Preview Roundups
December 14, 2017
Washington at Boston 7:00 PM ET
The Washington Capitals look to continue their dominance in the all-time series and climb into first place in the Metropolitan Division when they visit the surging Boston Bruins on Thursday. The Capitals have won eight of 10 overall to tie Columbus for the top spot in the division and will go for their 11th consecutive victory over the Bruins, a streak that includes a 3-2 win on Nov. 4 in Boston.
Buffalo at Philadelphia 7:00 PM ET
The Philadelphia Flyers and Buffalo Sabres have answered disastrous stretches over double-digit games with promising results in the last four contests. The two Eastern Conference foes will look to continue their recent good fortune at the other's expense on Thursday when they meet at the Wells Fargo Center.
NY Islanders at Columbus 7:00 PM ET
The Columbus Blue Jackets should be very focused for Thursday’s home game against the New York Islanders after what was perhaps their worst performance of the season last time out. Columbus coach John Tortorella apologized to the media about having nothing to say about Tuesday's 7-2 setback against visiting Edmonton, the team's third loss in five contests.
New Jersey at Montreal 7:30 PM ET
The return of star goaltender Carey Price woke the Montreal Canadiens out of their slumber and ignited a five-game winning streak, but that momentum has come to a halt in the wake of three consecutive losses -- all at Bell Centre. Montreal looks to snap out of its funk when it wraps up a five-game homestand against the New Jersey Devils on Thursday.
Anaheim at St. Louis 8:00 PM ET
The Anaheim Ducks had their struggles on a recent six-game trip and now head out on another six-game trek that will carry them into the Christmas break. Coming off a 2-0-1 homestand, the Ducks will face five teams from the Metropolitan Division after opening the road trip against the Western Conference leading St. Louis Blues on Thursday night.
Toronto at Minnesota 8:00 PM ET
The Toronto Maple Leafs and Minnesota Wild likely will have notable absences in their lineup on Thursday when the clubs complete their two-game season series at Xcel Energy Center. Reigning Calder Memorial Trophy recipient Auston Matthews has been ruled out for his third straight game for the Maple Leafs with an upper-body injury while Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyk is expected to be sidelined with a lower-body ailment.
Chicago at Winnipeg 8:00 PM ET
The Winnipeg Jets lost two of their first three home games this season, but that early October stumble seems like ancient history as they host the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday. The Jets are 10-0-1 in their past 11 home games after Monday’s impressive 5-1 victory over Vancouver, their seventh consecutive victory on home ice to tie a franchise record, and it is Winnipeg’s play on home ice that has vaulted it to the third-most points in the Western Conference entering Wednesday.
Florida at Colorado 9:00 PM ET
The Colorado Avalanche erupted for a season-high goal total during their just-concluded four-game road trip and will face the team they victimized on Thursday night in the opener of a three-game homestand. Five days after rolling to a 7-3 rout of Florida in Miami, the Avalanche will take on the Panthers in a rematch at the Pepsi Center.
San Jose at Calgary 9:00 PM ET
After a three-day rest following a three-game homestand on which they earned five points, the San Jose Sharks kick off a three-game trek through Western Canada on Thursday with a matchup against the Calgary Flames. San Jose won the first two contests of its stretch at SAP Center before dropping a 4-3 decision to Minnesota in overtime on Sunday.
Nashville at Edmonton 9:00 PM ET
The Nashville Predators have begun the month with a five-game point streak (4-0-1) and look to extend it when they continue their three-game trek through Western Canada on Thursday against the Edmonton Oilers. Nashville opened the road trip Wednesday with a 7-1 triumph in Vancouver, avenging its most recent regulation loss - a 5-3 home setback against the Canucks.
Tampa Bay at Arizona 9:00 PM ET
The NHL-best Tampa Bay Lightning will try to extend their winning streak to a season-high six games when they visit the struggling Arizona Coyotes on Thursday night. The Lightning opened their four-game road trip with a 3-0 victory at St. Louis on Tuesday as Andrei Vasilevskiy turned aside 32 shots for his league-leading 20th win and 21-year-old center Brayden Point scored for the fourth consecutive contest.
Pittsburgh at Vegas 10:00 PM ET
Marc-Andre Fleury plans to turn it up a notch on Thursday when he leads the Golden Knights into T-Mobile Arena to face the team with which he won three Stanley Cups and spent the first 13 seasons of his NHL career. The 33-year-old enters the much-anticipated reunion with the Pittsburgh Penguins after returning from a two-month absence due to a concussion with 35 saves in Tuesday's 3-2 shootout loss to Carolina.