Welcome to the NHL On Tap. Three NHL.com writers will share what they are most looking forward to on the schedule each day. Today, their choices from the five games Wednesday.
Stars aim to improve at even strength
The Dallas Stars hope to improve their offense at even strength when they host the Winnipeg Jets (7:30 p.m. ET; SN360, BSSW, ESPN+, NHL LIVE). Dallas (27-20-2) is coming off a 3-1 loss to the Arizona Coyotes on Sunday and has scored two 5-on-5 goals in its past four games. Stars center Joe Pavelski has scored five points (two goals, three assists) in his past three. Winnipeg (22-20-8) hopes to avert a three-game losing streak following a 3-1 loss to the Calgary Flames on Monday. Jets center Mark Scheifele has been held without a point in three games since scoring four points (three goals, one assist) in a 6-3 win against the Minnesota Wild on Feb. 16. Defenseman Nate Schmidt is expected to play his 500th NHL game. -- William Douglas, staff writer
Avalanche missing MacKinnon, look for bounce-back win
The Colorado Avalanche have been one of the hottest teams in the NHL, but will not have forward Nathan MacKinnon for the game at the Detroit Red Wings (7:30 p.m. ET; BSDET, ALT, ESPN+, NHL LIVE) because of a lower-body injury. The Avalanche (36-10-4) had their seven-game road winning streak end with a 5-1 loss at the Boston Bruins on Monday but are second in the NHL in goals per game (3.92) and defeated the Red Wings 7-3 in Denver on Dec. 10. Detroit (23-22-6) is 25th in goals against per game (3.43), but a better team since playing Colorado. And on any night in the NHL, anything can happen. -- Amalie Benjamin, staff writer
Oilers improved defensive play to be tested by Lightning
When the Edmonton Oilers visit the Tampa Bay Lightning (7:30 p.m. ET; TNT, SNO, SNW, SNP, TVAS, NHL LIVE), Oilers captain Connor McDavid and forward Leon Draisaitl will draw most of the attention, and for good reason. McDavid's 71 points (26 goals, 45 assists) in 49 games are second in the NHL behind Jonathan Huberdeau of the Florida Panthers (72 points), and Draisaitl has scored an NHL-high 35 goals in 50 games. But a major reason for Edmonton's 5-1-0 run since Jay Woodcroft replaced Dave Tippett as coach Feb. 10 has been its defensive play. The Oilers (28-19-3) have allowed 2.50 goals per game on 27.7 shots against in their past six, down from 3.32 goals allowed on 32.2 shots on goal in their first 44. That improvement will be tested by the Lightning (32-11-6), who are averaging 3.92 goals and 31.1 shots on goal in their past 12 games (9-2-1). -- Adam Kimelman, deputy managing editor
Wednesday schedule
Winnipeg Jets at Dallas Stars (7:30 p.m. ET; SN360, BSSW, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
The Stars are 9-4-0 in their past 13 games, and goalie Jake Oettinger was named NHL Third Star for the week ending Feb. 19 after going 2-1-0 with a 0.98 goals-against average, .972 save percentage and one shutout.
Colorado Avalanche at Detroit Red Wings (7:30 p.m. ET; BSDET, ALT, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
The Red Wings are 3-1-0 and have scored 16 goals since the NHL All-Star break. They play their first game since defeating the New York Rangers 3-2 in a shootout Feb. 17. MacKinnon scored his 68th power-play goal Monday to pass Gabriel Landeskog (67) for sixth in Avalanche/Quebec Nordiques history.
Edmonton Oilers at Tampa Bay Lightning (7:30 p.m. ET; TNT, SNO, SNW, SNP, TVAS)
McDavid (2016-17, 2017-18 and 2020-21), Draisaitl (2019-20) and Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov (2018-19) have won the Art Ross Trophy, given to the player who leads the NHL in points at the end of the regular season, in each of the past five seasons. The last game to feature the previous five winners was Game 5 of the 2001 Eastern Conference Final, when the New Jersey Devils defeated Jaromir Jagr (1997-98, 1998-99, 1999-00 and 2000-01), Mario Lemieux (1996-97) and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Tampa Bay plays its final game before facing the Nashville Predators in the 2022 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series at Nissan Stadium in Nashville on Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET; TNT, SN360, TVAS2, NHL LIVE).
Buffalo Sabres at Montreal Canadiens (7:30 p.m. ET; SN1, SNE, RDS, MSG-B, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
The Canadiens (11-33-7) have won three in a row for new coach Martin St. Louis, and their game against the Sabres will mark the second time they get to play before a 50 percent capacity crowd at Bell Centre. Buffalo (16-27-8) has lost three consecutive games.
Los Angeles Kings at Arizona Coyotes (10 p.m. ET; TNT, SN, SN360, SN1, TVAS, NHL LIVE)
The Kings play their second straight game in Arizona after winning 5-3 on Feb. 19, and they have won four of their past five. Though the Coyotes (13-33-4) could have Nick Ritchie available after the forward was acquired in a trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Feb. 19, forward Andrew Ladd is out 4-6 weeks because of a lower-body injury.
NHL On Tap: Stars seek more offense at even strength against Jets - NHL.com
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