NHL On Tap: Maple Leafs host Lightning in Atlantic Division showdown

Welcome to the NHL On Tap, a daily look at the games on the NHL schedule. There are nine games on the schedule for Monday, including one televised nationally in the United States and Canada:

Games of the day

Tampa Bay Lightning at Toronto Maple Leafs (7:30 p.m. ET; TVAS, Prime, NHLN, FDSNSUN)

This game features two of the top scorers in the NHL this season. Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov ranks third with 68 points (21 goals, 47 assists) in 42 games -- and first on the road with 40 points (12 goals, 28 assists) in 22 games. Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner ranks fifth with 64 points (14 goals, 50 assists) in 47 games -- and third at home with 38 points (seven goals, 31 assists) in 27 games. It’s also an important game in the Atlantic Division. Toronto (29-16-2) is in first place; Tampa Bay (25-16-3) is in third, seven points behind -- and only one point ahead of the Ottawa Senators, who hold the first wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference. The Maple Leafs are 2-0-0 against the Lightning this season, winning 5-2 at home Oct. 21 and 5-3 on the road Nov. 30.

St. Louis Blues at Vegas Golden Knights (6 p.m. ET; FDSNMW, SCRIPPS)

Two of Canada’s goalies for the 4 Nations Face-Off will go head-to-head, making their cases to be No. 1 when Canada faces Finland, Sweden and the United States in the best-on-best tournament in Montreal and Boston from Feb. 12-20. Jordan Binnington is 12-17-3 with a 2.83 goals-against average, an .899 save percentage and three shutouts for the Blues (22-21-4). Adin Hill is 18-8-2 with a 2.56 GAA, a .903 save percentage and two shutouts for the Golden Knights (29-14-3). Hill won the first matchup of the season when Vegas defeated Binnington and St. Louis 4-3 at T-Mobile Arena on Oct. 11. The teams will play again at Enterprise Center on Thursday.

Minnesota Wild at Colorado Avalanche (3 p.m. ET; FDSNWI, FDSNNO, ALT)

The Wild (27-15-4) need this one. They’re third in the Central Division, one point ahead of the Avalanche. They’ve lost three in a row, and they’ve lost five straight to Colorado. The last time these teams met, the Avalanche won 6-1 in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Jan. 9. Colorado (28-18-1) is coming off a 6-3 win against the Dallas Stars on Saturday and has three of the most prolific offensive players in the League. Center Nathan MacKinnon ranks first with 73 points (17 goals, 56 assists) in 47 games, and forward Mikko Rantanen is sixth with 63 points (25 goals, 38 assists) in 47 games. Cale Makar leads defensemen with 52 points (15 goals, 37 assists) in 47 games.

Other Monday games

San Jose Sharks at Boston Bruins (1 p.m. ET; NBCSCA, NESN)

Macklin Celebrini returns to Boston, where the 18-year-old forward starred for Boston University last season. The No. 1 pick of the 2024 NHL Draft ranks third among all rookies with 32 points (13 goals, 19 assists) in 36 games for the Sharks (14-28-6). The Bruins (22-19-6) are in a tight playoff race, one point behind the Columbus Blue Jackets, who hold the second wild card in the East.

Buffalo Sabres at Seattle Kraken (4 p.m. ET; KHN, KONG, MSG-B, TVAS)

The Kraken (20-24-3) have fared well against the Sabres (17-23-5) since entering the NHL as an expansion team in 2021-22; they are 6-1-0 against them, including 2-1-0 in Seattle. They just defeated them 6-2 in Buffalo on Jan. 11.

Columbus Blue Jackets at New York Islanders (7:30 p.m. ET; FDSNOH, MSGSN)

Columbus (22-17-7) is on a 6-0-1 run, led by Zach Werenski, who is tied with Makar in goals (15) for the lead among NHL defenseman and one behind him in assists (36) and points (51). The Blue Jackets defeated the Islanders 2-0 in Columbus on Oct. 30, but New York (18-20-7) has won six straight against the Blue Jackets at home.

Carolina Hurricanes at Chicago Blackhawks (8:30 p.m. ET; FDSNSO, CHSN, TVAS-D)

Jordan Staal will play his 1,300th NHL game for the Hurricanes (27-16-3), who are 3-1-1 in their past five. Connor Bedard leads the Blackhawks (15-28-3) with 41 points (13 goals, 28 assists) in 46 games, including 15 points (six goals, nine assists) in his past 13.

Winnipeg Jets at Utah Hockey Club (9:30 p.m. ET; UTAH16, TSN3, TVAS)

Winnipeg (31-13-3) has scored 165 goals this season, the most in the NHL and the most in team history this far into a season. Mark Scheifele is tied for second in the League with 27 goals, and Kyle Connor one goal behind. Logan Cooley is on a three-game goal streak for Utah (19-19-7).

Pittsburgh Penguins at Los Angeles Kings (10:30 p.m. ET; FDSNW, SN-PIT)

The Kings (25-13-5) are 4-0-1 in their past five games against the Penguins (19-21-8) in Los Angeles, outscoring them 22-9. Forward Adrian Kempe has eight goals in his past four games against Pittsburgh. The Kings (1.94) are the only team in the NHL allowing less than two goals per game at home.