NHL On Tap: Avalanche visit Capitals, look to pad lead in Central Division

There are nine games on the NHL schedule for Sunday, including two televised nationally in the United States and three in Canada. Here are five things to watch today, along with the complete game schedule.

Avs, Stars and NHL Network

The battle for first place in the Central Division will take center stage on NHL Network. The first-place Colorado Avalanche (45-13-10) have a chance to build on their three-point lead when they visit the Washington Capitals (12:30 p.m. ET; MNMT, NHLN, ALT, SN1, TVAS) before the second-place Dallas Stars host the Vegas Golden Knights (7 p.m. ET; Victory+, SCRIPPS, NHLN, SN). The Stars (43-15-11) picked up one point on the idle Avalanche on Saturday with a 2-1 overtime loss to the Minnesota Wild. Colorado and Dallas are also first and second, respectively, in the race for the Presidents’ Trophy this season. Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin needs one goal to join Wayne Gretzky as the only players in NHL history with 1,000 combined between the regular season and Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Metro mania

There is arguably no bigger divisional matchup than the New York Islanders hosting the Columbus Blue Jackets (7 p.m. ET; FDSNOH, MSGSN, TVAS). The Blue Jackets (37-21-11) are third in the Metropolitan Division with 85 points; the Islanders (39-26-5) are fourth with 83 points. Columbus has points in 12 straight games, going 8-0-4 since Feb. 28, including a 5-2 win against the Seattle Kraken on Saturday. Columbus was six points back of a playoff spot before the point streak began, but it has an opportunity to move into second place on Sunday. New York has lost its past two games and three of five, including 7-3 at the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday. Matthew Schaefer needs one goal to tie Brian Leetch for the most goals by a rookie defenseman in NHL history. Schaefer, 18, has 22 goals; Leetch scored 23 with the New York Rangers in 1988-89.

Predators’ playoff push

The Nashville Predators moved into position to be the second wild card in the Western Conference with a 4-1 win against the Golden Knights, coupled with losses by the Los Angeles Kings (4-1 to the Buffalo Sabres) and Seattle Kraken (5-2 to the Columbus Blue Jackets) on Saturday. It’s the first time since Oct. 25 the Predators (32-28-9) have occupied a playoff spot. They can create some distance with a win at the Blackhawks (3 p.m. ET; FDSNSO, CHSN). Nashville has 73 points, one more than Los Angeles and two more than Seattle. The Predators have won three games in a row, including 3-1 against the Kraken on Thursday. Depending on that outcome Sunday, the Kings might have a chance to move back into playoff position when they visit the Utah Mammoth (9 p.m. ET; FDSNSC, Utah16, SN360).

Carolina on their mind

Speaking of the Metropolitan, the Pittsburgh Penguins have a chance to close the gap on first place when they host the division-leading Carolina Hurricanes (3 p.m. ET; FDSNSO, SN-PIT, SN1, TVAS). The Penguins will also try to stay ahead of the Blue Jackets. Pittsburgh (35-18-16), which is second in the Metropolitan, trimmed Carolina’s lead to eight points Saturday with its 5-4 shootout win against the Winnipeg Jets. The Penguins are 3-0-1 in their past four games. The Hurricanes (44-19-6) have also won three of four, including a wild 6-5 overtime victory against the Penguins on Wednesday, when defenseman K'Andre Miller scored the game-tying goal with 2:51 remaining in the third period and Sean Walker scored at 4:31 of overtime. Sidney Crosby has a goal and two assists since returning from a lower-body injury; he needs four assists to reach 1,100 for his career.

A pair of surprising firsts

A few months ago, it would have been kind of wild to predict that the Buffalo Sabres and Anaheim Ducks would each be in first place in their respective divisions this late in the season, but they’ve earned it and will go head-to-head in Anaheim (8 p.m. ET; KTTV, Victory+, MSG-B). The Sabres (44-20-6), who have won four in a row and 12 of 13, own a four-point lead on the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Atlantic Division. The Ducks (38-27-4), who are 17-6-1 since Jan. 13, are three points ahead of the Edmonton Oilers in the Pacific Division. Buffalo is moving closer to clinching its first playoff berth since 2011; the Ducks are closing in on their first trip to the postseason since 2018.

The schedule

Winnipeg Jets at New York Rangers (12 p.m. ET; MSG, TSN3)

Colorado Avalanche at Washington Capitals (12:30 p.m. ET; MNMT, NHLN, ALT, SN1, TVAS)

Carolina Hurricanes at Pittsburgh Penguins (3 p.m. ET; FDSNSO, SN-PIT, SN1, TVAS)

Nashville Predators at Chicago Blackhawks (3 p.m. ET; FDSNSO, CHSN)

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

Vegas Golden Knights at Dallas Stars (7 p.m. ET; Victory+, SCRIPPS, NHLN, SN)

Tampa Bay Lightning at Calgary Flames (8 p.m. ET; SNW, The Spot)

Buffalo Sabres at Anaheim Ducks (8 p.m. ET; KTTV, Victory+, MSG-B)

Los Angeles Kings at Utah Mammoth (9 p.m. ET; FDSNSC, Utah16, SN360)