NHL On Tap: Schenn returns to St. Louis with Islanders for 1st time since trade

There are 13 games on the NHL schedule for Tuesday, with three nationally televised in the United States and one in Canada. Here are five things to watch today, along with the complete game schedule:

Schenn returns

Brayden Schenn will return to St. Louis when the New York Islanders visit the St. Louis Blues (7:30 p.m. ET; HBO MAX, truTV, TNT), just four days after he was sent to New York prior to the NHL Trade Deadline on March 6. Schenn played nine seasons in St. Louis, won the Stanley Cup in 2019 and was Blues captain since 2023-24. He has 239 points (90 goals, 149 points) in 329 games at Enterprise Center, seventh in the history of the arena. He has played one game for the Islanders (36-23-5), who are third in the Metropolitan Division, one point behind the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Blues (25-29-9) are seventh in the Central but have won four straight.

McDavid vs. MacKinnon

The top two scorers in the NHL will play on national television in Canada and the United States when the Edmonton Oilers visit the Colorado Avalanche (10 p.m. ET; HBO MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS). Oilers captain Connor McDavid leads the League with 108 points (35 goals, 73 points) in 64 games; Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon is next with 104 points (43 goals, 61 assists) in 61 games and leads the NHL in goals. They were teammates -- and sometimes linemates -- for Team Canada at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, where they won a silver medal. They have identical stats in 23 head-to-head games in the NHL (33 points; 13 goals, 20 assists). The Avalanche (43-10-9) own the best record in the League. The Oilers (31-25-8) have lost six of 10 (4-6-0) to slip into third in the Pacific Division, two points behind the second-place Vegas Golden Knights.

Another Mammoth game

Each game is huge for the Utah Mammoth in their quest to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since the NHL established a new franchise in Salt Lake City on April 18, 2024. They face a test on the road against the Minnesota Wild (8 p.m. ET; HULU, ESPN+). The Wild (37-16-11) are fourth in the NHL and eight points ahead of the Mammoth (34-25-5) in the Central Division. This game comes at the end of a five-game road trip. Utah has outscored Minnesota 11-4 in two wins this season and is 3-0-1 on the trip after a 3-2 overtime loss at the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday.

Sabres streaking

Look who leads the Atlantic Division: The Buffalo Sabres (39-19-6). They haven't been in first place in their division at this stage or later since the end of the 2009-10 season and have a great chance to make the playoffs for the first time in 15 seasons, ending the longest drought in NHL history. They take a seven-game winning streak into their game against the San Jose Sharks (7 p.m. ET; NBCSCA, MSG-B). The Sharks (30-25-6) are one point behind the Seattle Kraken for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Western Conference and led by center Macklin Celebrini, who's fifth in the League with 89 points (32 goals, 57 assists) in 61 games.

Crosby watch

Sidney Crosby has missed seven games with a lower-body injury sustained at the Olympics but has practiced after skating on his own for days. Could he return when the Penguins visit the Carolina Hurricanes (7 p.m. ET; FDSNSO, SN-PIT) -- or at least sometime soon? This is the start of a brutal, critical trip for Pittsburgh (32-17-14), which is second to Carolina (40-17-6) in the Metropolitan. The Penguins will also visit the Vegas Golden Knights, Mammoth, Avalanche and the Hurricanes again on the trip. Center Evgeni Malkin is two games into a five-game suspension for slashing Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin on March 5.

The schedule

Los Angeles Kings at Boston Bruins (7 p.m. ET; FDSNW, NESN)

San Jose Sharks at Buffalo Sabres (7 p.m. ET; NBCSCA, MSG-B)

Toronto Maple Leafs at Montreal Canadiens (7 p.m. ET; RDS, SNE, SNO, SNP)

Columbus Blue Jackets at Tampa Bay Lightning (7 p.m. ET; The Spot, FDSNOH)

Detroit Red Wings at Florida Panthers (7 p.m. ET; FDSNDET, SCRIPPS)

Calgary Flames at New York Rangers (7 p.m. ET; MSG, SNW)

Pittsburgh Penguins at Carolina Hurricanes (7 p.m. ET; FDSNSO, SN-PIT)

New York Islanders at St. Louis Blues (7:30 p.m. ET; HBO MAX, truTV, TNT)

Vegas Golden Knights at Dallas Stars (8 p.m. ET; FOX4, Victory+, SCRIPPS)

Utah Mammoth at Minnesota Wild (8 p.m. ET; HULU, ESPN+)

Anaheim Ducks at Winnipeg Jets (8:30 p.m. ET; TSN3, KCOP-13, Victory+)

Edmonton Oilers at Colorado Avalanche (10 p.m. ET; HBO MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS)

Nashville Predators at Seattle Kraken (10 p.m. ET; FDSNSO, KHN/Prime, KONG)