Preview Roundups
December 21, 2017
Winnipeg at Boston 7:00 PM ET
The Winnipeg Jets have never won a playoff game, but enter Thursday’s road contest against the Boston Bruins off a victory at Nashville on Tuesday that looked and felt like a game played in May. In a matchup of two of the Western Conference’s best teams, the Jets survived giving up two late goals in the first period to earn a wild 6-4 victory when Brandon Tanev scored the game-winning goal with 1:26 remaining.
NY Rangers at New Jersey 7:00 PM ET
Henrik Lundqvist steadily is working his way up the NHL career wins list and could climb another rung up the ladder on Thursday as the New York Rangers visit the New Jersey Devils. Lundqvist, who resides one win shy of matching Tony Esposito (423) for eighth place on the all-time list, has more victories (36) and shutouts (eight) against the Devils than versus any other team.
Anaheim at NY Islanders 7:00 PM ET
The New York Islanders are making headlines off the ice this week with the news that the team had the winning bid for a proposal to build a new arena at Belmont Park. While that will mean a return to its roots, New York looks to avoid losing consecutive games at home for the first time this season when it hosts the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday night.
Columbus at Pittsburgh 7:00 PM ET
The Pittsburgh Penguins look to begin turning things around before the holidays as they host the Metropolitan Division-rival Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday for the first of two meetings within a week. The two-time defending Stanley Cup champions open a three-game homestand after losing five of their last seven contests, including a 4-2 setback at Colorado on Monday.
Ottawa at Tampa Bay 7:30 PM ET
The Ottawa Senators must change their fortunes on the road to climb back into the playoff race and face a difficult test with a three-game trip, which begins against the NHL-best Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday. The Senators took two of their last three at home, but have dropped nine of their last 10 contests on the road (1-8-1) to fall 10 points out of a playoff spot.
Carolina at Nashville 8:00 PM ET
The Nashville Predators surrendered all of one goal while winning three straight for the second time this month before seeing the defensive floodgates open in their last contest. The Predators aim to nip their brief stretch of generosity in the bud on Thursday when they conclude an abbreviated two-game homestand against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Chicago at Dallas 8:30 PM ET
The Chicago Blackhawks have followed up a five-game winless drought by winning a season-high five in a row, but that streak will be tested as they open a six-game road trip at the Dallas Stars on Thursday night. Chicago will be looking for some payback, having dropped both ends of a home-and-home against Dallas on Nov. 30 and Dec. 2.
St. Louis at Edmonton 9:00 PM ET
The Edmonton Oilers got back one of their injured defensemen in their last game and expect to have another in the lineup Thursday, when they host the St. Louis Blues. Adam Larsson returned from an upper-body injury in Edmonton's victory over San Jose on Monday and Andrej Sekera is slated to make his season debut versus the Blues following knee surgery.
Colorado at Los Angeles 10:30 PM ET
Dustin Brown is slated to play in his 1,000th career contest on Thursday as the Los Angeles Kings return from a four-game road trip to host the Colorado Avalanche. Brown will become the third member of the Kings (Luc Robitaille, Dave Taylor) as the only players to skate in 1,000 or more games for the franchise.
Vancouver at San Jose 10:30 PM ET
The Vancouver Canucks have won just one of their last seven games, with that triumph coming against the San Jose Sharks during their just-completed 1-3-0 homestand. The Canucks hope to get in the win column again on Thursday as they take a brief break from a lengthy string of contests at Rogers Arena to visit the Sharks.