NHL On Tap: Kane resumes pursuit of Modano's U.S.-born scoring record

There are three games on the NHL schedule for Sunday, including one nationally televised in the United States and two in Canada. Here are the five things to watch today, along with the complete game schedule.

Showtime's latest act

Patrick Kane keeps playing great hockey and is nearing another milestone. The Detroit Red Wings forward is four points from passing Mike Modano for the most by a United States-born player in NHL history and he’ll look to get closer when the Detroit Red Wings (29-16-4) host the Ottawa Senators (22-19-5) at Little Caesars Arena (5 p.m. ET; FDSNDET, TSN5, RDS2). Kane has 1,371 points (500 goals, 871 assists) in 1,336 games. Modano had 1,374 points (561 goals, 813 assists) in 1,499 games. There’s no doubt Kane will get there; it's just a matter of when, and it could be Sunday.

Bolts still booming

OK, so the Tampa Bay Lightning’s 11-game winning streak, tied for the longest in their history (Jan. 29-Feb. 17, 2020) ended with a 3-2 shootout loss at the St. Louis Blues on Friday. The Lightning (29-13-4) still have a 12-game point streak (11-0-1) and haven’t been defeated in regulation since a 2-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Dec. 18. They also have an 11-game road point streak (9-0-2) they could extend against the Dallas Stars (27-12-9) at American Airlines Center (2 p.m. ET; The Spot, Victory+, NHLN, SN, TVAS). The winning streak was part of a 13-2-2 run that has vaulted Tampa Bay into a tie with the Red Wings for the Atlantic Division lead.

Stars search

There are going to be bumps in a season, and Dallas is going through one now, having lost three of four (1-2-1) and going 2-5-2 in its past nine games. Back home after a season-long six-game road trip, the Stars will look to find success again, starting against the Lightning. Dallas will continue to lean on forwards Mikko Rantanen and Jason Robertson for production; Rantanen leads the Stars with 63 points (19 goals, 44 assists) in 47 games and Robertson is next with 56 points (27 goals, 29 assists) in 48 games.

Hitting the highway

The Blues (19-21-8) are trying to stay in the hunt for Stanley Cup playoff spot, and if they are to be successful they'll need to improve their road record of 7-12-3. They’ll attempt to get down to business in the the opener of a three-game road trip against the Edmonton Oilers (23-17-8) at Rogers Place (8 p.m. ET; TVAS, SN, FDSNMW). St. Louis has lost five straight away from home, outscored 25-9, and the Blues have not won on the road since a 6-2 win at the Florida Panthers on Dec. 20.

Drai' town

The Oilers will open an eight-game homestand when they face the Blues, but they'll be doing it without high-scoring center Leon Draisaitl, who is taking a leave of absence to attend to a family illness in Germany and is expected to return next week. It's difficult to replace Draisaitl, who has 67 points (25 goals, 42 assists) in 48 games, second on Edmonton behind captain Connor McDavid (82 points; 30 goals, 52 assists) in 48 games. But the Oilers will look to tap into defenseman Evan Bouchard (46 points; 11 goals, 35 assists in 48 games) and forwards Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (37 points; 11 goals, 26 assists in 39 games) and Zach Hyman (27 points; 16 goals, 11 assists in 29 games) to pick up the slack in Draisaitl's absence.

The schedule

Tampa Bay Lightning at Dallas Stars (2 p.m. ET; The Spot, Victory+, NHLN, SN, TVAS)

Ottawa Senators at Detroit Red Wings (5 p.m. ET; FDSNDET, TSN5, RDS2)

St. Louis Blues at Edmonton Oilers (8 p.m. ET; TVAS, SN, FDSNMW)