NHL On Tap: Oilers, Stars meet in Western Conference Final rematch
Surging Panarin, Rangers visit Maple Leafs; undefeated Flames face Kraken
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Games of the day
Edmonton Oilers at Dallas Stars (4 p.m. ET; Victory +, SN)
The Oilers (2-3-0) visit the Stars (4-1-0) for a rematch of the 2024 Western Conference Final, which the Oilers won in six games. Edmonton has won two games in a row after losing its first three. Oilers center Connor McDavid’s first goal of the season was the game-winner in a 4-2 victory against the Nashville Predators on Thursday. McDavid has five points (one goal, four assists) during a four-game point streak. Dallas won its first four games before a 3-2 loss at the Washington Capitals on Thursday. Goalie Jake Oettinger is expected to play for the first time since signing an eight-year, $66 million contract ($8.25 million average annual value) with the Stars on Thursday that begins next season. Forward Wyatt Johnston has a point in each of Dallas’ five games (one goal, four assists).
New York Rangers at Toronto Maple Leafs (7 p.m. ET; CBC, SNO, SNW, MSG, NHLN)
The Rangers (3-0-1) continue a three-game road trip with a marquee matchup against the Maple Leafs (3-1-0) on “Hockey Night in Canada.” New York can match the longest season-opening point streak in its history with a win or overtime/shootout loss in its fifth straight game (three previous times). Forward Artemi Panarin, who has 11 points (five goals, six assists), is the first player in Rangers history to begin a season with four consecutive multipoint games, including three goals and an assist in a 5-2 win at the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday that opened their trip. Toronto has won three in a row following a season-opening 1-0 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Oct. 9. Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner has five points (one goal, four assists) in the past two games after getting none in his first two.
Calgary Flames at Seattle Kraken (10 p.m. ET; KHN, KONG, CITY, SN, CBC)
The Flames (4-0-0) will try to start a season with five straight wins for the first time in their history when they visit the Kraken (3-2-0). Forward Jonathan Huberdeau (three goals, three assists) and defenseman Rasmus Andersson (two goals, four assists) each has six points in Calgary’s first four games. Huberdeau needs two assists to reach 500 for his NHL career. Flames rookie goalie Dustin Wolf is 2-0-0 with 2.02 goals-against average and .944 save percentage. Seattle, which scored 13 goals in winning its past two games, continues a five-game homestand it opened with a 6-4 victory against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday. Forward Jared McCann has five points (two goals, three assists) in his past two games and leads the Kraken with seven points (three goals, four assists).
Other Saturday games
Tampa Bay Lightning at Ottawa Senators (1 p.m. ET; RDS, SN, BSSUN)
Tampa Bay (3-0-0) can begin a season with four consecutive wins for the second time in its history and first time since its 6-0-0 start in 2003-04, when it won the Stanley Cup for the first time. Forward Nikita Kucherov leads the NHL with six goals, tying the Lightning record for the most in the team’s first three games, set by Chris Kontos in their inaugural 1992-93 season. Goalie Linus Ullmark could play for Ottawa (2-2-0) after missing the past two games because of an unspecified strain.
Detroit Red Wings at Nashville Predators (2 p.m. ET; BSSO, BSDET)
The Red Wings (1-3-0) are coming off being swept in a home-and-home series by the Rangers. Forward Lucas Raymond leads Detroit with four points but is still looking for his first goal of the season after scoring an NHL career-high 31 last season. Forward Steven Stamkos continues to seek his first point with the Predators (0-4-0) after he signed a four-year, $32 million contract ($8 million AAV) on July 1 following 16 seasons with the Lightning. Nashville has never begun a season with five straight losses.
Vegas Golden Knights at Florida Panthers (6 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, SCRIPPS)
This is a meeting between the past two Stanley Cup champions and a rematch of the 2023 Stanley Cup Final, which the Golden Knights won in five games. Vegas (3-2-0) is 0-2-0 on a three-game road trip after opening the season with three straight wins at home. Florida (3-2-1) is 2-0-1 in its past three games despite being without Aleksander Barkov (lower-body injury) for the past four. Anton Lundell, who has moved up to center the Panthers’ first line in Barkov’s absence, has four goals and one assist in his past three games.
