Kings go for seventh straight win
Don't look now, but the Los Angeles Kings have won six straight games, and I'll be watching to see if they get their seventh when they visit the Minnesota Wild (8 p.m. ET; ESPN+, FS-N, FS-WI, FS-W, NHL.TV). If they do, it will be two consecutive seasons the Kings have won seven in a row, after they closed the 2019-20 season with a 7-0-0 run. The Kings are third in the Honda West Division with 21 points, two behind the first-place Vegas Golden Knights. They are being led by veteran Stanley Cup winners -- forward Anze Kopitar leads the Kings with 21 points (four goals, 17 assists) in 18 games, forward Dustin Brown is second with 17 points (11 goals, six assists) and defenseman Drew Doughty is third with 15 points (four goals, 11 assists). It'll be the battle of winning streaks here, since the Wild have won four in a row. But my focus is on the surprising Kings, who have overcome a 3-6-3 start to the season in fine fashion. Should be a fun one. -- Tracey Myers, staff writer
Pasta party
If there is a more captivating show in the NHL right now other than David Pastrnak of the Boston Bruins, I'd like to see it. The forward has it all, a sublime skill set and off-the-charts personality. Fresh off his starring turn at the Honda NHL Outdoors Sunday, when he took the ice for warmups in wild pink sunglasses and then scored a hat trick in the Bruins' 7-3 win against the Philadelphia Flyers at Lake Tahoe, Pastrnak takes his traveling highlight show to Broadway, where Boston plays the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden (7 p.m. ET, NHLN, SN, TVAS, MSG, NESN, NHL.TV). Pastrnak has scored nine goals and 14 points in 10 games this season and produces must-see highlights each game. What will he do on the ice against the Rangers and what fashion statement might he make off the ice upon his arrival? I cannot wait to find out! -- Shawn P. Roarke, senior director editorial
Avalanche-Coyotes showdown
Don't turn off your television early when watching the Arizona Coyotes, who are coming off consecutive wins after trailing 3-0 and are looking to move up in the West when they host the Colorado Avalanche (9 p.m. ET; ESPN+, FS-A, ALT, NHL.TV). The Coyotes are tied with the Kings with 21 points after rallying from three goals down to defeat the Anaheim Ducks 4-3 in each their past two games, the second in a shootout Wednesday. Arizona became the second team in NHL history to win after trailing by three goals in consecutive games against the same opponent, joining the Quebec Nordiques (now the Avalanche), who did it against the Hartford Whalers on April 2-3, 1983. The Avalanche, who trail the Coyotes by two points, have lost their past two games since a 3-2 victory against the Golden Knights in the Bridgestone NHL Outdoors Saturday. --Tom Gulitti, staff writer
Friday schedule
Boston Bruins at New York Rangers, 7 p.m. ET (NHLN, SN, TVAS, MSG, NESN, NHL.TV)
The Bruins, who have lost three of their past four games, including 7-2 to the New York Islanders on Thursday, are 2-0-0 against the Rangers this season, winning twice at Madison Square Garden.
Los Angeles Kings at Minnesota Wild, 8 p.m. ET (ESPN+, FS-N, FS-WI, FS-W, NHL.TV)
Forward Mats Zuccarello has scored nine points (three goals, six assists) during Minnesota's four-game winning streak and Wild forward Ryan Hartman has scored six points (two goals, four assists) in the same stretch.
Colorado Avalanche at Arizona Coyotes, 9 p.m. ET; (ESPN+, FS-A, ALT, NHL.TV)
It's the first game this season between Colorado and Arizona and the first of a back-to-back set in the desert. Coyotes forward Phil Kessel has scored six points (three goals, three assists) during a four-game point streak.
