NHL On Tap: Penguins, Bruins face off in 2023 NHL Winter Classic

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 three games Monday.

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Penguins, Bruins ready for outdoor stage at Fenway Park

Boston Bruins coach Jim Montgomery participated in the NHL Winter Classic last year as an assistant with the St. Louis Blues on a frigid evening at Target Field in Minneapolis. He knows what's in store for himself, the Bruins, Pittsburgh Penguins and all the fans that will walk through the gates at 110-year-old Fenway Park for the 2023 Discover NHL Winter Classic (2 p.m. ET; TNT, SN, TVAS). "The Winter Classic is like the Super Bowl of hockey in the regular season," Montgomery said. "It's a great time. It's a great event. It's a special event." It is, indeed, an event. Sure, it's also a game and even though it's outside at the home of the Boston Red Sox, it's a home game for the Bruins (28-4-4) and they want to keep their impressive streak alive. Boston is 18-0-3 at TD Garden, a 21-game point streak to start the season that matches a team record set in 1973-74, when they were 19-0-2 at Boston Garden. The Penguins (19-11-6) want to stop a slump. They've lost four in a row (0-2-2), the latest 4-2 to the New Jersey Devils on Friday. You'll hear that two important points are on the line and that's where the focus has to be. Anyone who says that won't be wrong, but the Winter Classic is bigger than that. It's about the setting, the atmosphere, the hype. This year, it's about the Green Monster and Pesky Pole. It's about generational stars like Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin and Boston's Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak, who all could be playing their last outdoor game. It's about celebrating the game, the magic of it. One team will leave with two points. Everyone in the stadium and watching at home will get so much more out of it. -- Dan Rosen, senior writer

Rantanen, Stephenson power Avalanche, Golden Knights into Denver

Mikko Rantanen will be looking to get back on the score sheet when the Colorado Avalanche take on the Vegas Golden Knights at Ball Arena (9 p.m. ET; SN, TVAS, ALT2, ATTSN-RM, ESPN+, SN NOW). The forward was held without a point for the first time in five games when the Avalanche (19-13-3) lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday to end a scorching month of December that saw him score 16 points (11 goals, five assists) in 15 games. Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers (14), Tage Thompson of the Buffalo Sabres (13) and Alex Ovechkin (13) of the Washington Capitals were the only players to have more goals in December. Chandler Stephenson was even hotter for the Golden Knights (25-12-2), scoring 20 points (four goals, 16 assists) in 15 games last month. -- Shawn P. Roarke, senior director of editorial

Tippett giving Flyers hope for the future

A few building blocks are starting to develop for the Philadelphia Flyers entering the new year at the Anaheim Ducks (10 p.m. ET; BSW, NBCSP+, ESPN+, SN NOW). One is Owen Tippett, an investment the Flyers made when they acquired the No. 10 pick in the 2017 NHL Draft in the trade that sent captain Claude Giroux to the Florida Panthers on March 19. The 23-year-old forward has six multipoint games this season, three in his past five games including a goal and an assist to help Philadelphia (13-17-7) end 2022 with a 4-2 victory against the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday, when it rallied from down 2-0 to win consecutive games for the first time since Nov. 5 and 8. The Flyers have scored at least three goals in eight of their past 12 games, a boon for a team that had a .352 points percentage in the calendar year, better than only the Ducks (.347). Anaheim (10-23-4) plays the fifth of a team-record 10-game homestand that's also tied for the third-longest in NHL history. The Ducks are 6-9-1 at Honda Center and will try to recover from a 6-1 loss to the Nashville Predators on Friday. -- Jon Lane, staff writer

Monday games

Pittsburgh Penguins at Boston Bruins (2 p.m. ET; TNT, SN, TVS)
The 2023 Winter Classic will be the 36th NHL outdoor game and 12th in a baseball stadium. It's the first time the NHL has brought the event back to a venue; the Bruins defeated the Flyers 2-1 in overtime at Fenway Park in 2012. Bergeron and Krejci played that game for the Bruins, and Penguins center Jeff Carter played for the Flyers. It's the second game of the season between the Bruins and Penguins. Boston won 6-5 in overtime at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh on Nov. 1, coming back from down 5-2 in the second period. Penguins defenseman Kris Letang will not play. Coach Mike Sullivan said he returned home to be with his family after the death of his father.
Vegas Golden Knights at Colorado Avalanche (9 p.m. ET; SN, TVAS, ALT2, ATTSN-RM, ESPN+, SN NOW)
Colorado forward Darren Helm will make his season debut after recovering from abductor surgery in November. Vegas forward Michael Amadio has a point in six straight games (four goals, four assists). He had one goal and one assist in his first 19 games this season.
Philadelphia Flyers at Anaheim Ducks (10 p.m. ET; BSW, NBCSP+, ESPN+, SN NOW)
Goalie Sam Ersson will start for the Flyers. Carter Hart (upper body) has missed two games but coach John Tortorella said he passed his evaluation. Cam Fowler leads Ducks defensemen in assists (13) and points (17). The 31-year-old has 15 points (four goals, 11 assists) in his past 19 games.