Pasta party continues for Bruins
David Pastrnak looks to continue his personal hot streak for the Boston Bruins, who try to stretch their current point streak to 14 games when they visit the Anaheim Ducks (8:30 pm ET; SN1, SNE, SNO, SNP, BSW, NESN, ESPN+, SN NOW). The forward has scored four goals in his past two games and has points in 11 of the past 13 games, when the Bruins (31-4-4) are 10-0-3. Pastrnak has 17 points (10 goals, seven assists) in those 13 games. His 29 goals are tied for third in the league Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals, behind Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers (33) and Tage Thompson (31) of the Buffalo Sabres. The Ducks (12-24-4) go for their third straight win, led by forward Mason MacTavish, who’s second in rookie scoring with 26 points (9 goals, 17 assists), four behind Matty Beniers of the Seattle Kraken (14 goals, 16 assists). — Shawn P. Roarke, Senior Director of Editorial
Video: BOS@SJS: Pastrnak extends the lead with second goal
Backstrom, Wilson return as Ovechkin chases another milestone
Nicklas Backstrom and Tom Wilson will make their season debuts when the Capitals (22-14-6) host the Columbus Blue Jackets (5 pm ET; SN1, SNE, SNO, NBCSWA, BSOH, ESPN+, SN NOW), and Ovechkin will try to score his 400th home run. goal. Backstrom had surgery to resurface his left hip June 17. Wilson had surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee May 24. Ovechkin, who has 399 home goals and 410 road goals in the NHL, sits one home goal shy of joining. Wayne Gretzky as the second player in NHL history with 400 home and road goals. Backstrom has assisted on 278 of Ovechkin’s goals. Only Henrik Sedin (280 with Daniel Sedin), Bryan Trottier (310 with Mike Bossy) and Gretzky (364 with Jari Kurri) have more assists with one teammate. The Blue Jackets (12-24-2) defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 4-3 in a shootout Saturday. — Nicholas J. Cotsonika, columnist
Video: WSH@CBJ: Ovechkin extends lead with a PPG in the 3rd
Blues try to manage without O’Reilly, Tarasenko
The St. Louis Blues got tough news on Jan. 2 when forwards Ryan O’Reilly (broken foot) and Vladimir Tarasenko (hand) were placed on injured reserve. So far, they’re 2-1-0 without them, the loss coming when the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Blues 5-4 on Saturday. Offense hasn’t been a problem without O’Reilly and Tarasenko, the Blues (19-18-3) scoring 15 goals in those three games. Still, they’ll fight to get back into the Central Division race without them, and their next challenge comes against the Minnesota Wild (22-13-3), a division rival, at Xcel Energy Center on Sunday (7 pm ET; BSWI , BSNX, BSMW, ESPN+, SN NOW). Consistency has been an issue for the Blues, who are 3-3-2 in their past eight games and have alternated long winning and losing streaks this season. Without O’Reilly and Tarasenko, they need to rely on other veteran forwards Brandon Saadwho has four goals in his past three games, and Pavel Buchnevich, who has six points (one goal, five assists) in his past three games. — Tracey Myers, staff writer
Video: STL@NJD: Saad waits and fires a shot into the cage
Sunday games
Vancouver Canucks at Winnipeg Jets (3 pm ET; TVAS, TSN3, SNP, ESPN+)
Each team is coming off a win against a 2022 Stanley Cup finalist. The Canucks (17-18-3) ended a three-game losing streak with a 4-2 win against the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday. Vancouver forward Bo Horvat has four points (two goals, two assists) in a three-game point streak. The Jets (25-13-1) won their fourth straight by defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-2 on Friday. Kyle Connor and Josh Morrissey each has a 10-game home point streak, tying Blake Wheeler for the longest since the Atlanta Thrashers moved to Winnipeg in 2011. Connor has 18 points (six goals, 12 assists) and Morrissey 14 points (two goals, 12 assists) in that span.
