NHL On Tap: Wild host Canadiens with Hughes on 8-game point streak

There are 10 games on the NHL schedule for Monday, including one nationally televised in Canada. Here are the five things to watch today, along with the complete game schedule.

Wild ride

Quinn Hughes will look to extend his point streak to nine games when the Minnesota Wild (32-14-10) host the Montreal Canadiens (31-17-7) at Grand Casino Arena (7:30 p.m. ET; FDSNWI, FDSNNO, Prime, RDS). The Wild defenseman has 13 points (two goals, 11 assists) during the run and can tie Kirill Kaprizov's Minnesota record nine-game assist streak set from Nov. 11 to Dec. 1, 2022. Hughes has two games left before joining Team USA for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, one of nine Wild players selected for the 12-team tournament, and his 47 assists are tied with Lane Hutson of the Canadiens for the NHL lead among defensemen. Montreal captain Nick Suzuki will play for Team Canada and is one of four Canadiens that will be heading to Italy.

Battle of top picks

Macklin Celebrini and Connor Bedard will go head to head for the first time this season when the San Jose Sharks (27-22-4) visit the Chicago Blackhawks (21-25-9) at United Center (8:30 p.m. ET; CHSN, NBCSCA). Bedard, selected by Chicago with the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, has 52 points (22 goals, 30 assists) in 42 games. The 20-year-old forward missed 12 games because of a shoulder injury sustained during a 3-2 loss at the St. Louis Blues on Dec. 12. Bedard also missed a 4-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Jan. 12 because of an illness. Celebrini, chosen No. 1 by San Jose in the 2024 NHL Draft, is fourth in the NHL with 79 points (27 goals, 57 assists). The 19-year-old forward was selected to play for Canada at the Olympics.

Penguins streaking

The Pittsburgh Penguins (28-14-11) will try to extend their winning streak to seven games when they host the Ottawa Senators (26-21-7) at PPG Paints Arena (7 p.m. ET; SN-PIT, TSN5, TVAS). Pittsburgh moved into second in the Metropolitan Division with a 6-5 win against the New York Rangers on Saturday, two points ahead of the third-place New York Islanders and seven behind the first-place Carolina Hurricanes. Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin is on a five-game point streak (three goals, four assists), while goalie Stuart Skinner is 8-1-0 with a 2.01 goals-against average and .917 save percentage in his past nine starts.

Leading the way

Nathan MacKinnon and the Colorado Avalanche close out a home and home with the Detroit Red Wings at Ball Arena (9 p.m. ET; FDSNDET, KTVD, ALT). The Avalanche forward will play for Canada at the Olympics. He was the first to score 40 goals this season and fifth to reach the total before an Olympic break (Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, Teemu Selanne, Jaromir Jagr). His 91 points are second in the League to Oilers captain Connor McDavid (95). MacKinnon scored two goals for the Avalanche (36-8-9) in a 5-0 win at Detroit on Saturday and is looking to win his first Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy as goal-scoring leader in his 13th NHL season. The Red Wings (32-18-6) are second in the Atlantic Division, four points behind the first-place Tampa Bay Lightning, and seeking their first Stanley Cup Playoff berth since 2015-16.

Nylander back

William Nylander will play his second game since returning from a groin injury when the Toronto Maple Leafs (25-21-9) travel to face the Calgary Flames (22-26-6) at Scotiabank Saddledome (10 p.m. ET; TVAS, SNW, TSN4). The Toronto forward missed seven games because of the injury sustained during a 6-5 overtime loss at the Vegas Golden Knights on Jan. 15. Nylander, who scored the shootout winner in a 3-2 victory against the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday, has 48 points (17 goals, 31 assists) in 38 games and is expected to play for Sweden at the Olympics. Toronto is eighth in the Atlantic Division and eight points behind the Buffalo Sabres for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference.

The schedule

Buffalo Sabres at Florida Panthers (7 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, MSG-B)

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

New York Islanders at Washington Capitals (7 p.m. ET; MNMT, MSGSN)

Montreal Canadiens at Minnesota Wild (7:30 p.m. ET; FDSNWI, FDSNNO, Prime, RDS)

St. Louis Blues at Nashville Predators (8 p.m. ET; FDSNMW, FDSNSO)

San Jose Sharks at Chicago Blackhawks (8:30 p.m. ET; CHSN, NBCSCA)

Winnipeg Jets at Dallas Stars (8:30 p.m. ET; FOX4, Victory+, TSN3)

Detroit Red Wings at Colorado Avalanche (9 p.m. ET; FDSNDET, KTVD, ALT)

Vancouver Canucks at Utah Mammoth (9:30 p.m. ET; Utah16, SNP)

Toronto Maple Leafs at Calgary Flames (10 p.m. ET; TVAS, SNW, TSN4)