Washington Capitals at Pittsburgh Penguins (Saturday, 8 p.m. ET; ESPN+, ABC)
These two rivals are battling desperately for a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and this game could go a long way in determining if either one gets in. The Penguins (35-27-10) will enter Saturday holding the second wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference, one point ahead of the Florida Panthers and four points ahead of the Capitals (34-31-8), with one game in hand on Washington.
The Capitals have made the Stanley Cup Playoffs in eight straight seasons and 14 of 15, but this season has been a struggle despite forward Alex Ovechkin having another 40-goal season. The Capitals were sellers at the NHL Trade Deadline, trading away defensemen Dmitry Orlov and Erik Gustafsson, and forwards Marcus Johansson, Lars Eller and Garnet Hathaway. Getting defenseman John Carlson back from a skull fracture after missing three months, and having goalie Darcy Kuemper back, who missed a few games with injury, could spark them to a run in their final nine games.
The Penguins have the longest active postseason streak in professional sports at 16 seasons but have struggled to keep that streak alive. They are 1-5-0 in their past six games, including a 3-2 loss at the Dallas Stars on Thursday. Sidney Crosby became the first player in NHL history with a 30-goal season at age 18 or younger and at age 35 or older when he scored against the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday.
Vegas Golden Knights at Edmonton Oilers (Saturday, 10 p.m. ET; CBC, SN, CITY, TVAS2, ATTSN-RM, ESPN+, SN NOW)
The Golden Knights (45-21-6) are atop the Western Conference but have some goalie questions again. Rookie Logan Thompson returned to the lineup on Thursday after missing 18 games, but he left with 6:07 left in the third period after making 37 saves in a 3-2 win against the Calgary Flames. Forward Jack Eichel had a hat trick three games ago and looks more like himself. Vegas got off to a great start this season before going through a tough stretch but is primed to return to the playoffs after missing out last season. They will enter Saturday with a four-point lead in the Pacific Division and the West.
The Oilers (41-23-8) enter this game on a five-game win streak. Forward Connor McDavid scored his 60th goal of the season on Wednesday, and with 10 games to go, has a legitimate shot at 70. In any other season, forward Leon Draisaitl would be leading the League in points with 110, but he's 28 back of McDavid. Rookie goalie Stuart Skinner continues to shine for the Oilers. The Oilers' other goalie, Jack Campbell, has allowed at least four goals in six straight starts. This is also a huge game in the standings, as Vegas leads the Los Angeles Kings by two points for first in the division with Edmonton six points back.
Boston Bruins at Carolina Hurricanes (Sunday, 5 p.m. ET; SN360, SNE, SNW, TVAS, BSSO, NESN, ESPN+, SN NOW)
This could be a preview of the Eastern Conference Final, with the top two teams in the conference squaring off. The Bruins (55-11-5, 115 points) are close to wrapping up the Atlantic Division title, but with 11 games to go have the NHL's all-time wins (62) and points record (132) in their sights. Goalie Linus Ullmark should win the Vezina Trophy as the top goalie in the NHL. The depth at forward and on defense has been second to none and the Bruins have had no lapses, not losing two straight games in regulation all season. They really have been in a class by themselves, but I would expect a big effort from the Hurricanes (46-16-8), who clinched a playoff berth on Thursday in a 2-1 loss to the New York Rangers. They are still in a dogfight for the Metropolitan Division title, holding a two-point lead over the New Jersey Devils, who lost 5-4 at the Buffalo Sabres on Friday.
Carolina has 11 players with at least 10 goals, despite having lost forwards Andrei Svechnikov and Max Pacioretty for the season to injury. Their defense, led by Jacob Slavvin, Brent Burns, Shayne Gostisbehere, Brett Pesce and Brady Skjei is probably the best unit in the NHL. And they have three capable goalies in Frederik Andersen, Antti Raanta and Pyotr Kochetkov.
