Despite having a difficult time maintaining a third-period lead, the New York Islanders have recorded at least a point in six of their last seven contests (5-1-1) to gain a share of first place in the Metropolitan Division. The Islanders look to continue their winning ways when they open a season-high seven-game road trip against the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday.

The Tampa Bay Lightning righted their ship with a perfect three-game homestand and head out on the road for the next four, starting with the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night. Captain Steven Stamkos notched his 20th goal in the Lightning’s come-from-behind 3-2 victory over Toronto on Monday to become the first team in the Eastern Conference to reach 50 points. Tampa Bay is 4-1-1 in its last six games while Buffalo has cooled off with just one victory in its last six contests.

After seeing their eight-game winning streak come to an end, the New York Rangers look to repeat the feat of their 2013 New Year's Eve performance when they visit the Florida Panthers on Wednesday. Henrik Lundqvist made 21 saves and stopped all three attempts in the shootout as New York skated to a 2-1 victory over Florida exactly 365 days ago.

The slumping Toronto Maple Leafs are trying to put an end to a disturbing pattern as they continue their seven-game road trip with a visit to the Boston Bruins on Wednesday night. Toronto coughed up a pair of two-goal leads in a back-to-back at Florida and Tampa Bay on Sunday and Monday to fall to 1-5-0 in its last six. “It’s not that we’re not working hard enough, we’re not working smart enough,” Maple Leafs defenseman Cody Franson said.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have dropped four in a row (0-3-1) to find themselves with only a share of first place in the Metropolitan Division. The Penguins look to snap their skid when they open a four-game homestand against the cellar-dwelling Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday. Pittsburgh, which split a home-and-home series with Carolina last month, was limited to captain Sidney Crosby's second goal in 13 games in a 3-1 setback at New Jersey on Monday.

The Columbus Blue Jackets attempt to match the franchise record for wins in a month when they face off against the Minnesota Wild in the finale of their five-game homestand Wednesday. Columbus posted a 6-2 triumph over Boston on Saturday to improve to 9-1-1 in December, putting it one victory away from tying the club mark achieved twice - most recently in January (10-4-0).

The Detroit Red Wings attempt to bounce back from what coach Mike Babcock termed an "unacceptable" performance when they host the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday night. The skidding Red Wings have dropped seven of their last nine games (2-3-4) following a 5-2 setback in Boston on Monday in which they permitted 45 shots on net. "We're grown men; we should know how to prepare," Babcock told reporters. "We got to be better than this. Not good."

The league-leading Anaheim Ducks look to extend their point streak to four games as they continue their eight-game homestand against the Pacific Division-rival San Jose Sharks on Wednesday. Anaheim improved to 2-0-1 in its last three contests by posting a 2-1 overtime victory over Vancouver on Sunday in the opener of the lengthy stretch at Honda Center.

A pair of teams trying to climb out of deep early-season holes will square off when the resurgent Dallas Stars host the Arizona Coyotes on Wednesday night. The Coyotes have come alive following a stretch of of seven losses in eight games and will go for their season-high fourth consecutive victory. Arizona has permitted only four goals during its winning streak but has lost five straight in Dallas, including a 3-1 setback on Nov. 20.

The Colorado Avalanche appeared to be turning their season around with a six-game point streak (4-0-2) before getting held to a pair of goals in two straight losses. The Avalanche, who are scoring more than a half goal fewer per game than last season, look to find their best form when the Philadelphia Flyers visit Wednesday. The Flyers were also rolling along with three straight victories to start their road trip before scoring three times combined in losses at Nashville and Arizona.

The Calgary Flames attempt to extend their winning streak to four games Wednesday as they continue their six-game homestand against the provincial-rival Edmonton Oilers. Calgary pulled off a dramatic comeback to edge Los Angeles in overtime on Dec. 22 before beginning its string of games at Scotiabank Saddledome with triumphs over the Oilers and Kings.