The Week Ahead: Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! The NHL breaks Thursday for the holiday, but we'll have a very busy Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday to make up for it. There are 24 teams playing four games this week, while only Edmonton and Toronto play twice. The Canadian teams only play twice at home as Montreal entertains Utah on Tuesday, while Ottawa hosts Calgary on Monday.

All statistics are through Saturday's games unless otherwise noted.  

WEEK OF NOVEMBER 25-DECEMBER 1

4 Games – Anaheim, Boston, Calgary, Carolina, Colorado, Dallas, Detroit, Florida, Los Angeles, Minnesota, Montreal, Nashville, New Jersey, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Ottawa, Philadelphia, San Jose, Seattle, Tampa Bay, Vancouver, Vegas, Washington, Winnipeg

3 Games –Buffalo, Chicago, Columbus, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Utah

2 Games – Edmonton, Toronto

Calgary, Vancouver and Winnipeg play all four games on the road.

Anaheim, Boston, Carolina, Detroit, Florida, Minnesota, New Jersey, the New York Islanders, San Jose and Tampa Bay play three games at home.

Montreal, Ottawa and Washington play three games on the road.

ANAHEIM

Games this week: vs. Seattle, @ Seattle, vs. Los Angeles, vs. Ottawa

Tired: None

Rested: vs. Ottawa (Sunday)

Notes: The Ducks play four games this week including three in four nights...Look for John Gibson and Lukas Dostal to share the net...Anaheim plays a home-and-home series with Seattle, so look for Ross Johnston and/or Radko Gudas to get involved if there are any fisticuffs...Brett Leason has two goals and five assists in his last six games...Mason McTavish could return to action this week from an upper-body injury. He had five points in five games before his injury six games ago.

BOSTON

Games this week: vs. Vancouver, @ New York Islanders, vs. Pittsburgh, vs. Montreal

Tired: @ New York Islanders (Wednesday)

Rested: vs. Montreal (Sunday)

Notes: The Bruins play three games in four nights as part of their four-game week...The struggling Jeremy Swayman and Joonas Korpisalo are expected to split the cage...The Bruins fired Jim Montgomery and placed Joe Sacco behind the bench as their interim coach...It will be interesting to see if players like Elias Lindholm, Brad Marchand and Pavel Zacha can get their offensive games going again...After a great start, Cole Koepke has only one goal in his last 12 games and was a healthy scratch on one occasion.

BUFFALO

Games this week: vs. Minnesota, vs. Vancouver, @ New York Islanders

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Sabres play three games in four nights...Look for Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to start twice, while James Reimer will get one start...Devon Levi was sent to the minors Monday to get in playing time...Owen Power has three goals and 15 points in 21 games with all 15 points coming at even strength...Jason Zucker had two goals and an assist in three games heading into action Saturday.

CALGARY

Games this week: @ Ottawa, @ Detroit, @ Columbus, @ Pittsburgh

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Flames play four games this week, including three in four nights...Dustin Wolf and Dan Vladar are expected to share the net, but Wolf could get three starts...Wolf has won four straight games ahead of Saturday's tilt with Minnesota...I thought that Jonathan Huberdeau would finally break out of his two-year slump with Calgary. He had three goals and three assists in his first four games this season, but has only three goals and five points in his last 17 contests.

CAROLINA

Games this week: vs. Dallas, vs. New York Rangers, vs. Florida, @ Florida

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Hurricanes play three times in four nights this week as part of their four-game week...Pyotr Kochetkov should get three starts while Spencer Martin should get one...Frederik Andersen will be lost for 8-12 weeks after undergoing knee surgery Friday...Jordan Martinook is on the top line with Sebastian Aho and Jack Roslovic and is taking full advantage, with six goals and three assists in his last 10 games.

CHICAGO  

Games this week: vs. Dallas, @ Minnesota, vs. Columbus

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: Connor Bedard has not found the back of the net in 12 games...He does have six assists, but is a minus-4...Tyler Bertuzzi was expected to be a big scorer alongside Connor Bedard this season, but Bertuzzi has only five goals and seven points in 21 games and is no longer seeing 5-on-5 time with the young star...Petr Mrazek is 6-8-1 with a 2.68 GAA and a .912 save percentage. He is having his best season since the 2019-20 campaign when he was 21-16-2 with a 2.69 GAA and a .905 save percentage with Carolina.

COLORADO

Games this week: @ Tampa Bay, vs. Vegas, @ Dallas, vs. Edmonton

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Avalanche play four games this week, including three games in four nights...The Avs have not had good goaltending at all this season, but Alexandar Georgiev and Justus Annunen should still share the net this week...Valeri Nichushkin did not pick up a point in his first three games, but he exploded Saturday with a goal and two assists...Casey Mittelstadt had six goals and 16 points in his first 15 contests, but he has only a goal and an assist in his last six games.

