NHL On Tap: Panthers, Bruins renew Atlantic rivalry in first showdown of season

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

Heavyweights battle

Games between the Florida Panthers and Boston Bruins are always must-watch contests, going back to their back-to-back epic Stanley Cup Playoffs series in 2023 and 2024, both won by Florida. That goes just as much for regular-season matchups, with the first of this season set for TD Garden on Sunday (1 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, NHLN, NESN, SN1, TVAS). The game marks a contest between two of the best in the Atlantic Division, one a team that has surprised some in its rise to the top of the division in the Bruins (12-4-1) and one a team that many thought had a chance to get back to the Stanley Cup Final after a tough 2025-26 in the Panthers (9-6-2). It’s a rivalry that can almost guarantee fireworks.

Hellebuyck heads back to Canada

It’s not Winnipeg, but Connor Hellebuyck will make his return to Canada on Sunday for the first game the New Jersey Devils have played north of the border since his trade on Oct. 23. In four games with the Devils, Hellebuyck is 4-0 with a 2.44 goals-against average and .891 save percentage. Consider the game Sunday, at Scotiabank Arena against the Toronto Maple Leafs (7 p.m. ET; TSN4, NHLN, MSGSN), as a warmup for Tuesday, when Hellebuyck and the Devils (12-5-0) head to Winnipeg. The Devils, who are 6-1-0 since the trade, defeated the New York Islanders 5-4 in overtime on Saturday; the Maple Leafs (8-8-2), who are 1-4-0 in their past five games, lost 4-2 to the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday.

100 in 2026

Coming off an overtime game-winner for the Tampa Bay Lightning (11-3-2) in a 4-3 victory against the Minnesota Wild on Saturday night, Nikita Kucherov can continue adding to a point total that has reached 100 in the calendar year 2026. He is now the eighth player in NHL history to have eight 100-point calendar years, after Wayne Gretzky (14), Connor McDavid (nine), Mario Lemieux (eight), Marcel Dionne (eight), Mike Bossy (eight), Sidney Crosby (eight) and Bryan Trottier (eight). Kucherov, who will face the Winnipeg Jets (6-8-3) at Canada Life Centre on Sunday (6 p.m. ET; TSN3, The Spot), became the second to do it this year, after McDavid. The two-time Hart Trophy winner has 22 points (five goals, 17 assists) in 16 games this season after also adding an assist against the Wild.

Dahlin hits 600

Only three active defensemen recorded more points before their 600th career NHL game than Rasmus Dahlin, who has 444 points (105 goals, 339 assists) in his first 599 games: Cale Makar (525), Quinn Hughes (511) and Erik Karlsson (488). Dahlin gets a chance to stay hot when the Buffalo Sabres (8-5-3) face the Vegas Golden Knights (11-5-2) at KeyBank Center on Sunday (3:30 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, MSG-B, SN1, TVAS) after he scored the game-winner in a 5-2 victory against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday. It was his 14th game-winning goal, third best by a Sabres defenseman in franchise history and one away from Mike Ramsey’s 15.

Duck, duck … Penguin?

With four straight wins, the Anaheim Ducks (9-7-1) head into their matchup with the Pittsburgh Penguins (6-9-2) on Sunday at Honda Center (8 p.m. ET; Prime Video, SN-PIT, SNP, SNO, SNE) looking to make it five. Their hot streak has coincided with an impressive run by Cutter Gauthier, who has 10 goals during a five-game streak, and 12 on the season. And he’s not the only one heating up. Beckett Sennecke has nine points (two goals, seven assists) in the past three games as the Ducks have pushed their way up the standings; the team has scored at least five goals in each of their past seven games, in which they are 5-1-1. They’re the fourth team in 40 years to score at least five in seven straight.

The schedule

Florida Panthers at Boston Bruins, 1 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, NHLN, NESN, SN1, TVAS

Vegas Golden Knights at Buffalo Sabres, 3:30 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, MSG-B, SN1, TVAS

Tampa Bay Lightning at Winnipeg Jets, 6 p.m. ET; TSN3, The Spot

New Jersey Devils at Toronto Maple Leafs, 7 p.m. ET; TSN4, NHLN, MSGSN

Philadelphia Flyers at Calgary Flames, 7 p.m. ET; SNW, NBCSP

Pittsburgh Penguins at Anaheim Ducks, 8 p.m. ET; Prime Video, SN-PIT, SNP, SNO, SNE