NHL On Tap: Sabres seek 10th straight road win, can tie team mark at Penguins

There are eight games on the NHL schedule for Thursday, with two nationally televised in the United States. Thursday also marks the 17th week of "NHL Coast to Coast," a weekly whip-around studio show on Prime Video in Canada that provides live look-ins, highlights and analysis of all the games.

Buffalo stampede

Tage Thompson and the surging Buffalo Sabres eye their fifth straight victory and can match a team record with their 10th straight road win when they visit the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, SNO, SNE, TVAS). The Sabres (36-19-6) have notched an NHL-best 25 wins since Dec. 8 to propel them to second place in the Atlantic Division, two points behind the Tampa Bay Lightning, and look to tie a mark they have achieved twice, in 1983-84 and 2006-07. Thompson, a forward who won a gold medal with Team USA at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, has nine points (five goals, four assists) in an eight-game point streak for Buffalo, which is trying to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2010-11. The Penguins (31-16-3), who had a five-game point streak (3-0-2) end with a 2-1 loss at the Boston Bruins on Tuesday, are tied with the New York Islanders for second in the Metropolitan Division and looking for their first playoff berth in four seasons. Defenseman Erik Karlsson will try to stretch a 12-game home point streak against Buffalo, dating back to Nov. 5, 2016.

King Kopitar

Anze Kopitar is set to play in his 1,500th NHL game and the Los Angeles Kings (24-22-14) look for their first win under coach D.J. Smith when they host the New York Islanders at Crypto.com Arena (9:30 p.m. ET; ESPN, SNP, SNE, TVAS). Kopitar is poised to become the third active player to skate in 1,500 games, along with Colorado Avalanche defenseman Brent Burns (1,557) and Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin (1,554). The 38-year-old center, playing his NHL final season, has 1,302 points (446 goals, 856 assists), six points shy of passing Marcel Dionne for most in Los Angeles history. The Kings, who trail the Seattle Kraken by five points for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Western Conference, are 1-5-1 in their past seven games, including a 4-2 loss to the Avalanche on Monday in Smith’s debut after replacing Jim Hiller on Sunday. The Islanders (35-22-5) are coming off a 5-1 loss at the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday that ended a five-game winning streak. Forward Anders Lee has a four-game goal streak for the Islanders.

Mammoth task for Flyers

The Philadelphia Flyers go for a season-high four-game winning streak when the Utah Mammoth visit Xfinity Mobile Arena (7 p.m. ET; Utah16, NBCSP). The Flyers (28-21-11) are 3-0-1 since the Olympic break, including a 3-2 shootout win at the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday to move within six points of the Bruins for the second wild card in the East. Rasmus Ristolainen, a physical, right hand-shot defenseman coveted by several teams ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline on Friday, is set to play in his 800th game in the League. The Mammoth (32-25-4), who hold the first wild card in the West, opened a five-game road trip with a 3-2 win at Washington on Tuesday. Forward Clayton Keller, who won gold with Team USA at the Olympics, has 10 points (two goals, eight assists) in his past six games.

Fantastic Fantilli 

Adam Fantilli will try to extend his four-game goal streak when the Columbus Blue Jackets host the slumping Florida Panthers at Nationwide Arena (7 p.m. ET; FDSNOH, SCRIPPS). The 21-year-old forward has seven points (four goals, three assists) in a five-game point streak for the Blue Jackets, including a goal in a 3-2 win against the Nashville Predators on Tuesday. Columbus (31-21-8) is 9-1-1 in its past 11 games and three points behind Boston for the second wild card in the East. The Panthers (30-28-3) are 10 points behind the Bruins, have lost three straight and are 2-8-0 in its past 10. Florida forward Matthew Tkachuk and Columbus defenseman Zach Werenski go head-to-head for the first time since they won gold medals with Team USA at the Olympics.

Woes Garden

The Maple Leafs and New York Rangers square off at Madison Square Garden (7 p.m. ET; MSG, TSN4) with players knowing changes could be in store for each team before the trade deadline. The Maple Leafs (27-24-11), who are 0-3-2 in their past five games and 3-8-3 in their past 14, are eight points out of the second wild card in the East following a 4-3 shootout loss at the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday. Forward William Nylander has a goal in three straight games for Toronto and center Auston Matthews has four assists in five games since he won a gold medal with Team USA at the Olympics. The Rangers (23-29-8) are 2-7-2 in their past 11 games, including a 5-4 overtime loss to the Blue Jackets on Monday. Forward Vincent Trocheck, the subject of trade rumors, has six points (one goal, five assists) in his past five games for New York, which is last in the Eastern Conference and informed fans in a letter in January of plans to retool the roster.

The schedule

Toronto Maple Leafs at New York Rangers (7 p.m. ET; MSG, TSN4)

Utah Mammoth at Philadelphia Flyers (7 p.m. ET; Utah16, NBCSP)

Buffalo Sabres at Pittsburgh Penguins (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, SNO, SNE, TVAS)

Florida Panthers at Columbus Blue Jackets (7 p.m. ET; FDSNOH, SCRIPPS)

Boston Bruins at Nashville Predators (8 p.m. ET; FDSNSO, NESN)

Tampa Bay Lightning at Winnipeg Jets (8 p.m. ET; TSN3, The Spot)

Ottawa Senators at Calgary Flames (9 p.m. ET; RDS, SNW, TSN5)

New York Islanders at Los Angeles Kings (9:30 p.m. ET; ESPN, SNP, SNO, SNE, TVAS)