Preview Roundups
October 06, 2018
Edmonton at New Jersey 1:00 PM ET
The NHL Global Series makes its way to Gothenburg, Sweden, on Saturday when the Edmonton Oilers meet the New Jersey Devils in a game featuring the last two Hart Trophy winners. Edmonton's Connor McDavid, the 2017 MVP who has led the NHL in points in each of the past two seasons, has become the face of the NHL but is charged with returning the Oilers to relevance after they missed the playoffs in 11 of the last 12 seasons.
Winnipeg at Dallas 7:00 PM ET
The Winnipeg Jets look to continue building on the statement they made in the season opener when they play at the Dallas Stars on Saturday, two nights after scoring three goals in a 1-minute, 44-second span of the third period en route to a 5-1 victory at St. Louis. But for all the scoring fury the Jets unleashed against the Blues, it was goaltender Connor Hellebuyck who kept St. Louis at bay before Winnipeg began finding the back of the net with impressive regularity.
NY Rangers at Buffalo 7:00 PM ET
It took only one game to bring out the boo-birds for the Buffalo Sabres, who will try to bounce back from a shellacking in the season opener when they host the New York Rangers on Saturday night. It was a familiar outcome for Buffalo fans, who saw the team collect an NHL-worst 62 points and win only 11 times on home ice last season.
Ottawa at Toronto 7:00 PM ET
John Tavares recalled when the Battle of Ontario was taken to a new level during his days as a fan growing up in Mississauga, with the Toronto Maple Leafs ousting the Ottawa Senators from the playoffs on four occasions from 1999-00 to 2003-04. Now donning the blue and white jersey, Tavares has an opportunity to make his mark on the bitter rivalry on Saturday when the Maple Leafs host the Senators at Scotiabank Arena.
Florida at Tampa Bay 7:00 PM ET
The Tampa Bay Lightning made it to the Stanley Cup final in 2015 before losing in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals twice in the last three seasons, and begin another quest to finish the job Saturday night against the visiting Florida Panthers. The Lightning did not lose anyone of significance from a league-leading offense and are keyed by Vezina Trophy finalist Andrei Vasilevskiy, along with Norris Trophy winner Victor Hedman, on the back end.
Nashville at NY Islanders 7:00 PM ET
The New York Islanders traditionally have given their fans a thrill during their home openers over the years, posting a 27-12-6 all-time mark while collecting at least a point in each of their last five (3-0-2). The Islanders aim to continue both trends as well as their dominance of the Nashville Predators on Saturday when the clubs meet at Barclays Center.
Montreal at Pittsburgh 7:00 PM ET
The Pittsburgh Penguins left plenty for which to be desired in their all-offense, little-defense season-opening win while the Montreal Canadiens were able to take morsels of positives out of a heartbreaking loss to an Original Six rival. The Penguins bid to tighten up their defense and maintain their recent dominance of the Canadiens on Saturday when the teams meet at PPG Paints Arena.
Chicago at St. Louis 8:00 PM ET
The St. Louis Blues have high expectations after retooling their forward corps in the offseason and they put up 42 shots in their season opener only to drop a 5-1 decision to Central Division favorite Winnipeg on Thursday at home. The Blues hope to take advantage of their opportunities better and avoid breakdowns Saturday night when they host the rival Chicago Blackhawks.
Vegas at Minnesota 8:00 PM ET
Is the honeymoon over in Las Vegas? OK, it was only one game, but the Vegas Golden Knights learned a sobering lesson in their season opener -- the franchise's magical first year is history. The Golden Knights attempt to bounce back from a drubbing by Philadelphia when they visit the Minnesota Wild on Saturday night to open a five-game road trip.
Anaheim at Arizona 9:00 PM ET
The Anaheim Ducks try to build on their strong season opener and keep their special teams rolling when they visit the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday. Anaheim went 2-for-3 with a man advantage while killing all three San Jose power-play opportunities in a 5-2 victory Wednesday that also featured 31 saves by John Gibson, who is likely the ultimate key to the Ducks' success in 2018-19.
Philadelphia at Colorado 9:00 PM ET
The Colorado Avalanche's top line of Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and captain Gabriel Landeskog picked up where they left off after combining for 88 goals and 225 points in the final 72 games of 2017-18, as the trio accounted for five points in the team's season-opening victory. The Avalanche hope their top line's performance snowballs on Saturday as the club hosts the Philadelphia Flyers at Pepsi Center.
Vancouver at Calgary 10:00 PM ET
Elias Pettersson enjoyed an NHL debut to remember and the Vancouver Canucks hope for a repeat performance Saturday as they attempt to complete a sweep of their season-opening home-and-home series when they visit the Calgary Flames. The 19-year-old Pettersson opened the scoring with the first shot of his career and added an assist as Vancouver posted a 5-2 home victory over Calgary on Wednesday.