Bruins' run, Stars-Wild matchup highlight week ahead

The Boston Bruins looking to extend their 10-game home winning streak and the Arizona Coyotes' push to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2011-12 are among the highlights of the week ahead.
Here's a look at 5 things to watch:

1. Bs earning As on home ice

The Boston Bruins will try to extend their home winning streak to 11 games when they play the Columbus Blue Jackets at TD Garden on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; ESPN+. NESN, FS-O, NHL.TV).
Boston's 19-game point streak ended with a 4-2 loss at the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday, but the Bruins have won 10 in a row at home for the 11th time in their history and first since going 14-0-0 from Oct. 25, 2008 to Jan. 1, 2009. Boston (42-18-9), which hasn't lost on home ice since it was defeated by the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 in overtime Jan. 31, is second in the Atlantic Division, four points ahead of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

2. Ovechkin-Crosby Part IV

Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby go head-to-head for the fourth and final time this season when the Washington Capitals play the Penguins at PPG Paints Arena on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; NBCSN, SNE, SNO, SNP, TVAS, ATTSN-PT, NBCSWA, NHL.TV)
Ovechkin has scored two goals against Pittsburgh this season. He is four goals from becoming the first with 50 in 2018-19 and the eighth 50-goal season of his 14-season NHL career. The Capitals captain is also is one point from 1,200 in the NHL.
Crosby, fourth in points with 88 (31 goals, 57 assists), has four points (three goals, one assist) against the Capitals this season, including one goal and one assist in a 2-1 win at Capital One Arena on Dec. 19.

3. Stars, Wild face off in key game

The Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild face off in a game that will have ramifications in the Western Conference race when they play at Xcel Energy Center on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; FS-N, FS-WI, FS-SW, NHL.TV).
The Stars (35-28-5) and Wild (33-28-8) have been neck and neck in the Central Division and conference standings. Dallas holds the first wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the West and is one point ahead of Minnesota, which holds the second wild card.

4. Coyotes continue playoff push

The Arizona Coyotes, arguably the biggest surprise in the NHL this season, continue their push to make the playoffs for the first time since 2011-12 with four games beginning against the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center on Monday (8:30 p.m. ET; NBCSCH, FS-A, NHL.TV).
The Coyotes (34-29-5) are 8-1-0 in their past nine games, one point behind the Wild for the second wild card from the West and haven't been this close to a playoff position so late in a season since 2013-14. They visit the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday before returning home for games against the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday and Edmonton Oilers on Saturday.

5. Milestone watch

* Evgeni Malkin is two points from 1,000 in the NHL with the Penguins, who begin their week against the Capitals and visit the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday before returning home to play the Blues on Saturday and Flyers on Sunday.
Malkin is also nine goals from 400 in the NHL.
* Carey Price is one win from passing Jacques Plante (314) for the most in the history of the Montreal Canadiens, who play the Detroit Red Wings at Bell Centre on Tuesday (7:30 p.m. ET; TSN2, RDS, FS-D, NHL.TV), visit the New York Islanders on Thursday and return home to face the Blackhawks on Saturday.
* Cam Atkinson is three goals from tying Rick Nash's Blue Jackets single-season record of 41 set in 2003-04. Nash also scored 40 in 2008-09 and 38 in 2007-08 for Columbus, which begins the week at the Islanders, has home games against the Bruins and Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday and Friday, and go on the road to play Boston on Saturday.
* Zdeno Chara is one goal from becoming the 21st defenseman to score 200 in the NHL with the Boston Bruins.
* Torey Krug needs one point for the 284th in his NHL career, which will move him past Craig Janney for the most in history by a Bruins player born in the United States.