Preview Roundups
January 17, 2015
Columbus at Boston 7:00 PM ET
The Boston Bruins responded to their chief executive officer's criticism of their performance this season by winning a campaign-best five straight contests. Riding a nine-game point streak (6-0-3), the Bruins look to keep their good fortune going without the services of pesky forward Brad Marchand when they host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday.
Philadelphia at Buffalo 7:00 PM ET
The Philadelphia Flyers are coming off consecutive shutout defeats and continue to fall farther out of the playoff chase, but they'll get a close-up look at rock bottom when they visit the reeling Buffalo Sabres on Saturday. Philadelphia has dropped three of four and put forth a lifeless effort in a 4-0 home loss to Vancouver on Thursday. “I don’t know why we stopped playing,” defenseman Mark Streit said. "There’s no reason with the team we have. ... I can't explain it."
NY Islanders at Montreal 7:00 PM ET
Winners of four in a row, the New York Islanders became the first NHL team to record 30 victories en route to ascending to the penthouse of the Eastern Conference. The Islanders look to continue to enjoy the view when they visit the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday. Kyle Okposo notched his first career four-goal performance as New York posted a 6-3 triumph over Pittsburgh on Friday, marking its third win in four meetings between the Metropolitan Division rivals.
Carolina at Ottawa 7:00 PM ET
The Carolina Hurricanes attempt to halt a four-game slide on the road when they visit the Ottawa Senators on Saturday. Carolina is 0-3-1 away from home since posting a 2-1 shootout victory at New Jersey on Dec. 23 - its only road triumph in its last nine tries (1-7-1). The Hurricanes look to rebound from a 3-0 loss to Vancouver on Friday in which they registered 28 shots but were unable to solve Ryan Miller, ending their four-game home winning streak.
Nashville at Detroit 7:00 PM ET
Both the Nashville Predators and Detroit Red Wings will be without their cornerstone netminders Saturday night when the former Central Division rivals square off at Joe Louis Arena. The Predators will be without Pekka Rinne (knee sprain) for up to five weeks, though he wasn't missed in Friday's 4-3 win over Washington; the Red Wings are making ends meet without fellow All-Star Jimmy Howard, who will miss the next two-to-four weeks with a tear in his groin.
Colorado at Tampa Bay 7:00 PM ET
Tampa Bay left wing Ondrej Palat is beginning to get rewarded for his efforts on one of the NHL’s best forward lines with All-Star Tyler Johnson and Nikita Kucherov. Palat has produced 17 points in his last 11 games and looks to follow up a two-goal performance when the Lightning go for their seventh straight home-ice victory Saturday against the Colorado Avalanche. The Avalanche has climbed back into the playoff hunt with a 6-2-1 stretch, including Thursday's 4-2 victory at Florida.
Edmonton at Florida 7:00 PM ET
The Edmonton Oilers visit the Florida Panthers on Saturday hoping to improve their dismal road record. The Oilers are 2-12-7 away from Edmonton and have not won a road game since Nov. 9. Florida has fallen out of the Eastern Conference playoff picture with losses in its last two games.
Toronto at St. Louis 7:00 PM ET
The St. Louis Blues try to extend their point streak to seven games as they continue their season-long seven-game homestand against the struggling Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday. St. Louis had its five-game winning streak snapped with a 3-2 loss in overtime to Detroit on Thursday as Alexander Steen made it possible for the Blues to earn a point by scoring with 48 seconds left in the third period to extend his goal streak to four games and his point run to eight contests.
Washington at Dallas 8:00 PM ET
Heading into the new calendar year, the Dallas Stars looked like a good bet to emerge from their season-long funk. But the Stars have once again fallen on hard times - and find themselves on the outside of the Western Conference playoff race as they prepare to host the Washington Capitals on Saturday night. The Stars won four straight and eight of nine over a recent stretch, but have since dropped five of six and are coming off a 2-1 home loss to Winnipeg.
Arizona at Minnesota 9:00 PM ET
The Minnesota Wild unleashed a ton of frustration in snapping a six-game losing streak and look to earn back-to-back victories for the first time in nearly two months when they host the slumping Arizona Coyotes on Saturday night. The Wild posted the most lopsided victory in franchise history with a 7-0 mauling of Buffalo on Thursday. Devan Dubnyk, acquired from Arizona on Wednesday, earned the shutout and will get the nod Saturday against his former teammates.
Anaheim at Los Angeles 10:00 PM ET
The Anaheim Ducks look to translate their recent home success to the road Saturday, when they visit the struggling Los Angeles Kings on Rob Blake Night at Staples Center. Anaheim is coming off a season-high eight-game homestand during which it posted a 6-2-0 record, winning the final two contests by a combined 9-1 score. The Ducks recorded a dominant 5-1 triumph in the finale on Friday as Jakob Silfverberg scored twice while the hosts limited New Jersey to 15 shots.
Calgary at San Jose 10:00 PM ET
Mikael Backlund has hit the ground running since his return from a 29-game absence because of abdominal surgery. After scoring a goal in each of the last four contests, Backlund looks to lead the Flames to their third consecutive victory when they visit the Pacific Division-rival San Jose Sharks on Saturday.