NHL On Tap: Smith to debut as Kings coach against Avalanche

There are six games on the NHL schedule for Monday, including two nationally televised in the United States and one in Canada. Here are five things to watch today, along with the complete game schedule including the Detroit Red Wings visiting the Nashville Predators on "NHL Prime Time" for European audiences.

Smith in, Hiller out

D.J. Smith was named interim coach of the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday to replace Jim Hiller, who went 93-58-24 in three seasons. Smith, who was an associate coach under Hiller, previously coached the Ottawa Senators for five seasons from 2019-23. His first game with the Kings (24-21-14) will come against the best team in the NHL, the Colorado Avalanche (39-10-9), at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles (10:30 p.m. ET; FDSNW, KTVD, ALT2).  "At this point in the season, we believe a change in leadership is necessary to give our group the best opportunity to reach its potential and compete at the level we expect,” general manager Ken Holland said Sunday. “These decisions are never made lightly, but our responsibility is to position this team for success now and moving forward."

Looking for nine

The hottest team in the NHL will look to extend its run when the Dallas Stars (36-14-9) visit the Vancouver Canucks (18-34-7) at Rogers Arena (10 p.m. ET; TVAS, SNP, Victory+). The Stars, who defeated the Predators 3-2 in overtime Saturday, have won eight straight games, which is tied for the Dallas/Minnesota North Stars record previously set in 2023-24. The Stars have continued winning even with big names such as Mikko Rantanen, Roope Hintz, and Tyler Seguin sidelined. Jason Robertson, who scored the overtime goal against Nashville, has been leading the way. He has 68 points (33 goals, 35 assists) this season, one behind Rantanen for the team lead.

Werenski still riding high

Zach Werenski continues to be on quite a roll. Not only did his assist on Jack Hughes’ "Golden Goal" get Team USA the gold medal at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, but the defenseman is on a nine-game point streak (two goals, 11 assists) as he tries to help the Columbus Blue Jackets (29-21-8) continue their climb in the race for the playoffs. The Blue Jackets are five points behind the Bruins for the second wild card from the East. They face off against the New York Rangers (23-29-7) at Madison Square Garden (7 p.m. ET; FDSNOH, NHLN, MSG), when Werenski will attempt to extend a run that’s already both an NHL career high and the longest for a defenseman in Blue Jackets history.

Last days for some Leafs?

When the Toronto Maple Leafs (27-24-9) face the Philadelphia Flyers (27-21-11) at Scotiabank Arena on Monday (7:30 p.m. ET; TVAS, Prime, NBCSP), it will mark the final home game for the Maple Leafs before the Deadline. Given that the Maple Leafs are tied for the third-fewest points in the Eastern Conference, it could mean that some faces might be gone by the time they return for their next home game Saturday. Toronto sits eight points back of Boston for the second wild card from the East just one season after they took the Florida Panthers to seven games in the Eastern Conference Second Round. One player who will still be there Saturday is Auston Matthews, who has six assists during a six-game point streak.

Decisions loom for Predators

At one point in the season, the Nashville Predators looked like clear sellers before the NHL Trade Deadline. They've since closed to within three points of the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference. So what they do over the three games remaining between now and 3 p.m. ET on Friday could decide the fate of players like Steven Stamkos and Ryan O'Reilly. First up are the Detroit Red Wings at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on "NHL Prime Time" (2 p.m. ET; FDSNDET, FDSNSO, NHLN) that will get prime time billing in Europe. The Red Wings (34-20-6) hold the first wild card from the Eastern Conference, three points ahead of the Boston Bruins. The Predators (27-24-8) are tied in points (62) with the San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings, three points behind the Seattle Kraken and trailing the Utah Mammoth by four.

The schedule

Detroit Red Wings at Nashville Predators (2 p.m. ET; FDSNDET, FDSNSO, NHLN)

Columbus Blue Jackets at New York Rangers (7 p.m. ET; FDSNOH, NHLN, MSG)

Philadelphia Flyers at Toronto Maple Leafs (7:30 p.m. ET; TVAS, Prime, NBCSP)

Dallas Stars at Vancouver Canucks (10 p.m. ET; TVAS, SNP, Victory+)

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

Colorado Avalanche at Los Angeles Kings (10:30 p.m. ET; FDSNW, KTVD, ALT2)