Preview Roundups
March 21, 2015
St. Louis at Minnesota 2:00 PM ET
Slated to play for the second time in one week on Saturday afternoon, the St. Louis Blues and host Minnesota Wild could be in line to see more of each other if the Central Division rivals continue on their respective paths. The division-leading Blues suffered their second setback in seven games (5-1-1) with a 2-1 shootout loss in Winnipeg on Thursday.
Columbus at Calgary 4:00 PM ET
The Columbus Blue Jackets can complete a sweep of their Western Canadian road trip when they visit the Calgary Flames on Saturday. The Flames are in the midst of a five-game homestand as they cling to third place in the Pacific Division. Columbus is well outside the playoff race in the Eastern Conference but has been playing the role of spoiler with a 6-2-0 record in its last eight games.
Vancouver at Los Angeles 4:00 PM ET
The Los Angeles Kings have dominated the Vancouver Canucks this season, and another victory on Saturday at Staples Center would put the Pacific Division rivals even in points as they jockey for playoff position. The fourth-place Kings have outscored the second-place Canucks by a 12-3 margin en route to winning the first three meetings, highlighted by Jonathan Quick's 19-save performance in a 4-0 win on March 12.
San Jose at Montreal 7:00 PM ET
The San Jose Sharks look to stay in striking distance for a playoff spot in the Western Conference when they visit the Atlantic Division-leading Montreal Canadiens on Saturday. The Sharks are 5-3-0 in their last eight games and stand five points behind Calgary for third place in the Pacific Division while in the middle of an imposing seven-game road trip. The Canadiens have won three of their last four while Vezina and Hart Trophy candidate Carey Price is expected to go for his 40th victory.
Toronto at Ottawa 7:00 PM ET
The Ottawa Senators continue their surge toward a playoff spot when they host the provincial-rival Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday. Ottawa climbed within two points of Boston for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference on Thursday, when it extended its winning streak to five games with a 6-4 home triumph over the Bruins.
Boston at Florida 7:00 PM ET
The Boston Bruins' once-firm hold on the second wild card in the Eastern Conference has all but disappeared as they prepare to visit the Florida Panthers on Saturday night. The Bruins have dropped three in a row and had their lead trimmed to two points over Ottawa while Florida has moved into striking range of Boston, sitting five points back. "We have to step up our game if we want to end up where we want to end up at the end of the year," Boston forward Milan Lucic said.
NY Islanders at New Jersey 7:00 PM ET
John Tavares was none-too-pleased after being held off the scoresheet in each contest of the New York Islanders' season-high four-game losing streak. The captain looks to navigate the Islanders back on course when they vie for a four-game season sweep of the New Jersey Devils in Saturday's matchup at the Prudential Center. Tavares has collected two goals and two assists in the first three meetings, including an overtime tally in a 3-2 win on Jan. 9.
NY Rangers at Carolina 7:00 PM ET
The New York Rangers look to continue their dominance of the Carolina Hurricanes when the Metropolitan Division rivals conclude their five-game season series at PNC Arena on Saturday. The Rangers have won all four meetings this season and 15 of their last 16 encounters with the Hurricanes, highlighted by Cam Talbot's 18-save performance in a 1-0 victory on Dec. 21.
Washington at Winnipeg 7:00 PM ET
The Washington Capitals have rebounded from a three-week tailspin to climb within two points of second place in the Metropolitan Division entering Saturday's matchup at the Winnipeg Jets. The Capitals have ripped off three consecutive victories to pull into a tie with Pittsburgh on points for third place in the division while drawing within two of the New York Islanders. Washington has had its way against the Jets, winning seven consecutive meetings.
Buffalo at Nashville 8:00 PM ET
Virtually unbeatable at Bridgestone Arena for most of the season, the Nashville Predators attempt to snap their five-game slide at home when they face off against the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday. After winning 26 of its first 30 contests in its own building, Nashville has gone 0-4-1 as host since posting a 5-2 victory over Colorado on Feb. 24.
Chicago at Dallas 8:00 PM ET
The Chicago Blackhawks have overcome the loss of leading scorer Patrick Kane to surge back into contention in the Central Division and go for their fifth consecutive victory at the Dallas Stars on Saturday. The Blackhawks kicked off their four-game road trip by snapping the New York Rangers' five-game winning streak with a 1-0 triumph on Wednesday. Chicago has yielded only seven goals during its seven-game point streak in March (6-0-1) to move within four points of first-place St. Louis.
Pittsburgh at Arizona 9:00 PM ET
The Pittsburgh Penguins look to break out of their funk and maintain their hold on one of the top three spots in the Metropolitan Division when they visit the Arizona Coyotes for the finale of their three-game road trip Saturday. Pittsburgh's offense has been nothing short of offensive of late, producing fewer than two goals in six of the team's last seven contests (2-4-1) and a total of two during its four-game losing streak.
Philadelphia at Edmonton 10:00 PM ET
The Philadelphia Flyers played themselves out of contention for a postseason spot in the last two weeks and will try to avoid going winless on a four-game road trip when they meet the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday. The Flyers were four points behind Boston for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference on March 6, but have gone 1-4-3 since and are 0-2-1 on the trip. Edmonton is 1-0-2 in its last three games and can match its longest point streak of the season at four.