Lightning, Stars put winning streaks on line; Islanders, Hurricanes looking to regroup
© Darcy Finley/NHLI
There are 11 games on the NHL schedule for Thursday, including two nationally televised in the United States. Thursday also marks the fourth week of “NHL Coast to Coast,” a weekly whip-around studio show on Prime Video in Canada giving viewers live look-ins, highlights and analysis of all the games. Here are five things to watch today, along with the complete game schedule.
Jonathan Toews will forever be remembered as captain of the Chicago Blackhawks, a player who brought the franchise back to prominence, helping them win the Stanley Cup three times. On Thursday, he will do something he’s never done — play against them. Toews is now a member of the Winnipeg Jets (7-3-0), who will host Chicago at Canada Life Centre (8 p.m. ET; TSN3, CHSN). Toews has five points (two goals, three assists) in 10 games, averaging 15:54 of ice time per game. Not bad for a 37-year-old who is playing in the NHL for the first time since the end of the 2022-23 season. And while Blackhawks fans will see their former captain in another uniform, Toews will get a close-up look at the future of the team in Connor Bedard, who had his first NHL hat trick Tuesday and has Chicago (5-3-2) on a 5-1-1 run. The past meets the future in Winnipeg.
Winning streaks are on the line when the Tampa Bay Lightning host the Dallas Stars at Benchmark International Arena (7 p.m. ET; HBO MAX, truTV, TNT). Tampa Bay (4-4-2) has won three in a row after a four-game losing streak, led by Nikita Kucherov, who has eight points (two goals, six assists) during a five-game point streak, including a goal and an assist in a 5-2 win at the Nashville Predators on Tuesday. The Stars (6-3-1) have also won three straight after a four-game losing streak. Mikko Rantanen had an assist in the Stars’ 1-0 win against the Washington Capitals on Tuesday, giving him five points (one goal, four assists) during a four-game point streak.
Dive in with all-new features: A reimagined Stats experience, incorporating EDGE Advanced Stats; “How To Watch” helps navigate your tune-in choices; Apple Live Activites to set-and-forget for as many teams as you want, plus a whole lot more.
Sebastian Aho looks to extend his season-opening nine-game point streak (11 points; four goals, seven assists) for the Carolina Hurricanes (6-3-0), when they host the New York Islanders (7:30 p.m. ET; HULU, ESPN+). Carolina looks to regroup after a 6-3 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday, their third defeat in four games. The Islanders (4-4-1) have lost two straight after a four-game winning streak. Bo Horvat leads the Islanders with 11 points (six goals, five assists), including a goal and an assist in a 5-2 loss at the Boston Bruins on Tuesday. He has 572 points (275 goals, 297 assists) in 822 games and is three assists shy of 300 for his NHL career.
Macklin Celebrini will try to extend his five-game point streak, and the San Jose Sharks (2-6-2) seek their first home win (0-3-2) of the season when they host the New Jersey Devils (8-2-0) at SAP Center (10 p.m. ET; MSGSN, NBCSCA). Celebrini, the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, has 11 points (five goals, six assists) in a five-game stretch after he had an assist in a 4-3 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday. He leads San Jose with 16 points (six goals, 10 assists) in 10 games. The Devils hope to regroup after an 8-4 loss at the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday that ended an eight-game winning streak. Jack Hughes, the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, has 11 points in his past six games (eight goals, three assists), including a goal and an assist Tuesday.
SJS@MIN: Celebrini races in and fires home the OT winner
The Philadelphia Flyers (5-3-1) have four straight home wins after a 3-2 shootout victory against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday. Trevor Zegras, acquired in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks on June 23, is riding a six-game season-opening home point streak (eight points; two goals, six assists), the first Flyer to have at least a point in the first six home games of a season since Claude Giroux (seven games) and Wayne Simmonds (six games) in 2016-17. They will try to keep it rolling when they host the Nashville Predators (7 p.m. ET; FDSNSO, NBCSP). The Predators (4-5-2) are coming off a 5-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday, the eighth time in 11 games this season that they have scored two or fewer goals. Ryan O'Reilly has six points (three goals, three assists) in his past five games for Nashville, which is 1-2-1 on the road this season.
Buffalo Sabres at Boston Bruins (7 p.m. ET; NESN, MSG-B, SNO, SNE, TVAS)
Calgary Flames at Ottawa Senators (7 p.m. ET; RDS, SNW, TSN5)
Dallas Stars at Tampa Bay Lightning (7 p.m. ET; HBO MAX, truTV, TNT)
Nashville Predators at Philadelphia Flyers (7 p.m. ET; FDSNSO, NBCSP)
New York Islanders at Carolina Hurricanes (7:30 p.m. ET; HULU, ESPN+)
Vancouver Canucks at St. Louis Blues (8 p.m. ET; FDSNMW, SNP)
Pittsburgh Penguins at Minnesota Wild (8 p.m. ET; FDSNWIX, FDSNSO, SN)
Chicago Blackhawks at Winnipeg Jets (8 p.m. ET; TSN3, CHSN)
New York Rangers at Edmonton Oilers (9 p.m. ET; TVAS, SN1, MSG)
New Jersey Devils at San Jose Sharks (10 p.m. ET; MSGSN, NBCSCA)
Detroit Red Wings at Los Angeles Kings (10:30 p.m. ET; FDSNSW, FDSNDET)
Hockey News