Preview Roundups
March 15, 2014
Carolina at Boston 1:00 PM ET
With a season-best seven-game winning streak under their belts, the Boston Bruins are facing little resistance in their quest for the top overall seed in the Eastern Conference. The Bruins look to continue their victorious ways on Saturday afternoon when they vie for a three-game season sweep of the visiting Carolina Hurricanes. "It's not so much the (winning) streak, it's the consistency," Boston coach Claude Julien said after his team seized a one-point edge over Pittsburgh for the top spot.
Pittsburgh at Philadelphia 1:00 PM ET
The Pittsburgh Penguins had little trouble sweeping a home-and-home set with a spirited rival. They'll look to repeat that exact feat beginning Saturday afternoon as they open a two-game showdown with the in-state Flyers in Philadelphia. The Penguins are riding high after defeating the Washington Capitals by scores of 3-2 and 2-0 on back-to-back nights, while the Flyers come in having dropped back-to-back one-goal decisions to the Toronto Maple Leafs and New Jersey Devils.
Ottawa at Montreal 7:00 PM ET
The Montreal Canadiens are still in control of their postseason destiny despite a recent slide, but they will be facing a desperate team when the Ottawa Senators come to town on Saturday night. Ottawa is five points out of the last playoff slot in the Eastern Conference and will have to leapfrog four teams to snag the second wild card. Robin Lehner will make his first start since Feb. 27 in place of Craig Anderson, who was hurt in Monday's overtime home loss to Nashville.
New Jersey at Tampa Bay 7:00 PM ET
Captain Steven Stamkos looks to build off a two-point effort in his last outing when the Tampa Bay Lightning host the New Jersey Devils on Saturday in a critical Eastern Conference matchup. Stamkos had gone four games without recording a point after returning from a broken tibia that kept him out almost four months, but scored the winning goal in the 5-4 victory over Florida on Thursday. The Devils coughed up a third-period lead to that same Panthers team in a 5-3 loss Friday.
Buffalo at NY Islanders 7:00 PM ET
The Buffalo Sabres carry their four-game losing skid to Long Island for a visit with the New York Islanders on Saturday. The Islanders suffered a 4-3 loss to San Jose on Friday to fall to 2-8-1 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum since their last regulation home victory, which bodes well for a hapless Sabres team. Buffalo has managed just four goals on its losing streak.
St. Louis at Nashville 8:00 PM ET
The surging St. Louis Blues have yet to lose in regulation to a division opponent and look to keep the spectacular run intact when they visit the Nashville Predators on Saturday night. The Blues had a 15-game winning streak against Central Division rivals snapped with a 3-2 overtime loss to Dallas on Tuesday but rebounded with a 6-2 victory over Edmonton two days later to improve to 6-0-1 in their last seven. St. Louis has won all four meetings with the Predators.
Columbus at Minnesota 8:00 PM ET
The Minnesota Wild did the Columbus Blue Jackets a favor by knocking off a Metropolitan Division foe. If no good deed goes unpunished, the Blue Jackets will look to show their "appreciation" for the Wild's victory over the rival New York Rangers when they visit Minnesota on Saturday. Zach Parise scored to snap a tie early in the third period as the Wild ended a three-game winless skid (0-1-2) with a 2-1 triumph over the Rangers on Thursday.
Calgary at Phoenix 10:00 PM ET
After splitting a grueling four-game road trip, the Phoenix Coyotes make a brief return to the desert on Saturday to face the Pacific Division-rival Calgary Flames. Captain Shane Doan notched an assist while playing in his 1,300th career contest on Thursday, but Phoenix dropped a 2-1 decision to streaking Boston. "We've got to get the next game," Doan told the team's website. "That's all we can worry about. The road trip is over. It wasn't a total disaster; it wasn't a huge success."
Anaheim at Los Angeles 10:30 PM ET
After snapping out of their doldrums in record-setting fashion, the Anaheim Ducks continue their pursuit of the Presidents' Trophy and a division title when they wrap up a three-game road trip at the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night. The Ducks halted a four-game skid (0-2-2) by cooling off one of the league's hottest team, pumping in a club-record six goals in the second period during a 6-4 win at Colorado on Friday night. Anaheim is tied with San Jose atop the Pacific but has a game in hand.