Preview Roundups
February 03, 2015
Ottawa at New Jersey 7:00 PM ET
A pair of teams that are well back in the Eastern Conference playoff chase will square off when the New Jersey Devils host the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night. Both the Senators and Devils are sitting in sixth place in their respective divisions and are 11 and 13 points, respectively, back for the final postseason slot in the East. Ottawa has won six of the last eight meetings in the series, including three of its past four visits to New Jersey.
Florida at NY Islanders 7:00 PM ET
All-Star John Tavares has been an integral part of the New York Islanders' push toward the penthouse in the Metropolitan Division. The captain looks to help end the Islanders' two-game skid when they host the Florida Panthers on Tuesday. Tavares collected eight goals and as many assists in 12 games en route to being named the NHL's Second Star of the Month for January.
Los Angeles at Washington 7:00 PM ET
Fresh off making their second trip to the White House in three years, the Los Angeles Kings look to get back on track and cool off the red-hot Alex Ovechkin when they visit the Washington Capitals on Tuesday. Los Angeles has dropped eight of 10 (2-4-4) to reside on the outside of the playoff race and opened its five-game road trip with a 3-1 setback to Boston on Saturday. "We look at the standings every day," captain Dustin Brown said. "If you're not, then I don't know what's wrong with you."
Arizona at Columbus 7:00 PM ET
The Arizona Coyotes look to end their lengthy road trip on a winning note when they visit the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday. Arizona went 1-3-2 over the first six contests of its season-high eight-game trek before edging Montreal 3-2 on Sunday. The Coyotes trailed 2-0 after one period before Lauri Korpikoski sandwiched power-play goals around All-Star defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson's tally, with the winner coming at 3:17 of the third session.
Buffalo at Montreal 7:30 PM ET
After having their five-game winning streak halted by a lower-tier Western Conference foe, the Montreal Canadiens look to avert a similar fate against the NHL's worst team when they host the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday. Montreal, which is one point behind Tampa Bay for the best record in the Eastern Conference, is coming off a 3-2 defeat to Arizona - only its second loss when leading after two periods. Buffalo swept a home-and-home against the Canadiens on Nov. 28-29.
Tampa Bay at St. Louis 8:00 PM ET
Two of the hottest teams in the NHL meet for the first of two games within 10 days when the St. Louis Blues host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night. The Blues have won five straight and boast a 10-0-1 mark in their last 11 games, but will be without out All-Star defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk indefinitely due to an abdominal injury.
Toronto at Nashville 8:00 PM ET
The Toronto Maple Leafs look to avoid matching the franchise record for consecutive losses when they visit the league-leading Nashville Predators on Tuesday. Toronto, which dropped 10 in a row from Jan. 15-Feb. 8, 1967, fell to 0-8-1 since defeating Columbus on Jan. 9 with a 1-0 defeat at Philadelphia on Saturday. It marked the fourth time during the slide that the Maple Leafs were shut out and the eighth occasion on which they were held under two goals.
Chicago at Minnesota 8:00 PM ET
The Chicago Blackhawks have gotten the better of the Minnesota Wild in all three meetings this season but have lost four of their last seven overall to fall into third place in the Central Division. The Blackhawks look to bounce back from getting blanked in their last contest when they continue their season-high seven-game road trip against the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday. Chicago was unable to solve former mate Antti Niemi, dropping a 2-0 decision at San Jose to fall to 2-2-0 on its trek.
Colorado at Dallas 8:30 PM ET
The Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche are each trying to make a run at the eighth playoff spot in the Western Conference and three meetings in the next 25 days could have a major bearing on their chances. The first of those matchups comes Tuesday night when Dallas goes for its third straight victory against the visiting Avalanche. The Stars rebounded from a 3-2 loss at Montreal by scoring 11 goals to win the final two contests of their three-game Canadian road trip.
Winnipeg at Vancouver 10:00 PM ET
The Winnipeg Jets attempt to halt their losing streak when they visit the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday. Winnipeg suffered a 5-2 defeat at Calgary on Monday to extend their slide to four games, three of which have been on the road. Bryan Little recorded a goal and an assist against the Flames, but the Jets continued to struggle defensively as they allowed five goals for the fourth straight contest.
Carolina at Anaheim 10:00 PM ET
Losing two straight games does not sit well with the Anaheim Ducks, but coach Bruce Boudreau quickly put things into perspective as the team prepares to host the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday. "When we’re talking about two games as being a slide, then I think that’s a good thing when it comes to the whole scheme of things," Boudreau told reporters.