The 2019 Honda NHL All-Star Game, and the Carolina Hurricanes playing the Calgary Flames for the first time since their offseason trade, are among the highlights of the week ahead.
Here’s a look at 5 things to watch:
1. All-Star Weekend
The 2019 Honda NHL All-Star Game will take place at SAP Center in San Jose on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; NBC, CBC, SN, TVAS).
The San Jose Sharks, Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning each will have three players competing in the event, most in the NHL. Sharks forward Joe Pavelski and defensemen Erik Karlsson and Brent Burns, Avalanche forwards Mikko Rantanen and Nathan MacKinnon, and Lightning forwards Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos were named to their respective All-Star teams by the NHL Hockey Operations Department on Jan. 2. Avalanche forward Gabriel Landeskog was voted in by fans in the Last Men In presented by adidas. Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy was named as a replacement for Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price.
The 2019 SAP NHL All-Star Skills is Friday (9 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, SN, TVAS).
Video: NHL Tonight talks about the upcoming All-Star Game
2. Reunion in Calgary
The Carolina Hurricanes and Calgary Flames will play at Scotiabank Saddledome on Tuesday (9 p.m. ET; SNW, FS-SE, NHL.TV) for the first time since the trade that sent defenseman Noah Hanifin and forward Elias Lindholm to the Flames for defenseman Dougie Hamilton, forward Micheal Ferland and defenseman prospect Adam Fox on June 23, 2018.
The Hurricanes (23-20-5) are 8-3-0 in their past 11 games but seven points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference. Ferland’s 25 points (13 goals, 12 assists) rank fourth on the Hurricanes, and Hamilton’s 16 points (six goals, 10 assists) are third among their defensemen.
The Flames (32-13-5, 69 points) are 8-1-1 in their past 10 and lead the Western Conference by five points over the Winnipeg Jets. Lindholm (57 points; 24 goals, 33 assists) is one of four Calgary players with at least 20 goals (Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, Matthew Tkachuk). Hanifin, the No. 5 pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, has 25 points (four goals, 21 assists) and a plus-7 rating.
The game will also be the first time Calgary coach Bill Peters faces Carolina, where he coached from 2014-18.
Video: CAR@PHI: Hamilton picks corner with nice wrister
3. Wednesday Night Hockey
Two marquee games take place on a Wednesday Night Hockey doubleheader when the Washington Capitals visit the Toronto Maple Leafs (7:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN, SN, SN360, TVAS) and the Nashville Predators play the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena (10 p.m. ET; NBCSN).
The reigning Stanley Cup champion Capitals (27-16-5, 59 points) have lost five straight games for the first time since Oct. 26-Nov. 4, 2014 (0-4-1) and have been outscored 23-9 in that span. The Maple Leafs (29-17-2, 60 points), vying for their first title since 1967, are second in the Atlantic Division, one point ahead of the Boston Bruins, and defeated Washington 4-2 at Capital One Arena on Oct. 13.
The Golden Knights (29-17-4, 62 points) lead the Predators (28-18-4, 60 points) by two points in the Western Conference race with each within striking distance of the Flames. Vegas, which lost the Stanley Cup Final to the Capitals in five games last season, was defeated by Nashville 4-1 at Bridgestone Arena on Oct. 30. The Predators have lost two straight and four of their past five (1-3-1).
4. Return to Montreal
Alex Galchenyuk returns to Bell Centre with the Arizona Coyotes to play the Canadiens on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. ET; SN1, RDS, FS-A, NHL.TV) for the first time since he was traded by Montreal for Max Domi on June 15.
Galchenyuk has 25 points (eight goals, 17 assists) in 38 games this season. He was held without a point in his first game against the Canadiens, a 2-1 loss at Gila River Arena on Dec. 20.
Domi leads Montreal with 44 points (16 goals, 28 assists) and also was held without a point in the Dec. 20 game.
Video: NYR@ARI: Galchenyuk bangs home rebound in tight
5. Milestone watch
* Peter Laviolette can become the second United States-born coach to win 600 NHL games (John Tortorella, Columbus Blue Jackets). The Predators visit the Avalanche on Monday (3 p.m. ET; ESPN+, SN, ALT, FS-TN, NHL.TV) and the Golden Knights on Wednesday, their final game before the NHL All-Star break.
Laviolette is 598-399-114 (25 ties) with the Islanders, Carolina Hurricanes, Philadelphia Flyers and Predators. He’s 20th all-time, three wins behind Tortorella (603) and 11 behind Claude Julien (610).
* Mikko Koivu is one goal from 200 in the NHL with the Minnesota Wild, who visit the Golden Knights on Monday (6 p.m. ET; ATTSN-RM, FS-N, FS-WI, NHL.TV) and Avalanche on Wednesday.
from A Viral Update http://bit.ly/2TaYonH
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