NHL On Tap: Schmaltz, Coyotes look to stay hot against Maple Leafs
Eichel faces Sabres for first time since trade; Makar tries to extend streak for Avalanche
© Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
By
NHL.com @NHLdotcom
#
Schmaltz overshadows goals leader Matthews
Auston Matthews scored a hat trick Tuesday for the Toronto Maple Leafs in a 6-4 home win against the Seattle Kraken, his fourth goal in two nights to give him an NHL-leading 43. But he won't even be the hottest player on the ice when the Arizona Coyotes visit Scotiabank Arena (7 p.m. ET; SNO, BSAZ, ESPN+, NHL LIVE). Coyotes forward Nick Schmaltz has scored 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in his past two games, Arizona winning at the Detroit Red Wings 9-2 on Tuesday after an 8-5 home win against the Ottawa Senators. The Maple Leafs (37-16-4) are third in the Atlantic Division, five points behind the first-place Florida Panthers, while the Coyotes (17-35-4) are last in the Central Division. But the high-powered offense of Matthews and Schmaltz makes this game more compelling than the sum of its parts. -- Dave Stubbs, columnist
Eichel returns to Buffalo to play Sabres for first time
Jack Eichel will play his former team for the first time when the Vegas Golden Knights visit the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center (7 p.m. ET; ESPN+, HULU, NHL LIVE). The center was traded to the Golden Knights on Nov. 4 after playing six seasons with the Sabres, scoring at least 24 goals in each of his first five. He had artificial disk replacement surgery following the trade and has scored seven points (three goals, four assists) in 10 games since making his Vegas debut Feb. 16. The Golden Knights (32-22-4) defeated the Sabres 5-2 in Las Vegas on Feb. 1, 15 days before Eichel made his debut. Forward Alex Tuch, who was acquired in the trade for Eichel, has scored 23 points (seven goals, 16 assists) in 26 games for the Sabres (18-32-8). -- David Satriano, staff writer
Makar moves closer to historic assist streak
Cale Makar tries to extend his point streak and assist streak to 14 games for the Colorado Avalanche when they play at the Carolina Hurricanes (7 p.m. ET; BSSO, ALT, ESPN+, NHL LIVE). The 23-year-old defenseman has scored 21 points (three goals, 18 assists) during his streak for the Avalanche (41-12-5). His 13-game assist streak, the longest in Avalanche/Quebec Nordiques history, ranks fifth in NHL history among defensemen behind Paul Coffey (17 games, 1985-86), Brian Leetch (15, 1991-92), Phil Housley (14, 1992-93) and Bobby Orr (14, 1970-71). Forward Sebastian Aho has scored 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in his past 10 games for Carolina (39-12-5), which is 10-0-1 in its past 11 home games. The Hurricanes have not lost at home in regulation since a 6-0 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Jan. 13. -- Mike G. Morreale, staff writer
Thursday games
Chicago Blackhawks at Boston Bruins (7 p.m. ET; SN360, SNE, SNP, TVAS, NESN, NBCSCH, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
Patrick Kane scored an NHL career-high six points (one goal, five assists) in an 8-3 win against the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday and has scored 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in his past four games for the Blackhawks (21-29-8). Forward David Pastrnak has scored 12 points (seven goals, five assists) in his past nine games for the Bruins (34-18-5).
Vegas Golden Knights at Buffalo Sabres (7 p.m ET; ESPN+, HULU, NHL LIVE)
The Sabres continue a five-game homestand, having lost the past two games by a combined score of 9-1. Forward Jeff Skinner has scored three goals in 11 games since scoring four in a 5-3 win at the Montreal Canadiens on Feb. 13. Buffalo goalie Craig Anderson needs one win to become the sixth United States-born goalie to reach 300 in the NHL. Vegas forward Jonathan Marchessault has scored eight points (four goals, four assists) during a six-game point streak.
Arizona Coyotes at Toronto Maple Leafs (7 p.m. ET; SNO, BSAZ, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
Coyotes forward Phil Kessel's ironman streak is at 956 games, having played a single shift Tuesday in Detroit before returning home to Arizona aboard a chartered plane for the birth of his first child. Kessel, who is eight games short of
Doug Jarvis' second-ranked streak of 964
, is expected to be in Toronto to play No. 957. His remarkable run began as a member of the Maple Leafs on Nov. 3, 2009.