COLUMBUS

Games this week: vs. Montreal, vs. Calgary, @ Chicago  

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: Damon Severson has bounced back this season after struggling last year in his first season with the Blue Jackets. He has four goals and five assists in 20 games with a plus-7 rating. He has yet to pick up a power-play point this season but is still averaging 1:18 with the man-advantage on the second unit...Kent Johnson returned to the lineup Thursday after missing 14 games with an upper-body injury. Johnson scored twice to give him four goals and seven points in only five games, heading into Saturday's game.

DALLAS

Games this week: @ Carolina, @ Chicago, vs. Colorado, vs. Winnipeg

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: Roope Hintz had a goal and an assist Wednesday  and has 13 points in 19 games...Jason Robertson also had a big game Wednesday  against the Sharks as he managed a goal and two assists and has five goals and 12 points in 19 contests...The Stars need their two best offensive players to get it going and hopefully this will be the start...Jake Oettinger has won five straight and is 11-3-0 with a 2.23 GAA and a .918 save percentage.

DETROIT

Games this week: @ New York Islanders, vs. Calgary, vs. New Jersey, vs. Vancouver   

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Red Wings play four times this week but do not play any back-to-back games...Nevertheless, look for Cam Talbot to play three times with Alex Lyon likely playing only once...Patrick Kane is pointless in his last five games...Marco Kasper has two goals and four points in 16 games. He was selected eighth overall in 2022 and has both goals and one assist on the power play.

EDMONTON

Games this week: @ Utah, @ Colorado

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Oilers have a light schedule this week with a pair of games...They are hurting up front as Viktor Arvidsson and Zach Hyman have missed six and two games respectively with undisclosed injuries...Connor McDavid has six goals and 15 points in his last seven games heading into action Saturday and sits 16th in NHL scoring...Leon Draisaitl leads the Oilers with 28 points (three better than McDavid), heading into Saturday's late game.

FLORIDA

Games this week: vs. Washington, vs. Toronto, @ Carolina, vs. Carolina

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Panthers play four games this week, including three games in four nights...Look for Sergei Bobrovsky to play at least twice, and possibly three times with Spencer Knight starting the remainder of the games...The Panthers play back-to-back games against Carolina...If there are fisticuffs, look for A.J. Greer and/or Sam Bennett to be involved...Aleksander Barkov saw his nine-game point streak come to an end Thursday.

LOS ANGELES

Games this week: @ San Jose, vs. Winnipeg, @ Anaheim, vs. Ottawa

Tired: vs. Ottawa (Saturday)

Rested: None

Notes: The Kings play three games in four nights as part of a four-game week...David Rittich should get three starts with Pheonix Copley starting once, if Darcy Kuemper (undisclosed) is unable to return to action...Kevin Fiala was without a point in his last six games, before picking up an assist Saturday...Alex Laferriere had nine goals and 15 points in his first 16 games but is without a point in his last five appearances.

MINNESOTA

Games this week

vs. Winnipeg, @ Buffalo, vs. Chicago, @ Nashville

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Wild play four times this week, including three in four nights...Filip Gustavsson should get three starts with Marc-Andre Fleury between the pipes once...Gustavsson is having an outstanding season as the Swedish netminder is 9-3-1 with a 2.07 GAA and a .926 save percentage, ahead of Saturday's game...Joel Eriksson Ek returned to the lineup Tuesday after missing one game with a lower-body injury and is once again centering Kirill Kaprizov on the top line with Marco Rossi moving down to the second unit.

MONTREAL

Games this week: vs. Utah, @ Columbus, @ New York Rangers, @ Boston

Tired: @ Columbus (Wednesday), @ Boston (Sunday)

Rested: @ New York Rangers (Saturday)

Notes: The Canadiens play three games in four nights as part of a four-game week...Sam Montembeault should get at least two starts with Cayden Primeau playing the remainder of the games...Patrik Laine (knee) returned to practice for the first time since training camp Wednesday. The Habs are hopeful that he can return to action in the next two weeks...Nick Suzuki has three goals and six points in his last five games, giving him seven markers and 12 helpers in 20 games.

NASHVILLE

Games this week: @ New Jersey, vs. Philadelphia, vs. Tampa Bay, @ Minnesota

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Predators play four games this week, including three in four nights...Juuse Saros, who has picked up his game in the month of November after a weak October, should get three starts with Scott Wedgewood playing once...Like most Predators this season, Filip Forsberg has been a disappointment. He has eight goals and 16 points in 21 games after picking up 48 goals and 46 assists in a full 82-game regular season in 2023-24.

NEW JERSEY

Games this week

vs. Nashville, vs. St. Louis, @ Detroit, vs. Washington

Tired: None

Rested: None       

Notes: Like so many teams this week, the Devils play four times, including three games in four nights...Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen are expected to share the net...Stefan Noesen is well on his way to smashing his career highs in goals and points as he has 10 markers and 18 points in just 23 contests. Noesen's previous best was set last season with 14 goals and 37 points. He has jumped up to the first line with Nico Hischier and Timo Meier, as well as the first power play.

