There are 10 games on the NHL schedule for Tuesday, four which are nationally televised. Here are five things to watch today, along with the complete game schedule.
Kucherov vs. MacKinnon
Nikita Kucherov and Nathan MacKinnon will play against each other for the 27th time (regular season and Stanley Cup Playoffs) when the Tampa Bay Lightning (6-4-2) visit the Colorado Avalanche (7-1-5) at Ball Arena (9:30 p.m. ET; HBO MAX, truTV, TNT, ALT, SN1). Kucherov is 16-10-0 with 25 points (10 goals, 15 assists), six power-play points (two goals) and four game-winning goals for the Lightning in the head-to-head series that began in 2013-14. MacKinnon is 10-12-4 with 34 points (12 goals, 22 assists), seven power-play points (two goals) and one game-winner for the Avalanche. Additionally, forward Brandon Hagel will look to extend his goal streak to five games (four goals) and point streak to six (four goals, four assists) for Tampa Bay, which has won five straight games.
Happy homecoming?
The New York Rangers (6-5-2) hope to flip the narrative on home ice when they host the Carolina Hurricanes (7-4-0) at Madison Square Garden (7 p.m. ET; HBO MAX, truTV, TNT, MSG, SN1). New York is 0-4-1 and has been outscored 15-6 in five games at MSG this season. It is 6-1-1 while outscoring the opposition 25-16 in eight road games. The Rangers play three of their next four games at home after concluding a four-game road trip 3-1-0, winning the last three games against the Vancouver Canucks (2-0), and both the Edmonton Oilers (4-3) and Seattle Kraken (3-2) in overtime. It marked the seventh time in franchise history and third in the past 20 years that the Rangers won consecutive OT matches.
Drive to 300
Mikko Rantanen needs one goal to become the second player from the 2015 NHL Draft class to score 300 career goals (299 goals, 420 assists in 664 games). He’ll look to get it done when the Dallas Stars (6-3-3) host the Edmonton Oilers (6-5-3) at American Airlines Center (8 p.m. ET; HULU, ESPN+, SN). Oilers captain Connor McDavid leads all players chosen in the 2015 Draft with 364 goals in 726 games, and became the fourth-fastest player in NHL history to reach 1,100 career points by getting two assists in a 3-2 loss at the St. Louis Blues on Monday. Winnipeg Jets forward Kyle Connor ranks third with 292 goals in 625 games.
‘Pasta’ bowl
David Pastrnak has a chance to become the sixth-fastest player born outside North America to reach 400 NHL goals when the Boston Bruins (7-7-0) visit the New York Islanders (6-5-1) at UBS Arena (7 p.m. ET; MSGSN, NESN). Pastrnak has 398 goals in 770 games. He’d join some elite company: Jari Kurri (400 goals in 608 games), Alex Ovechkin (634 games), Pavel Bure (635 games), Teemu Selanne (700 games) and Jaromir Jagr (742 games).
Working overtime
The Montreal Canadiens (9-3-0), who are 5-1-0 in their past six games, have celebrated a League-best five overtime victories this season, including two in a row. Will they make it six when they host the Philadelphia Flyers (6-5-1) at Bell Centre (7 p.m. ET; RDS, TSN2, NBCSP)? The Canadiens became the first team in NHL history to win five OT games through a team’s first 12 games of a season after a 4-3 win against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday. Forward Cole Caufield leads the NHL with three overtime goals. The San Jose Sharks rank second in overtime wins this season with three.
The schedule
Utah Mammoth at Buffalo Sabres (7 p.m. ET; Utah16, MSG-B)
Philadelphia Flyers at Montreal Canadiens (7 p.m. ET; RDS, TSN2, NBCSP)
Boston Bruins at New York Islanders (7 p.m. ET; MSGSN, NESN)
Carolina Hurricanes at New York Rangers (7 p.m. ET; HBO MAX, truTV, TNT, MSG, SN1)
Edmonton Oilers at Dallas Stars (8 p.m. ET; HULU, ESPN+, SN)
Nashville Predators at Minnesota Wild (8 p.m. ET; FDSNWIX, FDSNNO, FDSNSO)
Tampa Bay Lightning at Colorado Avalanche (9:30 p.m. ET; HBO MAX, truTV, TNT, ALT, SN1)
Detroit Red Wings at Vegas Golden Knights (10 p.m. ET; FDSNDET, SCRIPPS)
Florida Panthers at Anaheim Ducks (10 p.m. ET; Victory+, SCRIPPS, KCOP-13)
Winnipeg Jets at Los Angeles Kings (10:30 p.m. ET; FDSNW, TSN3)