Seattle Kraken at Ottawa Senators (7 p.m. ET; TSN5, RDS, ROOT-NW, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
Forward Yanni Gourde has scored five points (two goals, three assists) in his past seven games for the Kraken (17-37-5), who have lost three in a row. Forward Brady Tkachuk has scored four points (three goals, one assist) in his past seven games for the Senators (20-31-5), who return home following a 1-4-0 road trip.
Minnesota Wild at Detroit Red Wings (7 p.m. ET; ESPN+, HULU, NHL LIVE)
Forward Kevin Fiala has scored seven points (three goals, four assists) during a four-game point streak and has scored 33 points (16 goals, 17 assists) in his past 26 games for the Wild (33-19-3). Detroit (24-27-6) has lost five of six, allowing 36 goals in those losses.
Philadelphia Flyers at Florida Panthers (7 p.m. ET; BSFL, NBCSP, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
The Flyers (18-28-10), back on the road after going 3-4-1 during an eight-game homestand, are 1-for-20 on the power play (5.0 percent) in its past seven games. The Panthers (39-13-5) look to extend their winning streak to five games; it would be their longest since winning the first eight games of the season.
Winnipeg Jets at New Jersey Devils (7 p.m. ET; MSG+2, TSN3, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
Paul Stastny scored two goals in a 7-4 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday and has scored five goals in his past four games for the Jets (25-22-10). Center Nico Hischier (lower body) is questionable for the Devils (21-31-5) after missing a 5-3 win against the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday. Center Jack Hughes has scored 20 points (eight goals, 12 assists) during a 12-game home point streak.
Colorado Avalanche at Carolina Hurricanes (7 p.m. ET; BSSO, ALT, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon has scored 12 points (seven goals, five assists) in his past seven games and 17 points (10 goals, seven assists) during a 12-game point streak. Forward Teuvo Teravainen has scored 14 points (five goals, nine assists) in his past 12 games for the Hurricanes, who are 35-2-3 when tied or leading after the second period and lead the NHL in third-period goal differential (plus-29).
Columbus Blue Jackets at New York Islanders (7:30 p.m. ET; MSG+, BSOH, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
Forward Patrik Laine has scored 16 goals in his past 16 games for the Blue Jackets (28-26-3). Center Mathew Barzal (lower body) and defenseman Zdeno Chara (upper body) each has missed five straight games for the Islanders (21-24-8), who are 1-2-0 during a six-game homestand.
New York Rangers at St. Louis Blues (8 p.m. ET; BSMW, MSG, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
Forward David Perron has scored eight points (four goals, four assists) in his past seven games for St. Louis (32-17-7), which has lost its past four games (0-3-1). Forward Artemi Panarin has scored seven points (one goal, six assists) in his past five games for the Rangers (36-16-5), who are 7-3-1 in their past 11 games.
Anaheim Ducks at Nashville Predators (8 p.m. ET; ESPN+, HULU, NHL LIVE)
Predators (32-20-4) defenseman Roman Josi has scored 15 goals this season, one shy of his NHL career high he set in 2019-20. Ryan Getzlaf (lower body) is questionable for the Ducks (27-23-9), who are 4-7-1 in their past 12 games.
Tampa Bay Lightning at Calgary Flames (9 p.m. ET; SNW, BSSUN, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
Defenseman Victor Hedman has scored six points (three goals, three assists) in his past three games for the Lightning (37-13-6), who have won seven of their past nine games. Elias Lindholm has scored 11 points (six goals, five assists) during a six-game point streak for the Flames (34-15-7), who lost 5-4 to the Washington Capitals on Tuesday to end a 13-game home point streak (12-0-1).
San Jose Sharks at Los Angeles Kings (10:30 p.m. ET; BSW, NBCSCA, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
The Kings (32-19-7) will be without defensemen Drew Doughty, who's day to day with an undisclosed injury, and Mikey Anderson, who has an upper-body injury and was placed on injured reserve Wednesday (retroactive to March 7). Los Angeles has 71 points in 58 games, the fifth-fewest needed to reach the mark in its history, behind 1974-75 (50 games), 1980-81 (54), 2009-10 (56) and 2015-16 (57). Forward Timo Meier leads the Sharks (24-25-7) with 24 goals and 54 points but has scored one goal in his past eight games. San Jose is 2-6-5 in its past 13.
