Preview Roundups
January 20, 2018
Dallas at Buffalo 1:00 PM ET
The Dallas Stars are within striking distance of the top spot in the ultra-competitive Central Division as they prepare to wrap up a four-game road trip with a visit to the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday afternoon. The Stars own a 5-1-1 record against the Atlantic Division opponents, including a 5-1 home romp over the Sabres on Nov. 4.
New Jersey at Philadelphia 1:00 PM ET
Sean Couturier is in the midst of a career season -- in fact, the 25-year-old actually has surpassed his goal-scoring output of his previous two campaigns combined. Couturier bids to send the red-hot Philadelphia Flyers to their sixth win in seven outings on Saturday afternoon when they host the New Jersey Devils at the Wells Fargo Center.
NY Rangers at Colorado 3:00 PM ET
While Rick Nash has heated up with consecutive multi-goal contests, the Colorado Avalanche are significantly hotter after stringing together eight straight victories. The Avalanche aim to continue their good fortune on Saturday afternoon when they brace for a visit from Nash and the New York Rangers at the Pepsi Center.
Winnipeg at Calgary 3:00 PM ET
The break came at a bad time for the Calgary Flames, as the NHL’s hottest team looks to build upon a seven-game winning streak after five days off in Saturday’s home contest against the Winnipeg Jets. The Flames’ hot stretch has lifted them into a tie for second place in the Pacific Division entering Friday’s play, and the offense is generating plenty of support while scoring four goals or more five times during the winning streak.
Boston at Montreal 7:00 PM ET
The Boston Bruins attempt to defeat the Montreal Canadiens for the third time in eight days and extend their point streak to 16 games when they visit their Original Six rivals on Saturday. Boston edged the Canadiens in a shootout at Montreal last Saturday and rolled to a 4-1 home victory four nights later.
Toronto at Ottawa 7:00 PM ET
Although the Toronto Maple Leafs own a healthy cushion for the third and final playoff slot in the Atlantic Division, they are sliding in the wrong direction entering Saturday's matchup at the Ottawa Senators. The Maple Leafs (0-1-3) have lost four in a row overall and four straight to Ottawa, including a 4-3 setback to the Senators on Jan. 10.
Carolina at Detroit 7:00 PM ET
The Carolina Hurricanes return from a bye week without their leading scorer as they visit the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday. Sebastian Aho, who tops Carolina with 16 goals and 37 points, suffered both a concussion and a knee injury in Sunday's 4-1 home loss to Calgary and is out indefinitely.
Pittsburgh at San Jose 8:00 PM ET
The Pittsburgh Penguins' top-ranked power play has cranked it up a notch in the new calendar year, going 10-for-27 to help the two-time reigning Stanley Cup champions win six of their last eight contests. The Penguins aim to continue their torrid ways on Saturday when they conclude their three-game trek through California with a tilt versus the San Jose Sharks.
Arizona at St. Louis 8:00 PM ET
The bye week seemed to work wonders for the St. Louis Blues, who have won two straight after stumbling into the league-mandated break with three consecutive defeats. Locked in a three-way fight for supremacy in the Central Division, St. Louis opens a four-game homestand against the league-worst Arizona Coyotes on Saturday night.
Florida at Nashville 8:00 PM ET
The Nashville Predators haven’t missed a beat with two of their top forwards injured and look to remain unbeaten on their five-game homestand when they face the Florida Panthers on Saturday. The Predators are 5-1-1 since leading scorer Filip Forsberg was lost to an upper-body injury and 2-0-0 following Viktor Arvidsson's lower-body ailment, including Thursday’s 3-2 shootout triumph over Arizona.
NY Islanders at Chicago 8:30 PM ET
The New York Islanders find themselves three points out of playoff position after losing two straight and seven of the past 10 contests as they begin a three-game trip Saturday night against the well-rested Chicago Blackhawks. The Islanders have been ravaged by injuries of late, and are last in the league in goals-against per game (3.66) after being outscored 9-3 in losses to New Jersey and Boston in their last two.
Tampa Bay at Minnesota 9:00 PM ET
The Tampa Bay Lightning are struggling on both ends of the ice as they prepare to take on a stretch of eight straight games on the road, starting with a matchup against the well-rested Minnesota Wild on Saturday night. The NHL-best Lightning have won only twice during a six-game span (2-3-1) for the second time this season and ran off seven straight victories the last time they faced that scenario, but opponents have outscored them 9-2 in the last two contests.
Vancouver at Edmonton 10:00 PM ET
Many believed the Edmonton Oilers would finish far ahead of Vancouver in the Pacific Division standings, but they'll host the Canucks on Saturday nursing a one-point lead over their western Canada rivals. The Zambonis might also be scraping some rust off the ice between periods as both teams are coming off their league-mandated five-day breaks, which Edmonton entered with consecutive victories for only the fourth time this season.