NHL Previews

It will be a Metropolitan Division showdown with plenty of implications Tuesday when the New York Islanders visit the Pittsburgh Penguins. Both teams are on the outside looking in as they chase a playoff spot, while each failed to protect leads while losing in a special event game. And neither team has played all that much lately against division opponents. The Penguins, who are three points behind the Islanders in the wild-card chase with two

Following back-to-back home losses for the first time in over a year, the Vegas Golden Knights take a quick one-game road trip to San Jose to play the struggling Sharks in a Monday afternoon matinee. Vegas holds an eye-popping 23-2-5 all-time regular-season mark against San Jose, including 3-0-0 this season. It’s the start of a four-day stretch that sees the defending Stanley Cup champions play three games with home contests against Nashville on Tuesday and

Veteran goaltenders know they need to be sharp at a moment’s notice. Like the Detroit Red Wings’ James Reimer and the Seattle Kraken’s Philipp Grubauer, who could very well play against each other in a Monday matinee in Seattle. Both are coming off impressive victories following long layoffs that snapped losing streaks for their respective teams. The 35-year-old Reimer, making his first appearance since Jan. 23 and his first start since Jan. 14, stopped 38

The Winnipeg Jets look to extend their winning streak to four games when they visit the streaky Calgary Flames on Monday. After struggling through an 0-4-1 stretch that spanned the All-Star break, the Jets have rebounded with three straight victories, including Saturday’s 4-2 road win over the league-leading Vancouver Canucks. Defeating the NHL’s top team is always a major achievement, but the nature of the win signaled a breakout for Winnipeg’s offense. In their eight

One of the few things that’s been predictable about the Anaheim Ducks and Buffalo Sabres this season is defensemen Cam Fowler and Rasmus Dahlin will spend plenty of time on the ice. Heading into their teams’ matchup on Monday afternoon in Buffalo, Fowler is seventh in the NHL in ice time for the Ducks at 25:08, while fellow defenseman Dahlin is sixth for the Sabres at 25:20. Because of injuries, Dahlin, 23, played a season-high

The Boston Bruins look to salvage what largely has been a forgettable homestand when they host the Dallas Stars on Monday afternoon. Boston has dropped from the top spot in the Eastern Conference after losing four straight (0-2-2) and going just 1-3-2 over the first six contests of the seven-game homestand. A win against the Stars, who have the second-most points in the Western Conference, will send the Bruins out for a four-game road trip

After experiencing costly defensive breakdowns in their last game, the St. Louis Blues will need to clean up their play on Monday afternoon when they host the explosive Toronto Maple Leafs. Winners of three in a row, the Maple Leafs roll into this matinee with the Blues after thrashing the Anaheim Ducks 9-2 on Saturday. “It’s a great effort from our team all the way around,” Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe said. “It’s not often over

The Colorado Avalanche went into the extended All-Star break on a roll and atop the Central Division standings. Two weeks later, they’re trying to regroup after a disappointing six-game road trip. Colorado went 1-4-1 in its longest road trip of 2023-24 and feels like it left some points on the table, but now pivots to the final 27 games of the season, starting by hosting the Arizona Coyotes on Sunday. The Avalanche started their trip

Two juggernauts square off Saturday afternoon in a Sunshine State showdown in Tampa — the Florida Panthers’ road brilliance versus the Tampa Bay Lightning’s home-ice dominance. In the teams’ second meeting on Florida’s Gulf Coast this season, the Panthers will haul their franchise-record 10-game road winning streak up to Tampa and try to extend it against the resurgent Lightning. On Thursday in Buffalo, Panthers backup goaltender Anthony Stolarz turned away 45 shots — the third-most