NHL On Tap: Devils visit Canadiens seeking 10th consecutive win

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 nine games Tuesday.

Runnin' with the Devils

There aren't many teams hotter than the New Jersey Devils (12-3-0) right now, and they'll go for their 10th consecutive win when they play the Montreal Canadiens (8-6-1) at Bell Centre (7 p.m. ET; TSN2, RDS, MSGSN, ESPN+, SN NOW). They can become the first team this season with a winning streak in double-digits and are on their longest run since nine in a row from Nov. 17-Dec. 7, 2007. Forward Jesper Bratt leads New Jersey with 19 points (five goals, 14 assists) coming off an NHL career-high 73 points (26 goals, 47 assists) last season, and captain Nico Hischier is on an NHL career-high seven-game point streak (five goals, five assists) and the Devils are 11-0-0 when he has a point. The longest winning streak in Devils history is 13 games from Feb. 26 to March 23, 2001. They'd love to top that but have to get past the Canadiens first. -- Tracey Myers, staff writer

Robertson on a run

Jason Robertson missed training camp, so he'd have an excuse to start the season slowly. He hasn't. The Dallas Stars forward has 23 points (10 goals, 13 assists) in 15 games and takes an eight-game point streak (16 points; eight goals, eight assists) into Amalie Arena against the Tampa Bay Lightning (7 p.m. ET; BSSUN, BSSWX, ESPN+, SN NOW). Robertson's 1.53 points per game is better than last season's 1.07 pace, which resulted in an NHL career-high 79 points (41 goals, 38 assists) in 74 games. Robertson has eight multipoint games this season, tying him with Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon and Boston Bruins forward David Pastrnak for second in the NHL, trailing Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid (nine). But Dallas (9-5-1), which had lost two straight before rebounding against the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday, won't have it easy against a Lightning (8-6-1), who earned a bounce-back 6-3 win against the Washington Capitals on Sunday after two straight losses. -- Amalie Benjamin, staff writer

Flyers, Blue Jackets face pivotal points

The Flyers (7-6-2) got off to a surprising 7-3-2 start and were showing tremendous resiliency despite being outshot by almost eight shots per game and allowing the first goal nine times. Some of those numbers have caught up with them, and they've lost three straight beginning a three-game road trip at the Columbus Blue Jackets (7:30 p.m. ET; ESPN+, HULU, SN NOW). The Flyers believe this trip, which also includes games at the Bruins and Canadiens, could define their season. "Starting the season on a winning note was crucial," defenseman Ivan Provorov said. "This is the first bump in the road for us this year. Let's see how we handle it." The Flyers' losing streak began with a 5-2 loss at the Blue Jackets (4-9-1) on Nov. 10. Columbus also has an opportunity to learn what kind of season it will have during a season-long six-game homestand. Blue Jackets forward Patrik Laine is out 3-4 weeks with an ankle injury. -- Adam Kimelman, deputy managing editor

