The Toronto Maple Leafs would like to celebrate a victory in addition to history on Tuesday afternoon as they bid to end a three-game losing skid versus the visiting Carolina Hurricanes. The Maple Leafs may not be in a festive mood while honoring their 100-year anniversary, however, with Auston Matthews once again likely to be a spectator at the party.

A return to the Barclays Center helped the New York Islanders put an end to a tailspin that had seen them drop five of their previous six games. After rallying from a two-goal deficit to beat the Los Angeles Kings in overtime, the Islanders will resume a five-game homestand against the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night.

The New York Rangers expect to have one of their top goal scorers back in the lineup Tuesday as they seek their third straight win when they host the Anaheim Ducks. Mika Zibanejad, who is tied for second on the team with 11 tallies, hopes to be back on the ice after missing nine games with a concussion.

Playing in the worst conditions of the season provided one of the best performances for the Ottawa Senators, who will look to complete a perfect three-game homestand when they host the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday. After losing 12 of 13, Ottawa has posted back-to-back victories for the first time since Nov. 10-11.

The Buffalo Sabres are showing signs of life even though victories have been scarce and look to earn at least one point for the sixth time in seven games when they host the Boston Bruins on Tuesday. The Sabres, who are last in the Eastern Conference, are 2-1-3 in their last six contests after suffering a 5-4 overtime loss to Carolina on Friday despite the first career hat trick from Jack Eichel.

The Nashville Predators enjoyed rampaging through three games in Western Canada last week, and return home for an important Central Division matchup against the Winnipeg Jets playing as well as anybody in the NHL. The Predators are 6-0-1 in December after beating Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary by a combined 13-1, and an 11-1-2 stretch in the past 14 games has vaulted Nashville into a first-place tie with St. Louis in the division and the Western Conference standings.

Ken Hitchcock was denied his 800th career coaching win on two occasions, as the Dallas Stars concluded a promising four-game road trip with back-to-back losses. Hitchcock hopes the third time is the charm in his bid to become the third NHL coach to reach the milestone on Tuesday as the Stars open a three-game homestand against the Washington Capitals.

The Florida Panthers have mustered five goals during their three-game winless skid and have dropped seven of nine this month. While those numbers are relatively ghastly, they pale in comparison to the season-long issues of Tuesday's opponent - the host Arizona Coyotes.

The Montreal Canadiens will not be back on their home ice until 2018 and are without their top defenseman, hardly the ideal situation to reverse their current slump. The Canadiens, who have dropped four of five following a five-game winning streak, continue a seven-game road trip against the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night.

The Vegas Golden Knights have passed just about every test in their inaugural season, especially on home ice, and may face the biggest challenge to date when they host the NHL-best Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday. The Golden Knights have gained at least a point in a season-high seven straight games (6-0-1) to move within two of the top spot in the Western Conference and will attempt to snap Tampa Bay’s seven-game win streak.