NHL.com identifies key games and players to watch throughout the 2023-24 season.
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Note: Betting lines provided by Betway (WE, Ontario)
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1. San Jose Sharks at Detroit Red Wings (7 p.m. ET; BSDET, NBCSCA)
SJS puck (+1.5 goals): -105
DET puck (-1.5 goals): -115
Red Wings forward Patrick Kane is expected to make his season debut against the Sharks. Kane, a three-time Stanley Cup champion and two-time 100-point player with the Chicago Blackhawks, signed a one-year contract with the Red Wings on Nov. 28 and has been recovering from hip resurfacing surgery June 1st. Kane had six points. (one goal, five assists) in seven Stanley Cup Playoff games with the New York Rangers last season and scored one goal on nine shots on goal in two games against San Jose for Chicago last regular season.
Kane reunites with his former teammate Alex DeBrincatwho leads Detroit in goals (13) and is tied with center Dylan Larkin for the most points (24) and joins a Red Wings offense that ranks third in the NHL in goals per game (3.79). Detroit has won three straight and six of its last seven games, with five of the wins coming in that span coming by multiple goals. San Jose is coming off a 5-4 overtime victory over the New York Islanders on Tuesday, improving to 4-2-0 in their last six games. Center Thomas Hertl had a hat trick and eight shots on goal against the Islanders and leads the Sharks in points (21 in 25 games) this season.
2. Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Ottawa Senators (7 p.m. ET; RDS2, TSN4, TSN5)
TOR money line: -130
OTT financial line: +110
The Senators host the Maple Leafs in this Atlantic Division showdown after beating Toronto 6-3 on November 8. Last season, the Maple Leafs were 3-1-0 in four games against Ottawa, scoring 13 goals and allowing 12. Both teams have high-powered offenses, with the Senators ranking sixth in the NHL for goals per game (3.45) and Toronto ranked 14th in the category (3.27).
Toronto forward William Nylander had two points (one goal, one assist) and five shots on goal against Ottawa earlier this season and leads the Maple Leafs with 99 shots on goal in 22 games. He plays on the first line with the center Auston Matthews (leads Maple Leafs with 16 goals in 22 games) and rookie Matthew Knieswho had one assist and six shots on goal in his most recent game against the Boston Bruins on December 2.
For Ottawa, Claude Giroux has points in two of his last three games with three points (two goals, one assist) and 12 shots on goal in this period. He plays on the front line with Brady Tkachuk (leads Ottawa in goals with 13 in 20 games this season) and Josh Norris. Last season, Giroux had five points (two goals, three assists) in four games against Toronto.
3. Philadelphia Flyers at Arizona Coyotes (9 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, NBCSP)
More than 6 goals in total: -115
Less than 6 goals in total: -105
The Coyotes are on a five-game winning streak, outscoring their opponents 19-5 over that span, and that winning streak came against the last five Stanley Cup champions. Arizona forward Nicolas Schmaltz has a three-game goal streak with four goals in the interval and six attackers from the middle Michael Carconé And Lawson Crouse leads the Coyotes in goals with 12 and 10 respectively. Coyotes goaltender Connor Ingram is tied for third in the NHL in save percentage (.930 in 15 games) among those who have played at least 10 games.
The Flyers are coming off a home-and-home sweep of the Pittsburgh Penguins, with a center Sean Couturier scoring the goal in overtime on Monday. Couturier has a three-game goal streak (one goal, two assists) with 13 shots on goal in that streak and is enjoying an impressive comeback after missing all of last season due to injury; he is tied for second on the Flyers in points (17 in 23 games) behind his wing teammate Travis Konecny (19 out of 25). The Coyotes are 8-4-0 at home, but the Flyers are 7-4-1 on the road.
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