NHL On Tap: Avalanche look to keep rolling against Golden Knights

Olympic teammates Tkachuk, Matthews go head-to-head; streaking Sabres seek 8th win in row

There are 13 games on the NHL schedule for Saturday, including four nationally televised in Canada. Here are five things to watch today, along with the complete game schedule.

Avalanche looks to roll 7 in Vegas

The Colorado Avalanche (27-2-7) go for their seventh win in a row when they visit the Vegas Golden Knights (17-8-10) at T-Mobile Arena (10 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, ALT). Nathan MacKinnon‘s eight-game point streak ended in a 1-0 win at the Utah Mammoth on Tuesday, but Colorado still managed to reach an NHL-leading 61 points and became the fourth team in NHL history to hit the 60-point mark in 36 games. They also extended their point streak to nine games (8-0-1). Mitch Marner has the hot hand for Vegas with two goals in a 7-2 victory against the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday that ended a three-game losing streak (0-2-1) and nine points (three goals, six assists) in his past five games. Marner is second on the Golden Knights with 38 points (nine goals, 29 assists) in 35 games.

Future Olympic teammates Tkachuk, Matthews featured

Brady Tkachuk and the Ottawa Senators visit Auston Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Battle of Ontario at Scotiabank Arena (7 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, CITY, SNE, SNO, SNP) before they become teammates on Team USA at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. The Senators and Maple Leafs meet for first time since the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round, when Toronto defeated Ottawa in six games. Matthews (34 points; 17 goals, 17 assists) has outscored Tkachuk (18 points; seven goals, 11 assists) in their head-to-head regular-season series of 26 games (11-11-4), although Ottawa has won each of the last five dating to Dec. 27, 2023. Toronto (16-15-5) hopes to build off a 6-3 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday that ended a three-game losing streak during which they were outscored 14-4. The Senators (18-13-5) are coming off a 3-2 overtime loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday that ended a four-game winning streak. Tim Stutzle scored and has 15 points (seven goals, eight assists) during an eight-game point streak. Ottawa forward Claude Giroux will play his 1,300th NHL game.

McDavid looks to keep streak alive in Battle of Alberta rematch

Connor McDavid will look to extend an 11-game point streak when the Edmonton Oilers (19-13-6) visit the Calgary Flames (15-18-4) at Scotiabank Saddledome (10 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SNE, SNO, SNW) in the second Battle of Alberta clash in four days. McDavid, who leads the NHL with 67 points (23 goals, 44 assists) in 38 games, had five assists in a 5-1 win Tuesday for 31 points (12 goals, 19 assists) during his streak. Leon Draisaitl had a hat trick and has 12 points (three goals, nine assists) during a five-game point streak. The two have propelled Edmonton to an 8-2-1 record in its past 11 games and a first-place tie with the Anaheim Ducks and Vegas Golden Knights in the Pacific Division. Mikael Backlund had an assist Tuesday and has six points (four goals, two assists) during a three-game point streak for Calgary, which was 6-2-0 in its previous eight games.

Sabres go for 8th straight win

Tage Thompson and the Buffalo Sabres (18-14-4) bring a seven-game winning streak into their game against the Boston Bruins (20-17-1) at KeyBank Center (7 p.m. ET; NESN, MSG-B). It’s Buffalo’s longest streak since a 10-game run from Nov. 8-27, 2018. They are 4-0-0 since Jarmo Kekalainen was named general manager Dec. 1 and are two points behind the Florida Panthers for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference after a 3-2 overtime win at the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday. Thompson, who is vying for a spot on Team USA at the Olympics, has 10 points (six goals, four assists) in his past eight games. Boston looks to rebound from losing four straight (0-3-1) after a 6-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday during which they allowed four third-period goals.

Lightning, Panthers in Sunshine State battle

It’s getting hot in Florida. The Florida Panthers (20-14-2) have won five of their past six games and eight of the past 10. The Tampa Bay Lightning (20-13-3) have won two straight after losing three in a row (0-2-1) and occupy third place in the Atlantic Division, one point ahead of Florida. The temperature — and tempers — surely will be up a notch when the cross-state rivals meet in the Battle of the Sunshine State at Amerant Bank Arena (7 p.m. ET; The Spot, SCRIPPS). The Panthers hold a slight edge in the rivalry since the 2019-20 season (15-11-3). Since that season, the teams have appeared in the Cup Final a combined six times, with each winning the Cup twice. Each team also soon will have their moment in the sun. The Panthers host the New York Rangers in the 2026 Discover NHL Winter Classic on Jan. 2 at loanDepot park in Miami, and the Lightning face the Boston Bruins in the 2026 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa on Feb. 1.

The schedule

New York Rangers at New York Islanders (6 p.m. ET; MSGSN, MSG2)

Boston Bruins at Buffalo Sabres (7 p.m. ET; NESN, MSG-B)

Ottawa Senators at Toronto Maple Leafs (7 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, CITY, SNE, SNO, SNP)

Tampa Bay Lightning at Florida Panthers (7 p.m. ET; The Spot, SCRIPPS)

Washington Capitals at New Jersey Devils (7 p.m. ET; MNMT, MSGSN2)

Detroit Red Wings at Carolina Hurricanes (7 p.m. ET; FDSNDET, FDSNSO)

Minnesota Wild at Winnipeg Jets (7 p.m. ET; SN1, SNW, FDSNNO, FDSNWIX)

Nashville Predators at St. Louis Blues (8 p.m. ET; KMOV-TV, Matrix-MW, FDSNMW, FDSNSO)

Chicago Blackhawks at Dallas Stars (8 p.m. ET; Victory+, CHSN)

Anaheim Ducks at Los Angeles Kings (9 p.m. ET; FDSNW, KTTV, Victory+)

Edmonton Oilers at Calgary Flames (10 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SNE, SNO, SNW)

San Jose Sharks at Vancouver Canucks (10 p.m. ET; SN1, CITY, SNP, NBCSCA)

Colorado Avalanche at Vegas Golden Knights (10 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, ALT)