NHL On Tap: Celebrini eyes milestone for Sharks at Lightning

Welcome to the NHL On Tap, a daily look at the games on the NHL schedule. There are nine games on the schedule for Thursday, including one televised nationally in the United States and one in Canada. Thursday also marks the seventh week of "NHL Coast to Coast," a weekly whip-around studio show on Prime Video in Canada.

Games of the day

San Jose Sharks at Tampa Bay Lightning (7 p.m. ET; FDSNSUN, NBCSCA)

Macklin Celebrini will attempt to build on his impressive rookie season when the Sharks (10-13-5) visit the Lightning at Amalie Arena. The No. 1 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft has eight points (four goals, four assists) in his past five games and can extend his point streak to six to become just the third 18-year-old with a run of that length, joining Connor McDavid (seven games in 2015-16) and Patrik Laine (six in 2016-17). The Sharks can extend their winning streak to four games for the first time since 2021-22. Though the Lightning (12-9-2) will welcome back Nick Paul after the forward missed six games with a lower-body injury, forward Nikita Kucherov (lower body) is out for the second consecutive game.

Seattle Kraken at New York Islanders (7:30 p.m. ET; HULU, ESPN+)

The Islanders host Seattle Kraken at UBS Arena one day after Brock Nelson was selected to the United States team for the 4 Nations Face-Off from Feb. 12-20. The 33-year-old was arguably the most surprising selection for the United States, landing a spot over forwards like Tage Thompson of the Buffalo Sabres and Cole Caufield of the Montreal Canadiens. "Happy to be part of it. It's going to be awesome," said Nelson, who has 17 points (10 goals, seven assists). Goalie Ilya Sorokin will start for New York (9-10-7) with Semyon Varlamov day to day because of a lower-body injury. Jared McCann leads the Kraken (12-13-1) in goals (10) and points (23). His five points against the Islanders are tied with Yanni Gourde for the team lead.

St. Louis Blues at Calgary Flames (9 p.m. ET; SN1, FDSNMW)

The Flames (13-9-4) will attempt to extend their dominance at Scotiabank Saddledome. Their 10 wins on home ice are tied with the Vegas Golden Knights and Dallas Stars for the second most in the NHL, trailing only the Toronto Maple Leafs (12). The Blues (12-12-2) have points in four consecutive games (3-0-1), including a 4-1 victory against their Central Division rival Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday.

Other Thursday games

Winnipeg Jets at Buffalo Sabres (7 p.m. ET; MSG-B, TSN3)

Lindy Ruff will make history when the Sabres (11-12-2) host the Jets at KeyBank Center. Ruff will become only the fourth man in NHL history to coach 1,800 games and his 582 wins with Buffalo are second most by a coach with one team behind Al Arbour's 740 for the Islanders. The Jets (18-8-0) have lost four in a row and are 3-7-0 in their past 10 games after starting 15-1-0. Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin will not play. He left a 5-4 overtime loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday with back spasms after taking one shift in the third period.

Nashville Predators at Montreal Canadiens (7 p.m. ET; RDS, TSN2, FDSNSO)

Nashville (7-13-6) continues to struggle offensively; their 60 goals are tied with the Anaheim Ducks for the fewest in the NHL after a 3-2 loss at the Maple Leafs on Wednesday. It's been a big week for Laine. He scored for the Canadiens (9-13-3) in his regular-season debut, a 2-1 win against the Islanders on Tuesday. The next day he was named to Finland's 4 Nations Face-Off roster.

Detroit Red Wings at Ottawa Senators (7 p.m. ET; RDSI, TSN5, FDSNDET)

Lucas Raymond is on an eight-game point streak (seven goals, four assists) for Detroit (10-11-4) and will attempt to extend it one day after he was named to Sweden's 4 Nations Face-Off roster. The Senators (10-12-2) have shuffled their forwards and plan to insert Josh Norris on the top line between Brady Tkachuk and Drake Batherson. Patrick Kane returns for the Red Wings. The forward missed five games with an upper-body injury.

Florida Panthers at Philadelphia Flyers (7 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, NBCSP, SNP)

The Flyers (12-10-3) can extend their winning streak to a season-high four games, something they accomplished on four different occasions last season. The defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers (15-9-2) led all NHL teams with eight players named to 4 Nations Face-Off rosters: forwards Sam Bennett and Sam Reinhart (Canada); forwards Aleksander Barkov, Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen and defenseman Niko Mikkola (Finland); defenseman Gustav Forsling (Sweden); and forward Matthew Tkachuk (United States).

Colorado Avalanche at Carolina Hurricanes (7 p.m. ET; FDSNSO, ALT)

The Avalanche (14-12-0) overcame a four-goal deficit for the fourth time in Colorado/Quebec Nordiques history to defeat the Sabres on Tuesday. The Hurricanes (16-8-1) welcomed back goalie Pyotr Kochetkov, who made 24 saves in a 4-2 loss to the Kraken on Tuesday after a four-game absence because of a concussion. Goalie Scott Wedgewood will start for the Avalanche, his first since he was acquired in a trade with the Nashville Predators on Nov. 30 for goalie Justus Annunen and a sixth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.

Columbus Blue Jackets at Edmonton Oilers (9 p.m. ET; SNW, FDSNOH)

Zach Hyman is expected to return for Edmonton (13-10-2). The forward has been out since Nov. 19 with an undisclosed injury. The Blue Jackets (11-10-3) have won six of nine and defeated the Oilers 6-1 on Oct. 28. Edmonton is 9-5-1 since.