NHL On Tap: Mammoth visit Blackhawks, look to stay perfect on road trip

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

Mammoth moving

The Utah Mammoth look to stay perfect on their five-game road trip when they visit the Chicago Blackhawks (8:30 p.m. ET; Utah16, CHSN). Utah has won the first three after a 5-4 overtime victory at the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday. Logan Cooley scored twice in the win, including in overtime for the Mammoth (34-25-4), who hold the first wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference. It’s the second time in eight days they’ll face the Blackhawks (23-29-11), who won 4-0 in Salt Lake City on March 1. Connor Bedard leads Chicago with 58 points, including an NHL career-high 26 goals.

Senators surging

The Ottawa Senators have points in six straight (4-0-2) and continue their playoff push at the Vancouver Canucks in the latest edition of “Prime Monday Night Hockey” (9 p.m. ET; RDS, Prime). Tim Stutzle has eight goals and eight assists during a 12-game point streak for the Senators (31-22-9), who conclude a five-game road trip (3-0-1) and trail the Boston Bruins by five points for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference. They will be without top defenseman Jake Sanderson, who is week to week because of an upper-body injury sustained during a 7-4 win against the Seattle Kraken on Saturday.  It’s the first of an eight-game homestand for the Canucks (19-36-8), who have lost eight of nine (1-5-3).

Getting there

The Philadelphia Flyers have won four of their past five and look to move closer to a playoff spot when they host the New York Rangers (7 p.m. ET, MSGSN, NBCSP+, TVAS). Philadelphia (29-22-11), which hasn’t qualified for the postseason since 2019-20, is seven points behind Boston for the second wild card in the East. It’s the opener of a back-to-back for the Rangers (24-30-8), who are 3-5-2 in their past 10 games.

Moving on

The Washington Capitals were shaken when defenseman John Carlson was traded to the Anaheim Ducks after 17 seasons. But life and the NHL schedule move on for the Capitals (31-26-7), who also trail the Bruins by seven points in the East entering their game against the Calgary Flames in Washington (7 p.m. ET; MNMT, SNW). Alex Ovechkin has just two goals in his past 10 games, each coming against the Montreal Canadiens on Feb. 28. It’s the opener of a five-game road trip for the Flames (25-30-7), who ended a four-game skid (0-3-1) with a 5-4 win against the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday.

Still climbing

The Blue Jackets aren’t in playoff position yet, but they’re doing their part to stay in the race. Entering its game against the Los Angeles Kings on Monday (4 p.m. ET; FDSNOH, FDSNW), Columbus (32-21-9), which is 13-2-2 since Rick Bowness replaced Dean Evason as coach on Jan. 13, trails Boston by three points for the second wild card in the East. Anze Kopitar (1,304) is four points from passing Marcel Dionne as the all-time leading scorer for the Kings (25-23-14), who trail the Kraken by three points for the second wild card in the West. Los Angeles has lost seven of its past nine games (2-6-1). 

The schedule

Los Angeles Kings at Columbus Blue Jackets (4 p.m. ET; FDSNOH, FDSNW)

New York Rangers at Philadelphia Flyers (7 p.m. ET, MSGSN, NBCSP+, TVAS)

Calgary Flames at Washington Capitals (7 p.m. ET; MNMT, SNW)

Utah Mammoth at Chicago Blackhawks (8:30 p.m. ET; Utah16, CHSN)

Ottawa Senators at Vancouver Canucks (9 p.m. ET; RDS, Prime)