NHL On Tap: Ovechkin resumes pursuit of Gretzky record for Capitals against Kings

Welcome to the NHL On Tap, a daily look at the games on the NHL schedule. There are nine games on the schedule for Thursday, including one nationally televised in the United States and two in Canada.

Games of the day

Washington Capitals at Los Angeles Kings (10:30 p.m. ET; FDSNW, MNMT2, SN, TVAS)

The GR8 Chase continues on the West Coast as the Capitals (43-14-8) head to Crypto.com Arena on Thursday with Alex Ovechkin nine goals from passing Wayne Gretzky for the most in NHL history (894). Ovechkin did not score on Tuesday in Washington’s 7-4 win against the Anaheim Ducks, but did have three assists, including one on an empty-net goal that finished off the first NHL hat trick for Aliaksei Protas. The Capitals have won five straight games. Quinton Byfield has scored in four straight games for the Kings (34-20-9), who are on a three-game winning streak and a four-game point streak. He is the third Kings player under the age of 23 to score in four straight, after Anze Kopitar (2008-09) and Matt Luff (2018-19).

Florida Panthers at Toronto Maple Leafs (7 p.m. ET; TVAS, TSN4, SCRIPPS)

That’s the Stanley Cup Playoffs knocking. The top of the Atlantic Division is tight, with the Panthers (40-22-3) just two points ahead of the Maple Leafs (39-22-3) in second place, who themselves are three points ahead of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Which means that either an Eastern Conference First Round or a second-round series between the Panthers and Maple Leafs is highly possible. On Thursday, we get a preview of that, with the Panthers looking to bounce back after their six-game winning streak was snapped by the Boston Bruins on Tuesday, 3-2, and the Maple Leafs are looking to build on their 4-3 shootout win Monday against the Utah Hockey Club after three straight losses.

Edmonton Oilers at New Jersey Devils (7:30 p.m. ET; Disney+, HULU, ESPN+, SN)

Leon Draisaitl will look to extend his NHL career-high point streak to 16 games against the Devils on Thursday. He has 11 goals and 12 assists in his past 15 games for the Oilers (37-23-4). The Oilers lost 3-2 on Monday to the Buffalo Sabres after winning three of four before that game. Draisaitl is second in the NHL in points with 97 (46 goals, 51 assists) in 64 games, behind only Nathan MacKinnon’s 102 points. The Devils (35-25-6) have won consecutive games for the first time since Jan. 22-25 after winning their past two. The Devils are six points behind the Carolina Hurricanes, who are second in the Metropolitan Division and six points ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Other Thursday games

Boston Bruins at Ottawa Senators (7 p.m. ET; RDS, TSN5, NESN)

This stands as a huge game for both teams, as they battle for wild card spots in the Eastern Conference. The Senators (34-25-5) hold the first wild card, while the Bruins (30-28-8) are two points out of the second wild card and have won two straight since their team was reshaped by the NHL Trade Deadline. The Senators have points in six straight (5-0-1).

Tampa Bay Lightning at Philadelphia Flyers (7 p.m. ET; FDSNSUN, NBCSP)

The Lightning (37-23-4) recalled forward Cam Atkinson from Syracuse of the American Hockey League after Nikita Kucherov, the NHL’s third-leading scorer with 92 points (28 goals, 64 assists) left their game Tuesday against the Carolina Hurricanes in the second period; there was no update after the game. They have lost two straight after winning 10 of 11 games. The Flyers (27-31-8) have lost five straight games, all at home. That ties for the second-longest home skid in franchise history, with the record being eight straight in 2006-07.

St. Louis Blues at Pittsburgh Penguins (7 p.m. ET; FDSNMW, SN-PIT)

The Blues (31-27-7) are 7-1-2 in their past 10 games and sit two points out of the second wild card in the Western Conference behind the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks. The Penguins (26-31-10) have gotten two goals from Sidney Crosby in each of his past two games, giving him 70 points (23 goals, 47 assists) in 65 games this season. The Penguins have won two straight after going 0-3-1 in their previous four games.

Vegas Golden Knights at Columbus Blue Jackets (7 p.m. ET; FDSNOH, SCRIPPS)

Jack Eichel is one point away from setting the single-season points record for the Golden Knights (38-19-7). Eichel has 78 points (20 goals, 58 assists) in 63 games this season. He is tied with William Karlsson, who set the mark in 2017-18, the Golden Knights’ first season. The Blue Jackets (31-25-8) have won once in their past four games. Mathieu Olivier had two goals on Tuesday and has five goals and two assists in his past seven games.

New York Rangers at Minnesota Wild (8 p.m. ET; FDSNWI, FDSNNO, MSG)

The Rangers (31-28-6) have lost four straight (0-2-2). Mika Zibanejad tied Brian Leetch for the fourth-most power play goals in Rangers history with his 106th, scored in a 2-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday. Mats Zuccarello (223 assists in 375 games) needs one more assist to tie Mikael Granlund (224 in 461 games) for fifth all-time on the Wild (37-24-4). With a goal on Tuesday, Zuccarello’s 322 points sit eighth on the franchise’s all-time list.

Chicago Blackhawks at San Jose Sharks (10:30 p.m. ET; CHSN+, NBCSCA)

This game marks the first meeting between the past two No. 1 picks in the NHL Draft, Connor Bedard (2023) and Macklin Celebrini (2024) match up again as the Blackhawks (20-36-9) visit the Sharks (17-40-9) on Thursday. Celebrini was injured in the first two games between the two teams, both of which were in October. Celebrini has 48 points (20 goals, 28 assists) in 54 games this season; Bedard has 52 points (17 goals, 35 assists) in 65 games.