Washington Capitals at New Jersey Devils (7 p.m. ET; MNMT, MSGSN2)
The Capitals (2-1-0) play their first road game following a season-opening three-game homestand. Forward Tom Wilson has scored one goal in each of Washington’s first three games. New Jersey (5-2-0) won 5-3 at Washington on Oct. 12. Devils forward Paul Cotter has five goals in seven games after scoring seven in 76 games with the Golden Knights last season.
Montreal Canadiens at New York Islanders (7 p.m. ET; MSGSN, SNE, CITY, TVAS)
The Islanders (1-1-2) return home after going 1-1-1 on a three-game road trip. New York goalie Ilya Sorokin is 1-0-1 with a 1.48 GAA and .953 save percentage after being limited during training camp following offseason back surgery. The Canadiens (2-3-0) will look to rebound from consecutive losses. Cole Caufield leads Montreal with five points (four goals, one assist), including at least one in four of its five games.
Vancouver Canucks at Philadelphia Flyers (7 p.m. ET; NBCSP, SNP)
Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers is expected to play his 1,000th NHL game. The 34-year-old has played 16 seasons in the NHL and is in his sixth with the Canucks. Vancouver (1-1-2) is 1-1-0 on a four-game road trip after defeating Florida 3-2 in overtime on Thursday for its first win of the season. Philadelphia (1-2-1) plays its home opener after beginning the season with four straight road games, including a 3-2 shootout win at Vancouver in the Flyers’ season opener on Oct. 11. Rookie forward Matvei Michkov, who will play his first NHL regular-season game at Wells Fargo Center, is tied with Scott Laughton for the Flyers lead with four points (two goals, two assists).
Minnesota Wild at Columbus Blue Jackets (7 p.m. ET; BSWI, BSN, BSOH)
The Wild (2-0-2) look to open the season with points in five straight games for the first time since they went 6-0-1 in their first seven in 2008-09. Filip Gustavsson is 2-0-1 with a 1.66 GAA and .948 save percentage, and became the first Minnesota goalie to score a goal in a 4-1 win against the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday. The Blue Jackets (2-2-0) are 1-1-0 on a four-game homestand, including a 6-4 win against the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday. Columbus forward Kirill Marchenko has six points (two goals, four assists) in his past three games.
Carolina Hurricanes at St. Louis Blues (7 p.m. ET; BSSO, BSMW)
Philip Broberg has at least one point in each of his first five games (one goal, four assists) with the Blues (3-2-0), including an assist in their 1-0 overtime victory against the Islanders on Thursday. The 23-year-old defenseman signed a two-year, $9.16 million contract ($4.58 million AAV) on Aug. 20 after Edmonton opted not to match St. Louis’ offer sheet. Carolina (2-1-0), which began a six-game road trip with a 4-1 win at the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday, was 8-2-4 in the second game of back-to-back sets last season. Hurricanes forward Sebastian Aho needs one goal to surpass Saku Koivu (255) for the sixth-most NHL goals by a Finland-born player.
Buffalo Sabres at Chicago Blackhawks (8 p.m. ET; CHSN, MSG-B)
Connor Bedard has three multipoint games in Chicago’s first five, and the 19-year-old center is tied with Teuvo Teravainen for the team lead with seven points (one goal, six assists). Coming off at 4-2 win against the San Jose Sharks on Thursday, the Blackhawks (2-2-1) will look to win two in a row for the first time this season. The Sabres (1-4-1) are 0-1-1 entering the finale of a three-game road trip.
Boston Bruins at Utah Hockey Club (9 p.m. ET; Utah16, NESN)
Utah (3-1-1), which returns home for the first time since its season-opening 5-2 win against Chicago on Oct. 8, has lost its past two (0-1-1) following a 3-0-0 start. Forward Clayton Keller leads Utah with seven points (four goals, three assists) in five games. The Bruins (3-2-0) play at Delta Center for the first time to continue a three-game road trip they opened with a 5-3 win at the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday. Forward David Pastrnak has four goals in Boston’s first five games.
