30 p.m. ET; ESPN)
Jared McCann has two goals and four points in a four-game point streak, and the Kraken forward needs 11 points to become the 13th player in NHL history with at least 50 in each of a franchise's first three or more seasons. Among teams to debut in the 1990s or later, the only players to accomplish the feat are Reilly Smith (Vegas Golden Knights, 2017-20) and Cliff Ronning (Nashville Predators, 1998-2001). The Red Wings are 23-2-3 when scoring at least four goals.
Edmonton Oilers at Arizona Coyotes (4 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, SNO, SNE, SN1, TVAS)
The Oilers (32-18-1) are 29-9-0 since coach Kris Knoblauch replaced Jay Woodcroft on Nov. 12, leading the NHL in wins and a .763 points percentage. Captain Connor McDavid has at least 60 assists in eight consecutive seasons, second-longest in NHL history Wayne Gretzky (13 from 1979-80–1991-92). The Coyotes (23-27-4) have lost nine in a row (0-8-1) and are 4-13-2 since a 2-0 win at the Ducks on Dec. 29.
Winnipeg Jets at Calgary Flames (4 p.m. ET; SNW, TSN3)
Gabriel Vilardi's 13 goals for the Jets (33-14-5) are the most in a player's first season with the team since Patrik Laine scored 36 in 2016-17. Since Jan. 18, the Flames (25-25-5) have lost four in a row, won four consecutive games and lost three in a row. Jacob Markstrom (99-69-25) can become the fifth goalie to win 100 games for Calgary/Atlanta.
Vegas Golden Knights at San Jose Sharks (4 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, NBCSCA)
Nicolas Roy extended his point streak to eight games (three goals, nine assists) for the Golden Knights (31-17-6) with an assist in a 3-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday, when Alec Martinez played his 800th NHL game. The Sharks (15-34-5) are second on the penalty kill (88.6 percent) since Jan. 11 behind the Hurricanes (90.9 percent).
Chicago Blackhawks at Carolina Hurricanes (7 p.m. ET; BSSO, NBCSCH)
Hurricanes goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov is 14-9-3 with a 2.46 goals-against average, .905 save percentage and two shutouts in 28 games (26 starts) this season. This is the start of a three-game homestand for the Hurricanes, who are 17-6-4 at PNC Arena. Blackhawks forward Philipp Kurashev has seven points (one goal, six assists) during a five-game point streak.
Ottawa Senators at Tampa Bay Lightning (7 p.m. ET; BSSUN, NHLN, SN, TVAS)
Ottawa is 3-for-20 on the power play in its past six games. Tim Stutzle is one point from becoming the first Senators player since Mark Stone (2014-15 to 2018-19) to reach 50 points in at least three straight seasons. Lightning forward Brandon Hagel has 14 points (seven goals, seven assists) during an NHL career-high nine-game point streak.
