Preview Roundups
December 06, 2014
Ottawa at Pittsburgh 1:00 PM ET
The Ottawa Senators visit the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday for the first of three meetings on the season. Ottawa is mired in a four-game winless skid (0-3-1) and has not won in regulation in seven contests (1-5-1). The Penguins are battling for the Metropolitan Division lead as they attempt to avenge Thursday's 3-0 loss to Vancouver and wrap up a three-game homestand.
St. Louis at NY Islanders 1:00 PM ET
Jaroslav Halak looks to extend his club-record 11-game winning streak when the New York Islanders host his former team in the St. Louis Blues on Saturday afternoon. Halak, who has yielded just 14 goals during his torrid stretch, spent three-plus seasons with the Blues before being shuffled to both Buffalo and Washington in March.
Philadelphia at Los Angeles 4:00 PM ET
The Los Angeles Kings are starting to flex the defensive muscles that landed them two Stanley Cups in three seasons and go for their third straight shutout when they host the reeling Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday afternoon. The Kings picked up a rare road victory behind backup Martin Jones' 26-save effort at Arizona on Thursday - their third shutout in four games. "A little bit of luck and a lot of work," coach Darryl Sutter said. "Shutouts are not that big of a deal."
Vancouver at Toronto 7:00 PM ET
The Vancouver Canucks continue to show last's season trainwreck was an aberration as they continue their six-game road trip with a visit to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night. The Canucks failed to make the playoffs last season, leading to the dismissal of coach John Tortorella after one year on the job. Despite a road-heavy schedule, Vancouver has turned things around helped mainly by a league-best 11 wins away from home.
NY Rangers at Detroit 7:00 PM ET
The Detroit Red Wings look to continue their success at Joe Louis Arena when they complete a four-game homestand against the New York Rangers on Saturday. Darren Helm scored twice in Thursday's 5-2 victory over Dallas as the Red Wings improved to 9-3-1 in their last 13 games overall and 10-3-2 at home this season. The power play continues to pace Detroit, as it is a blistering 19-for-58 with the man advantage in the last 14 contests.
Columbus at Tampa Bay 7:00 PM ET
The Tampa Bay Lightning boast 12 more goals than any other team in the league and they have been especially productive on home ice while averaging almost four per game. The Lightning look to continue that trend and extend their point streak to seven when the Columbus Blue Jackets visit on Saturday. Tampa Bay posted seven goals to triumph at Columbus on Nov. 8 and comes in off a 5-0 victory over Buffalo while the Blue Jackets will attempt to earn their first three-game win streak of the season.
Buffalo at Florida 7:00 PM ET
The Buffalo Sabres' hot streak came to a screeching halt in Tampa Bay but they will look to earn a split of their two-game trip to the Sunshine State when they visit the Florida Panthers on Saturday. The Sabres had won six of seven games following a shootout win over the Lightning on Tuesday, but Tampa Bay avenged that defeat with a 5-0 beating on Thursday. Buffalo has dropped four in a row to Florida, including a 1-0 home loss on Oct. 17.
Washington at New Jersey 7:00 PM ET
The Washington Capitals have made up ground in the Metropolitan Division by posting a 5-1-1 record against its rivals. The Capitals look to continue their ascent when they visit the New Jersey Devils on Saturday. Washington breezed to a 6-2 triumph over New Jersey on Oct. 16 before Cory Schneider responded with 30 saves to lift New Jersey to a 1-0 victory over the Capitals on Nov. 14.
Chicago at Nashville 7:00 PM ET
The Chicago Blackhawks attempt to extend their winning streak to six games as they once again take to the road for a four-game trek that begins Saturday against the Nashville Predators. Chicago wrapped up a 5-1-0 road trip with three straight victories before coming home to defeat St. Louis and Montreal.
Montreal at Dallas 7:00 PM ET
The Dallas Stars may soon be in the market for some goaltending - or possibly a bricklayer. The Stars will try to keep the puck out of the net Saturday night as they carry a four-game losing skid into their home encounter with the Montreal Canadiens. Dallas has the worst goal prevention in the league heading into the encounter - allowing a whopping 3.6 per game - and has been particularly terrible during its skid, surrendering five goals in each contest.
Boston at Arizona 8:00 PM ET
The Boston Bruins attempt to salvage the finale of their four-game road trip when they visit the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday. Boston began the trek by dropping a 3-2 decision at Anaheim on Monday and was blanked 2-0 at Los Angeles the following night before being outgunned 7-4 in San Jose on Thursday. Reilly Smith registered his first two-goal performance of the season as the Bruins squandered 2-0 and 4-3 leads before allowing three unanswered tallies in the third period.
San Jose at Calgary 10:00 PM ET
A pair of streaking Pacific Division rivals collide Saturday, when the San Jose Sharks visit the Calgary Flames. San Jose is coming off a six-game homestand that began with three losses - two in shootouts - before the club straightened itself out to win the final three contests. The wakeup call appears to have been a 2-0 setback against Calgary on Nov. 26 as the Sharks scored a total of 15 goals in triumphs over Anaheim, Philadelphia and Boston.