NHL Previews

The Boston Bruins have shown a rare level of inconsistency of late and now have to hope for good news on the health front as they enter a Saturday afternoon showdown with the visiting Arizona Coyotes. Boston is coming off a 3-1 loss to Buffalo on Thursday, putting an end to its three-game winning streak that had followed a three-game skid. The loss also came at a price as top defenseman Charlie McAvoy exited in

Patrick Kane’s debut in Detroit didn’t go as planned. The Red Wings hope for a smoother performance when they host Ottawa on Saturday night. The nine-time All-Star and presumed future Hall of Fame inductee signed a one-year contract with Detroit last week. Kane, who underwent hip resurfacing surgery during the offseason, skated well but didn’t have a point in his first appearance on Thursday. Kane had three shots on goal and hit the post in

The Edmonton Oilers will look to add to their season-best, five-game winning streak and the visiting Minnesota Wild will try to begin another winning spree when the clubs meet Friday night. The Oilers have been climbing the standings since handing the coaching reins to Kris Knoblauch just over three weeks ago. They reached a new level during the current run, which included an impressive 6-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday to kick off

The St. Louis Blues hope to find some consistency when they visit the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday night. The Blues have alternated wins and losses in their past eight games. On Wednesday, St. Louis had a chance to climb four games above .500 for the first time since the end of the 2021-22 season, but the Blues blew a 3-1 lead against the visiting Vegas Golden Knights and lost 6-3. “We’re going in spurts,”

The Pittsburgh Penguins have won the Stanley Cup three times in the Sidney Crosby era, but the golden days may be behind them. Pittsburgh has gone five straight years without winning a playoff series and missed the playoffs last season for the first time since 2005-06. The Penguins reside in seventh place in the Metropolitan Division as they visit the Florida Panthers on Friday night in Sunrise, Fla. They have lost three straight and eight

The Washington Capitals will look to rediscover their winning ways on Thursday night when they host the Dallas Stars. The Capitals concluded a five-game trip with a 4-1 setback to the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday and a 6-0 loss to the Arizona Coyotes on Monday. Washington finished the trek with a 2-3-0 record, including a 2-1 loss to the struggling San Jose Sharks on Nov. 27. Evgeny Kuznetsov, who was a healthy scratch against

The host Calgary Flames and the Carolina Hurricanes will look to halt modest two-game losing streaks at the other’s expense when they meet on Thursday night. Moreover, both squads are coming off one-sided setbacks. The Flames will resume a six-game homestand after Tuesday’s 5-2 defeat to the Minnesota Wild, a clash in which Calgary surrendered the first goal for the seventh consecutive outing and 13th time in 15 games. “We have to get better with

Now that they’ve prevailed in the “Hughes Bowl,” it’s back to business for the New Jersey Devils. After defeating Vancouver 6-5 Tuesday in a game featuring three Hughes brothers, the Devils will continue their four-game western swing Thursday night in Seattle against the sputtering Kraken. The Devils have won four of their past five games, the lone loss in that span a stunning 6-3 home defeat to the lowly San Jose Sharks. On Tuesday, Jesper

The Minnesota Wild will try to continue their impressive turnaround under new coach John Hynes when they visit the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night. The Wild had lost seven straight when Dean Evason was fired on Nov. 27 and replaced by Hynes. They’re 4-0-0 since, outscoring their opponents 18-5. The 4-0-0 debut ties John Torchetti (2016) for the best start by a Minnesota coach in team history. “It’s a kick in the butt when you