Seven members of the Colorado Avalanche and Ottawa Senators will have a chance to play an NHL regular-season game in their home country on Friday when the 2017 SAP NHL Global Series begins in Stockholm, Sweden. Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog joins countrymen Anton Lindholm, Carl Soderberg and Patrik Nemeth while Senators captain Erik Karlsson is flanked by Frederik Claesson and Johnny Oduya in the two-game series at the Ericsson Globe.

The Buffalo Sabres created a blueprint last time out of what is needed for them to win consistently, and hope to match that effort when the struggling Florida Panthers pay a visit Friday night. The Sabres posted 15 shots in the first period and carried that momentum throughout to score a 3-1 triumph against Washington on Tuesday for only their fifth victory in 15 contests to open the season.

Toronto Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock told reporters that Auston Matthews is making progress from his upper-body injury, but that doesn't mean he's rushing the reigning Calder Trophy recipient back to the ice. After missing the first game of his young career, Matthews' availability is in question for Friday's opener of a home-and-home series against the Boston Bruins at Air Canada Centre.

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals traditionally are two of the higher scoring teams in the NHL, but a few decorated players are enduring considerable offensive woes. Penguins superstar captain Sidney Crosby, who is as decorated as they come, aims to end a nine-game goal drought on Friday as the Metropolitan Division rivals clash at Capital One Arena.

The Carolina Hurricanes finally put an end to their four-game slide, even though it came against the worst team in the Eastern Conference. The Columbus Blue Jackets will be trying to avert a four-game skid of their own Friday night when they square off against the visiting Hurricanes, who are mired in last place in the Metropolitan Division.

The Dallas Stars have won all three matchups against Eastern Conference opponents this season and look to keep that streak intact when they host the New York Islanders on Friday night. It's the first of a back-to-back for the Islanders, which will wrap up a stretch in which they played 13 of 15 games against teams from the Western Conference.

The Winnipeg Jets are picking an opportune time to pay a visit to Vegas -- riding a hot streak in which they have lost only once in regulation over the past 12 games. The surging Jets have points in eight consecutive games as they prepare to face the expansion Golden Knights on Friday night in the second stop of a three-game road trip.