Welcome to the NHL On Tap. Three NHL.com writers will share what they are most looking forward to on the schedule each day. Today, their choices from the six games Monday.
MacKinnon goes for 10-game streak
Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon has had at least one point in nine straight games (five goals, 11 assists) and will be looking for his third double-digit point streak of the season when the Avalanche (37-20-5) host the Chicago Blackhawks (15-41-5) at Ball Arena (9 p.m. ET: NBCSCH, ALT). MacKinnon has 101 points (37 goals, 64 assists) in 62 games, trailing Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov by four. He has already had point streaks of 19 and 14 games this season. Connor Bedard has 41 points (17 goals, 24 assists) in 47 games, and is on pace to become the first rookie to reach 25 goals for Chicago since Dominik Kubalik scored 30 in 2018-19. -- Shawn P. Roarke, senior director, editorial
Panthers visit Rangers as model for success
The New York Rangers can look no further than the Florida Panthers, their opponent at Madison Square Garden (7 p.m. ET; BSFL, MSG), as a model for making all the right moves. Herb Brooks in "Miracle" famously told Craig Patrick: "I'm not looking for the best players, Craig, I'm lookin' for the right ones." The 2024 NHL Trade Deadline is 3 p.m. ET on Friday. The Rangers (40-17-4) are notorious for bold moves, and there could be more with their roster the 13th oldest in the NHL entering Sunday (average age of 28.19). The Panthers (41-16-4), winners of four straight games and 10 of 11, lead the Rangers by two points for the best record in the League. They're getting it done because the right players acquired in the offseason have contributed, like forward Evan Rodrigues and defensemen Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Niko Mikkola and Dmitry Kulikov, the latter three stepping up with defensemen Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour each injured during the first month of season. New York is 10-1-1 in its past 12. General manager Chris Drury and the front office will be tempted to make another splash, but what Bill Zito and Co. are accomplishing in South Florida is more proof that Brooks was a genius, and those intangibles often translate to the ultimate goal. -- Jon Lane, staff writer
Flames trading players and yet ...
The Calgary Flames are an interesting lot, aren't they? They traded center Elias Lindholm to the Vancouver Canucks on Jan 31 and defenseman Chris Tanev to the Dallas Stars in a three-team deal that also involved the New Jersey Devils on Feb. 28. Yet, with those two gone and goalie Jacob Markstrom potentially a third trade option, Calgary (30-25-5) has won five in a row and is seven points behind the Los Angeles Kings for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference. If the departures are affecting the Flames, it isn't showing. As forward Nazem Kadri said following a 4-3 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday, "We have a bunch of guys in here that refuse to go down (without) swinging." They'll try to keep climbing when they play the Seattle Kraken at Scotiabank Saddledome (9:30 p.m. ET; TVAS, SN1, SNW, ROOT-NW). The Kraken (26-23-11) aren't completely out of contention, either; they're two points behind the Flames, and every point counts for both teams right now. -- Tracey Myers, staff writer
Monday games
Vegas Golden Knights at Columbus Blue Jackets (7 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, BSOH)
The Golden Knights (33-21-7) are in a 2-6-1 slide, but Jack Eichel is likely to return from a knee injury that's kept the center out for 19 games. Kent Johnson will be out the rest of the season for the Blue Jackets (20-30-10); the forward sustained a torn labrum in his left shoulder during a 4-1 loss at the Rangers on Feb. 28 and is expected to have surgery later this week. Goalie Jet Greaves was added on emergency recall from Cleveland of the American Hockey League on Sunday with Elvis Merzlikins day to day because of an upper-body injury.
Florida Panthers at New York Rangers (7 p.m. ET; BSFL, MSG)
Florida goalie Sergei Bobrovsky is quietly contending for the Vezina Trophy, given to the best at his position. He made 21 saves Saturday for his fourth shutout of the season, 4-0 at the Detroit Red Wings, and has allowed two goals or less in 10 consecutive starts. Sam Reinhart's case for the Hart Trophy as League MVP isn't as subtle, with the forward's 42 goals tying Carter Verhaeghe (2022-23) for the third-highest single-season total in Panthers history. The Rangers have won six in a row and eight of nine at Madison Square Garden. Their 21 wins on home ice are tied with the Winnipeg Jets for second in the NHL behind the Avalanche (23).
St. Louis Blues at Philadelphia Flyers (7 p.m. ET; BSMW, NBCSP)
Kevin Hayes returns to Philadelphia for the first time since he was traded to the Blues by the Flyers on June 27, 2023, for a sixth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. The 31-year-old forward has 22 points (10 goals, 12 assists) in 60 games this season. Jordan Binnington won his 138th game for the Blues (31-26-3), 3-1 against the Minnesota Wild on Saturday, to pass Curtis Joseph for third in team history. St. Louis center Robert Thomas has 23 points (four goals, 19 assists) in his past 17 games. Tyson Foerster set a new NHL single-season record when he scored the fifth penalty-shot of the season for the Flyers (32-23-7) in a 4-2 win against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday.
Boston Bruins at Toronto Maple Leafs (7 p.m. ET; TVAS, SN, NESN)
The Bruins (35-13-4) are on a 1-1-3 skid after a 5-1 loss at the New York Islanders on Saturday, when forward Pavel Zacha left at 17:19 of the first period because of a lower-body injury. William Nylander extended his point streak to 10 games for the Maple Leafs (35-17-8) in a 4-3 shootout win against the Rangers on Saturday, when Ilya Lyubushkin left the game late in the second with a head injury after taking a hard hit from Matt Rempe. It was the defenseman's first game since being acquired in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday.
Chicago Blackhawks at Colorado Avalanche (9 p.m. ET; NBCSCH, ALT)
The Blackhawks have lost six in a row (0-4-2). MacKinnon has had at least one point in 29 consecutive home games, the second-longest such streak in NHL history from the start of a season behind Wayne Gretzky's 40 games for the duration of 1988-89. Cale Makar's 232 assists are one away from breaking Tyson Barrie's record for the most by a defenseman in Colorado/Quebec Nordiques history.
Seattle Kraken at Calgary Flames (9:30 p.m. ET; TVAS, SN1, SNW, ROOT-NW)
Jared McCann leads the Kraken with 47 points (25 goals, 22 assists) in 59 games, and Jordan Eberle is three assists from becoming the seventh player chosen in the 2008 NHL Draft to reach 400. The Flames had their ninth third-period comeback win Saturday, two from the most in Calgary/Atlanta Flames history (11 in 2014-15).
