NHL On Tap: McDavid aims to continue success against Crosby when Oilers face Penguins

Welcome to the NHL On Tap, a daily look at the games on the NHL schedule. There are 10 games on the schedule for Thursday, including three nationally televised in the United States and Canada. Thursday also marks the 13th week of "NHL Coast to Coast," a weekly whip-around studio show on Prime Video in Canada.

Games of the day

Edmonton Oilers at Pittsburgh Penguins (7 p.m. ET; SN-PIT, SN, TVAS)

Oilers captain Connor McDavid will look to continue his head-to-head dominance against Sidney Crosby, his Penguins counterpart, in the final matchup of the regular season between the two. McDavid and Crosby, who were selected No. 1 in the NHL Draft 10 years apart -- McDavid in 2015, Crosby in 2005 -- will be teammates for Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February. McDavid has 27 points (nine goals, 18 assists) and eight power-play points (four goals, four assists) in 14 games against Crosby and Pittsburgh, with Edmonton (25-12-3) going 8-3-3 in those games. Crosby has seven points (three goals, four assists) and two power-play points (one goal, one assist) against McDavid and the Oilers (the Penguins have gone 6-7-1). Neither player had a point in their first matchup this season, a 4-0 Oilers win in Edmonton on Oct. 25. Defenseman Erik Karlsson has 11 points (two goals, nine assists) in his past 10 games for the Penguins (17-17-8), who are 0-1-3 in their past four.

Toronto Maple Leafs at Carolina Hurricanes (7:30 p.m. ET; HULU, ESPN+, TSN4)

The Maple Leafs (27-13-2) will seek a sixth straight win when they visit the Hurricanes. Center Auston Matthews had a goal and an assist for Toronto in a 3-2 win at the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday and has seven points (two goals, five assists) in three games since missing six because of a lower-body injury. Matthews is the fourth-fastest active player to reach 200 multipoint games, behind Crosby (465 games), McDavid (466) and Alex Ovechkin (570). Defenseman Brent Burns has played 884 consecutive games and can take sole possession of sixth place all time (ahead of Steve Larmer) if he plays for the Hurricanes (24-15-2), who are 3-2-1 in their past six.

New York Islanders at Vegas Golden Knights (10 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, MSGSN2, MSGSN, SN, TVAS)

The Golden Knights (28-9-3) will look to extend their winning streak to four games when they open a three-game homestand. Forward Mark Stone has five points (three goals, two assists) in a three-game point streak for Vegas, which won 4-2 at the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday. The Islanders played the first of three straight on the road, defeating the Boston Bruins 5-4 in overtime on Sunday to end a three-game losing streak. Forward Anders Lee has five goals in his past five games for New York (15-18-7).

Other Thursday games

Buffalo Sabres at Ottawa Senators (7 p.m. ET; RDS, TSN5, MSG-B): Ottawa (19-17-3) is coming off a franchise-record nine-game road trip (4-4-1) that resulted from Canadian Tire Centre being a host venue for the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship. Forward Jiri Kulich will not play and is week to week after sustaining a lower-body injury for Buffalo (15-21-5) in a 4-3 shootout win against the Washington Capitals on Monday that ended a three-game losing streak.

Boston Bruins at Tampa Bay Lightning (7 p.m. ET; FDSNSUN, NESN): Boston (20-18-5) lost 4-0 to Edmonton at home on Tuesday, its fifth straight loss (0-4-1) and sixth in seven games (1-5-1). Forward Brayden Point scored with 52 seconds left in the third period, and the Lightning (21-15-2) ended a four-game losing streak with a 3-2 win against the Hurricanes on Tuesday.

New Jersey Devils at New York Rangers (7 p.m. ET; MSGSN, MSG): The Devils (25-15-3) have lost four of five road games but close out their six-game trip by facing the Rangers (18-20-2), whom they are 2-0-0 against this season, having won by a combined 10-1. Forward Artemi Panarin had three assists in the first period of a 5-4 overtime loss to the Dallas Stars on Tuesday to tie Rod Gilbert (13) for the most three-point periods in Rangers history. New York forward Filip Chytil is questionable with an upper-body injury.

Dallas Stars at Philadelphia Flyers (7 p.m. ET; Victory+, NBCSP): The Stars (25-13-1) came back twice, including from down three goals, to win 5-4 in overtime at the Rangers on Tuesday. Defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin is questionable with an upper-body injury. Rookie forward Matvei Michkov has no points in his past four games for the Flyers (17-19-5), who are 3-7-1 in their past 11.

Seattle Kraken at Columbus Blue Jackets (7 p.m. ET; FDSNOH, KHN, KONG): Forward Jaden Schwartz has six points (four goals, two assists) in his past six games for Seattle (17-21-3), which is 0-2-1 in its past three after a 3-2 loss to the Devils on Monday. Adam Fantilli has four points (two goals, two assists) in a three-game point streak for the Blue Jackets (18-17-6), who have won five of seven.

Anaheim Ducks at St. Louis Blues (8 p.m. ET; FDSNMW; Victory+, KCOP-13): Forward Alex Killorn has three points (one goal, two assists) in his past four games for the Ducks (17-18-5), who are 4-1-1 in their past six and are beginning a six-game trip. Defenseman Justin Faulk has five points (one goal, four assists) in his past two games for St. Louis (19-19-4), which has lost two straight.

Colorado Avalanche at Minnesota Wild (8 p.m. ET; FDSNWI, FDSNNOX, ALT): Forward Mikko Rantanen’s 14-game point streak and forward Nathan MacKinnon’s eight-game point streak ended for the Avalanche (25-16-1) on Wednesday in a 3-1 loss at the Chicago Blackhawks. Colorado has won seven of nine (7-1-1). Forward Joel Eriksson Ek has five points (two goals, three assists) in a four-game point streak for the Wild (26-11-4), who have won four straight and six of seven.