NHL Previews

Washington forward Alex Ovechkin will try to end the longest goalless drought of his 19-year NHL career when the Capitals visit the Nashville Predators on Saturday night. Ovechkin has gone 11 straight games without a goal, keeping the 38-year-old future Hall of Famer stuck on five for the season since scoring in a 4-3 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Nov. 18. The dry spell has stalled Ovechkin’s pursuit of Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal

While the New York Islanders are frequently piling up the points of late, the Montreal Canadiens recently have been finding ways to squander points on home ice. The Islanders attempt to run their points streak to nine games Saturday night when they visit the Canadiens, who have lost eight of their past nine home contests. New York is 6-0-2 since its last regulation loss on Nov. 28 against the New Jersey Devils. Since losing seven

When Drew Bannister took the helm of the St. Louis Blues as their interim coach on Tuesday, his immediate goal was clear. “This is a good hockey team, but right now, we have to get it going in the right direction,” Bannister said. “The competitive side of our hockey team, the standard has to be raised here.” The Blues started that process by defeating the Ottawa Senators 4-2 on Thursday to snap a four-game losing

Two teams that have enjoyed stays atop the NHL standings this season and currently pace their divisions go head to head for the second time when the Boston Bruins host the New York Rangers on Saturday night. Both sides will be completing a back-to-back set after taking opposite paths to Friday victories. The Atlantic Division-leading Bruins remained atop the conference standings by capping a two-game road swing with a come-from-behind, 5-4 shootout win over the

Last season, the Seattle Kraken’s success came primarily because they could roll out four lines without much of a dip in production. Entering their home matchup with the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday, the Kraken have returned to that model in the past couple of games, which has led them to snap an eight-game winless streak (0-6-2) and outscore their opponents 11-1 in their past two wins. The Kraken’s fourth line of Devin Shore, Pierre-Edouard

The Florida Panthers will try to end a two-game scoreless streak when they visit the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday night. It’s the fourth game of a five-game road trip for Florida that started with a 5-2 victory at Columbus on Sunday. The Panthers sealed that win with a pair of empty net goals by Matthew Tkachuk and Eetu Luostarinen, the final one with 1:01 remaining. That was the last time Florida scored on the trip.

The Tampa Bay Lightning will try to build off a wild win when they finish a five-game road trip Saturday against the struggling Calgary Flames. Thanks to a five-goal third period, led by Steven Stamkos’ first career four-goal game, the Lightning arrive in Calgary on the heels of a 7-4 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday. “He looks at me after the fourth one and says, ‘First time ever,’ ” Lightning coach Jon Cooper

The Vancouver Canucks will try for a fifth straight win as they embark on a busy road trip that kicks off with a visit to the resurgent Minnesota Wild on Saturday in Saint Paul, Minn. The Wild contest starts a stretch of four away games in just six nights for red-hot Vancouver, which is off to one of the best starts in franchise history. The Canucks have won 20 of their first 30 games (20-9-1),

Plagued by inconsistency of late, the Dallas Stars look to build their game when they host the Ottawa Senators on Friday. The Stars are 5-5-2 in their past 12 contests and haven’t won consecutive games since a four-game winning streak Nov. 9-14. “We’ve got a real even-keeled group this year,” forward Tyler Seguin said. “I know it’s cliche, but it’s been a great mix of guys and we know what we have in this locker