Florida Panthers at Dallas Stars (3:30 p.m. ET; NHLN, SNE, SNO, SNW, BSSWX, BSFL, SN NOW)
The Panthers (18-18-4) have won two straight games after they were 1-5-0 in their previous six. Forward Matthew Tkachuk leads them with 48 points (20 goals, 28 assists). The Stars (23-11-6) have had three days off since opening the New Year with a 3-2 loss at the Los Angeles Kings on Jan. 3 and a 2-0 loss at the Anaheim Ducks the next night. Stars forward Jason Robertson has 55 points (26 goals, 29 assists), tied with the Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov for fourth in the NHL.
Columbus Blue Jackets at Washington Capitals (5 p.m. ET; SN1, SNE, SNO, NBCSWA, BSOH, ESPN+, SN NOW)
The Capitals are 12-2-2 since Dec. 5, including a 6-2 win against the Blue Jackets on Thursday. Ovechkin leads them with 23 points (16 goals, seven assists) in that span. The Blue Jackets are 2-2-0 after ending a seven-game losing streak.
Pittsburgh Penguins at Arizona Coyotes (7 p.m. ET; TVAS, BSAZX, ATTSN-PT, ESPN+)
After a 2-1 loss to the Boston Bruins in the 2023 Discover NHL Winter Classic at Fenway Park on Monday, the Penguins lost 5-2 at the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday. Pittsburgh (19-13-6) is now 0-4-2 in its last six games. Sidney Crosby has reached 20 goals in a season for the 15th time. The only other active player who has done that is Ovechkin, who has done it 18 times. The Coyotes (13-20-5) are coming off an 0-4-0 road trip that ended with a 2-0 loss at the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday. They are 7-3-2 at home this season.
Calgary Flames at Chicago Blackhawks (7 p.m. ET; NBCSCH, SNW, ESPN+, SN NOW)
The Flames (19-14-7) are 6-2-1 in their past nine games. Tyler Toffoli leads them with 11 points (five goals, six assists) in that span. Elias Lindholm leads them with 35 points (12 goals, 23 assists) overall. The Blackhawks (9-25-4) defeated the Coyotes 2-0 on Friday after losing five straight and 13 of 14. Forward Patrick Kane missed the game with a lower-body injury. It is unclear whether he will play against Calgary.
St. Louis Blues at Minnesota Wild (7 p.m. ET; BSWI, BSNX, BSMW, ESPN+, SN NOW)
It’s the second of four games between these teams this season; the Wild defeated the Blues 5-2 on Dec. 31 when forward Ryan Hartman scored two goals. The Wild are 3-2-1 in their past six games after a 6-5 overtime loss to the Buffalo Sabers on Saturday. This is the finale of a four-game road trip for the Blues (2-1-0). St. Louis defenseman Justin Faulk played his 800th NHL game Saturday; He has 368 career points (119 goals, 249 assists).
Toronto Maple Leafs at Philadelphia Flyers (7 p.m. ET; NBCSP, TSN4, ESPN+, SN NOW)
The Maple Leafs (24-9-7) are 2-2-1 in their past five games but coming off a 4-1 win against the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday. Forwards Mitchell Marner (15 goals, 31 assists) and Austin Matthews (19 goals, 27 assists) each has 46 points to lead Toronto. The Flyers (15-17-7) have won four straight for the first time this season. Travis Konecny has 14 points (eight goals, six assists) in a seven-game point streak.
Boston Bruins at Anaheim Ducks (8:30 p.m. ET; SN1, SNE, SNO, SNP, BSW, NESN, ESPN+, SN NOW)
Hampus Lindholm returns to Anaheim for the first time since being traded to the Bruins in a blockbuster trade March 19. The Bruins defenseman is in the midst of an excellent season with 27 points (four goals, 23 assists) in 39 games. He leads the NHL with a plus-27 rating. Cam Fowler needs one assist to become the fifth player, and first defenseman, in Anaheim history to have 300 assists. Forwards Ryan Getzlaf, Teemu Selanne, Corey Perry and Paul Kariya are the others.
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