Tuesday games

Dallas Stars at Tampa Bay Lightning (7 p.m. ET; BSSUN, BSSWX, ESPN+, SN NOW)
Steven Stamkos had two assists Sunday, putting the Lightning captain one from 500 for his NHL career, and has 987 points (488 goals, 499 assists) in 937 games. Stars forward Joe Pavelski, 38, has five multipoint games and is the first player age 38 or older since Martin St. Louis in 2013-14 to with at least five in their first 15 games of a season.
New Jersey Devils at Montreal Canadiens (7 p.m. ET; RDS, TSN2, MSGSN, ESPN+, SN NOW)
The Devils can become the fourth team in NHL history with a winning streak of at least 10 games while using at least three goalies (Mackenzie Blackwood, Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid). The Canadiens have won three in a row for the first time this season. Montreal captain Nick Suzuki has three straight multipoint games at home and 12 points (seven goals, five assists) in his past seven. Forwards Jonathan Drouin and Joel Armia are out, each with an upper-body injury. Forward Juraj Slafkovsky returns after serving a two-game suspension for boarding Matt Luff of the Detroit Red Wings.
Toronto Maple Leafs at Pittsburgh Penguins (7 p.m. ET; TVAS, ATTSN-PT, TSN4, ESPN+, SN NOW)
The Penguins (6-6-3) were 2-0-1 on a road trip after losing seven in a row. Mitchell Marner has a nine-game point streak (13 points; two goals, 11 assists) for the Maple Leafs (8-5-3), which trails Leon Draisaitl (11) and McDavid (10) for the longest active runs. Goalie Matt Murray will start for Toronto after missing 13 games with an adductor injury. It will be his first start in Pittsburgh since the Penguins traded him to the Ottawa Senators on Oct. 7, 2020.
Vancouver Canucks at Buffalo Sabres (7 p.m. ET; MSG-B, SNP, ESPN+, SN NOW)
Quinn Hughes has a seven-game point streak (nine assists), the longest for a defenseman in the NHL this season and the third-longest assist streak for a defenseman in Canucks history behind Dennis Kearns (11 games in 1976-77 and eight in 1975-76) and Doug Lidster (eight games in 1986-87). Sabres forward Tage Thompson is tied with Robertson for the second-most points in the NHL (13 points; eight goals, five assists in seven games) since Oct. 31 behind McDavid (six goals, eight assists) and Colorado Avalanche forward Mikko Rantanen (seven goals, seven assists).
Washington Capitals at Florida Panthers (7 p.m. ET; SNE, SNO, SNW, BSFL, NBCSWA, ESPN+, SN NOW)
Capitals coach Peter Laviolette remained in NHL COVID-19 protocol Monday. If he is not out by game time, assistant coach Kevin McCarthy will again coach the team. Defenseman Aaron Ekblad led the Panthers with 23:42 of ice time in his return from injury Saturday, a 4-2 loss to the Oilers. He had last played Oct. 17.
Philadelphia Flyers at Columbus Blue Jackets (7:30 p.m. ET; ESPN+, HULU, SN NOW)
Flyers forward Travis Konecny has eight points (two goals, six assists) during a six-game point streak. The Blue Jackets, 1-0-1 in their past two games, have a chance to gain a point in three straight games for the first time this season.
Minnesota Wild at Nashville Predators (8 p.m. ET; BSSO, BSN, BSWI, ESPN+, SN NOW)
The Predators (6-8-1) have won four games since back-to-back victories against the San Jose Sharks at the 2022 NHL Global Series in Prague on Oct. 7-8. Goalie Juuse Saros is 4-6-1 with a 3.22 goals-against average and .901 save percentage, and still looking for his first shutout after he had four in 2021-22. The Wild (7-6-2) are 5-2-1 on the road and have not won more than two straight games this season.
Detroit Red Wings at Anaheim Ducks (10 p.m. ET; SN1, BSW, BSDET, ESPN+, SN NOW)
Tyler Bertuzzi is expected to return for the Red Wings. The forward hasn't played since he sustained an upper-body injury blocking a shot in a 5-2 win at the New Jersey Devils on Oct. 15. Detroit has lost three straight after winning three in a row to open November. The Ducks have also lost three in a row and remain the only team in the NHL without a win in regulation this season.
San Jose Sharks at Vegas Golden Knights (10 p.m. ET; ATTSN-RM, NBCSCA, ESPN+, SN NOW)
Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson has at least one point in seven of his past eight games (16 points; seven goals, nine assists). The Sharks have won two straight games after losing five in a row (0-2-3). The Golden Knights lost 3-2 to the St. Louis Blues on Saturday, ending their nine-game winning streak. Projected starter Logan Thompson has won six in a row and can pass Linus Ullmark of the Bruins (6-0-0 from Oct. 20-Nov. 3) for the longest run by a goalie this season, and tie Malcolm Subban (seven in 2017-18) for the longest by a rookie in Golden Knights history.