NHL On Tap: Stars face Avalanche seeking 11th consecutive win

There are seven games on the NHL schedule for Friday, including one nationally televised in the United States. Here are the five things to watch today, along with the complete game schedule.

Battle of the best

The Stars go for their 11th consecutive win when they host the Colorado Avalanche at American Airlines Center (8 p.m. ET; Victory+, ALT) to open a six-game homestand. A victory will make Dallas (38-14-9) the second team in the NHL this season with at least 11 straight, joining the Tampa Bay Lightning from Dec. 20 to Jan. 13, and extend the franchise record. The Stars defeated the Avalanche 5-4 in a shootout in Denver on Oct. 11 and play them on home ice for the first time since a 4-2 win in Game 7 of the Western Conference First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They're led by forward Jason Robertson's 72 points (34 goals, 38 assists) in 61 games and get Roope Hintz back after the forward missed four games with an illness. Nathan MacKinnon is on a six-game point streak (one goal, eight assists) for the League-leading Avalanche (41-10-9) and reached 100 points (41 goals, 59 assists) for the fourth straight season. Colorado acquired Nazem Kadri in a trade with the Calgary Flames on Friday, returning the forward to where he won the Stanley Cup in 2022.

Reach for the top

The Detroit Red Wings have an opportunity to close the gap on the leaders in the Atlantic Division when they host the Florida Panthers at Little Caesars Arena (7 p.m. ET; FDSNDET, SCRIPPS, NHLN, SNE, TVAS). The Red Wings (35-20-7) are third in the division, three points behind the Lightning and Buffalo Sabres, and looking to clinch a playoff berth for the first time since 2015-16. On Friday, they acquired defenseman Justin Faulk in a trade with the St. Louis Blues. Lucas Raymond leads Detroit with 65 points (20 goals, 45 assists) in 60 games. The forward played for Team Sweden at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 and had nine points (one goal, eight assists) in five games, tying Mats Sundin (five goals, four assists) for second most by a Sweden-born player in an Olympics featuring NHL players, behind Daniel Alfredsson (10 at the 2006 Torino Games). Florida (30-29-3) is eighth in the Atlantic and has lost four in a row. The two-time defending Stanley Cup champions are 10 points behind the Boston Bruins for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference.

Leader of the pack

Connor McDavid will look to maintain his lead at the top of the scoring race when the Edmonton Oilers host the Carolina Hurricanes at Rogers Place (9 p.m. ET; SNW, FDSNSO). The Oilers captain has 105 points (35 goals, 70 assists) in 62 games and is the third player in NHL history with at least nine 100-point seasons, joining Wayne Gretzky (15) and Mario Lemieux (10). Defenseman Connor Murphy, along with forwards Jason Dickinson and Colton Dach, are expected to debut with Edmonton. Murphy was acquired by the Oilers on Monday in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks for a second-round pick in the 2028 NHL Draft. Dickinson and Dach were acquired from Chicago on Wednesday for forward Andrew Mangiapane and a conditional first-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft. The Oilers (30-24-8) are third in the Pacific Division, three points behind the Anaheim Ducks and four back of the Vegas Golden Knights. The Hurricanes (39-16-6) lead the Metropolitan and are 8-1-1 in their past 10 games.

Teenage dream

Macklin Celebrini and the San Jose Sharks host the St. Louis Blues at SAP Center (10 p.m. ET; FDSNMW, NBCSCA) with the 19-year-old forward fifth in the NHL scoring race with 87 points (30 goals, 57 assists) in 59 games. Celebrini can become the fourth teenager in NHL history to finish in the top five, joining Sidney Crosby (first, 2006-07), Gretzky (second, 1979-80) and Ted Kennedy (fifth, 1944-45). San Jose (30-25-4) is fifth in the Pacific, three points behind the Seattle Kraken for the second wild card from the Western Conference and has not qualified for the playoffs since 2018-19. St. Louis (23-29-9) trails Seattle by 12 points. 

Wild streaks

Matt Boldy can extend his point streak to 12 games when the Minnesota Wild visit the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena (10 p.m. ET; FDSNWI, FDSNNO, SCRIPPS, SNE). The Wild forward, who won Olympic gold with Team USA and scored the opening goal in a 2-1 overtime win against Team Canada in the final, has 22 points (eight goals, 14 assists) during his 11-game run and 72 points (35 goals, 37 assists) in 58 games this season. Kirill Kaprizov has 11 points (seven goals, four assists) during an eight-game point streak. He has 75 points (35 goals, 40 assists) in 62 games and scored in a 5-1 win against the Lightning on Tuesday to become the Wild’s all-time leader in goals (220), surpassing Marian Gaborik (219). Minnesota (36-16-10) is third in the Central, three points behind Dallas and nine back of Colorado, and acquired 38-year-old forward Nick Foligno in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday for future considerations. Vegas (29-19-14) is first in the Pacific, one point ahead of the Ducks, but will be without forward Mark Stone. The team captain was placed on injured reserve Thursday because of an upper-body injury sustained in the final minute of the first period of a 5-0 loss at the Pittsburgh Penguins on March 1.

The schedule

Florida Panthers at Detroit Red Wings (7 p.m. ET; FDSNDET, SCRIPPS, NHLN, SNE, TVAS) 

Colorado Avalanche at Dallas Stars (8 p.m. ET; Victory+, ALT) 

Vancouver Canucks at Chicago Blackhawks (8:30 p.m. ET; CHSN, SNP) 

Carolina Hurricanes at Edmonton Oilers (9 p.m. ET; SNW, FDSNSO) 

Montreal Canadiens at Anaheim Ducks (9 p.m. ET; Victory+, KCOP-13, TSN2, RDS) 

Minnesota Wild at Vegas Golden Knights (10 p.m. ET; FDSNWI, FDSNNO, SCRIPPS, SNE) 

St. Louis Blues at San Jose Sharks (10 p.m. ET; FDSNMW, NBCSCA)