Games of the day
Minnesota Wild at Chicago Blackhawks (7 p.m. ET; FDSNWI, FDSNNO, CHSN, SN360, TVAS)
Kirill Kaprizov will look to continue his hot start when he and the Wild (10-2-2) visit Connor Bedard and the Blackhawks (5-9-1) at United Center. Kaprizov has established himself among the early-season contenders for the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player with 27 points (nine goals, 18 assists) in 14 games, just two points behind Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche for the League lead. Kaprizov has at least two points in eight of Minnesota’s nine road games (six goals, 14 assists) and can join Wayne Gretzky as the second player in NHL history with nine or more consecutive multipoint games on the road. Minnesota has won five of its past six games and is 9-2-0 in its past 11. Coming off winning the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie last season, Bedard leads the Blackhawks with 13 points (three goals, 10 assists) in 15 games, but has no goals in his past six. Chicago has lost its past two games following a 3-1-0 stretch.
San Jose Sharks at New Jersey Devils (7 p.m. ET; MSGSN, NBCSCA)
Jack Hughes needs one point to reach 300 in the NHL when the Devils (10-5-2) host the Sharks (4-9-2) at Prudential Center. Hughes, who has 121 goals and 178 assists in 323 NHL games, is coming off a three-point outing (two goals, one assists), including scoring in overtime for New Jersey, which rallied for a 4-3 victory at the New York Islanders on Saturday, marking the first time it has won three in a row this season. Hughes, 23, has 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists) in 17 games this season. This will be the first meeting between Hughes, the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, and Macklin Celebrini, the No. 1 pick of the 2024 NHL Draft. Celebrini has four points (three goals, one assist) in his first three NHL games and seems to be finding his stride after missing 12 games with a hip injury. The 18-year-old had his first two-goal game in the Sharks’ 5-2 loss to the Wild on Thursday. San Jose is beginning a four-game road trip.
Columbus Blue Jackets at Anaheim Ducks (8 p.m. ET; FDSNOH, Victory+)
This will be the first time Blue Jackets forward Adam Fantilli, the No. 3 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, and Ducks forward Leo Carlsson, the No. 2 pick in that draft, face each other in the NHL. Carlsson sat out the first of two games between the teams last season on Oct. 24, 2023, as part of the Ducks’ development plan; Fantilli missed the second on Feb. 21 with an injury. Fantilli has seven points (three goals, four assists) in 13 games this season. Carlsson has six points (four goals, two assists) in 13 games, but none in his past four. The Ducks (4-7-2) have lost four in a row (0-3-1) and six of seven (1-5-1), including their past three in regulation to begin a six-game homestand. The Blue Jackets (5-6-2) have also lost their past four (0-3-1) and are 0-2-1 through the first three of a five-game road trip.
