NHL On Tap: Pals Crosby, MacKinnon meet again when Penguins visit Avalanche

There are two games on the NHL schedule for Friday. Here are five things to watch today, along with the complete game schedule.

Friends turned rivals

Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia buddies Nathan MacKinnon and Sidney Crosby go head-to-head for the first time this season and the 21st time in their NHL careers when the Colorado Avalanche host the Pittsburgh Penguins at Ball Arena (9 p.m. ET; SN-PIT, KTVD, ALT, SN+, TVAS). MacKinnon brings a five-game point streak (12 points; four goals, eight assists) against the Penguins dating back to March 24, 2024, into the contest. He holds a scoring (26 points; nine goals, 17 assists) and record (11-6-3) edge against Crosby, who has 17 points (nine goals, eight assists) and is 9-10-1 in their previous 20 meetings. Crosby has found the scoresheet in six of his past seven games against Colorado (nine points; three goals, six assists) since Feb. 7, 2023. MacKinnon leads the Avalanche (4-2-1) with 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in seven games but was scoreless in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Dallas Stars on Wednesday. Crosby scored his first two goals of the season for Pittsburgh (3-3-1) in a 5-3 loss at the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday. The Penguins captain has four points (two assists) in seven games this season.

Pesky Penguins

Center Evgeni Malkin has 27 points (10 goals, 17 assists) in 25 games against the Avalanche, including two goals and and assist in his last game against them last March 16. And then there's forward Bryan Rust, who has a nine-game point streak (five goals, six assists) against Colorado and 13 points (six goals, seven assists) in his last 11 games against the Avalanche. The pair has helped Pittsburgh earn points in four of its last six visits to Ball Arena (3-2-1).

Something Bruin

The Boston Bruins can stretch their winning streak to four games when they visit the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center (10 p.m. ET; FOXLA+, Prime Video, NESN), the second stop on a four-game road trip. The run has been helped by goalie Jeremy Swayman, who is 5-1-0 -- tied for second in the NHL in wins -- with a 1.99 goals-against average, .930 save percentage and one shutout. Swayman recorded his 137th NHL career victory to pass Andy Moog for sole possession of eighth place on Boston’s all-time list after a 6-3 win win at the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday. David Pastrnak leads the Bruins (5-2-0) offensively with eight points (two goals, six assists) in seven games. The 30-year-old captain has 941 points (422 goals, 519 assists) in 840 NHL games and needs one goal to pass Brad Marchand for sole possession of fourth place in Boston history. Anaheim (4-2-0) looks to bounce back from a 4-2 loss to the Calgary Flames on Tuesday.

Minten fresh

The Bruins’ move to sign Fraser Minten to a seven-year, $50.4 million contract ($7.2 million average annual value beginning next season) on Sept. 8 is paying early dividends. The 22-year-old center has five points in his past two games, including two goals in a 6-3 win at San Jose on Tuesday, when he led Boston forwards in ice time (18:41). He’s the Bruins' top goal scorer (four) and his seven points (three assists) are second behind Pastrnak. Minten had 35 points (17 goals, 18 assists) in 82 games with Boston last season, the most by a Bruins rookie since Danton Heinen (47) and Jake DeBrusk (43) in 2017-18.

Having a Granlund time

Much has been said about Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, Beckett Sennecke and the rest of the Ducks’ 20-something core, but Mikael Granlund is proving there’s also something about seniority. The 34-year-old captain is second on Anaheim with eight points (two goals, six assists) in six games and became the first player in Anaheim history to open the season with a six-game point streak after he had an assist against Calgary on Tuesday.

The schedule

Pittsburgh Penguins at Colorado Avalanche, 9 p.m. ET; SN-PIT, KTVD, ALT, SN+, TVAS

Boston Bruins at Anaheim Ducks, 10 p.m. ET; FOXLA+, Prime Video, NESN