NEW YORK ISLANDERS

Games this week: vs. Detroit, vs. Boston, @ Washington, vs. Buffalo

Tired: None

Rested: vs. Boston (Wednesday)

Notes: The Islanders are in action four times this week, including three contests in four days...Ilya Sorokin should get three starts with Semyon Varlamov starting once...Bo Horvat has only two assists in his last seven games, both against his former teammates in Vancouver...Maxim Tsyplakov was hyped coming into this season as a 26-year-old rookie from Russia. He has two goals and 11 points in 21 games.

NEW YORK RANGERS

Games this week: vs. St. Louis @ Carolina, @ Philadelphia, vs. Montreal

Tired: vs. Montreal (Saturday)

Rested: None

Notes: The Rangers play three games in four nights as part of a four-game week...Igor Shesterkin should get the starting nod three times with Jonathan Quick seeing action once...Chris Kreider has yet to pick up an assist in 18 games. At least he does have nine goals...Filip Chytil has missed the last four games with an upper-body injury...Kaapo Kakko has three goals and 11 points in 18 games, including three points in his last three appearances.

OTTAWA 

Games this week: vs. Calgary, @ San Jose, @ Los Angeles, @ Anaheim

Tired: @ Anaheim (Sunday)

Rested: @ Los Angeles (Saturday)

Notes: The Senators play four times this week including three games in four nights in California...Linus Ullmark should get at least two starts and possible three, while Anton Forsberg will get at least one start...Ullmark has struggled this season, going 4-7-1 with a 3.08 GAA and an .881 save percentage...The Senators shuffled their lines Saturday, with Shane Pinto and Ridly Greig joining Brady Tkachuk on the top unit.

PHILADELPHIA

Games this week: vs. Vegas, @ Nashville, vs. New York Rangers, @ St. Louis

Tired: @ St. Louis (Saturday)

Rested: None

Notes: The Flyers play four games this week, including three games in four nights. The Flyers are hopeful that Samuel Ersson (lower body) is able to return this week. If so, he should get at least two starts with Ivan Fedotov getting the remainder of the starts...Matvei Michkov picked up his second overtime goal in the last five games, giving the Russian rookie, seven goals and 16 points in 19 contests.

PITTSBURGH

Games this week: vs. Vancouver, @ Boston, vs. Calgary

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Penguins play three games in four nights...Alex Nedeljkovic should get a pair of starts with Tristan Jarry starting once...Congratulations go out to Sidney Crosby, who became the 21st NHLer to hit the 600-goal mark in his career Saturday...Michael Bunting has four goals and six points in his last 10 games...Erik Karlsson had 101 points just two seasons ago, but the 34-year-old rearguard has only two goals and 12 points in 23 games.

SAN JOSE

Games this week: vs. Los Angeles, vs. Ottawa, vs. Seattle, @ Seattle

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Sharks play four games this week, including three in four nights...Look for Yaroslav Askarov and Mackenzie Blackwood to share the net...They play a back-to-back series versus the Kraken, so look for Barclay Goodrow and/or Luke Kunin to be involved if there are any fisticuffs...William Eklund is off to a nice start in 2024-25. The 22-year-old has four goals and 17 points in 22 games.

SEATTLE

Games this week: @ Anaheim, vs. Anaheim, @ San Jose, vs. San Jose

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Kraken play four times, including three in four nights...Joey Daccord should get at least two starts, and possibly three, while Philipp Grubauer will get the remainder of the starts...Seattle plays a pair of home-and-home series versus Anaheim and San Jose...Expect to see Yanni Gourde in the midst of things, if there is any rough stuff...Shane Wright was a healthy scratch Saturday for the third game in a row. The fourth selection in the 2022 Draft, Wright has only a goal and an assist in 18 games this season and is scoreless in his last 13 games.

ST. LOUIS

Games this week: @ New York Rangers, @ New Jersey, vs. Philadelphia

Tired: None

Rested: vs. Philadelphia (Saturday)

Notes: Robert Thomas (ankle) returned to action Tuesday after missing 12 games. He has an assist in each of the three games since his return, giving him a goal and nine points in 10 games...After scoring eight power-play goals a year ago, Jake Neighbours potted his first Tuesday and then picked up his second Saturday...Brandon Saad has four goals and eight points in 19 games.

TAMPA BAY

Games this week: vs. Colorado, vs. Washington, @ Nashville, vs. Toronto

Tired: vs. Toronto (Saturday)

Rested: None

Notes: The Lightning play three games in four nights as part of their four-game week...Andrei Vasilevskiy will get three starts, while Jonas Johansson should start once...Nikita Kucherov has 11 goals and 29 points in 19 games. He has been held off the scoresheet only three times this season, including twice in his last three games...Brayden Point saw his seven-game point streak come to a halt Saturday in a 4-2 loss to Dallas.

TORONTO

Games this week: @ Florida, @ Tampa Bay

Tired: None

Rested: @ Tampa Bay (Saturday)

Notes: The Maple Leafs play just twice for the second week in a row...They could be getting Auston Matthews (upper body) back this week as he has returned from a five-day trip to Germany to see specialists for his injury. Matthews skated ahead of Saturday's practice and is hoping to rejoin the team Wednesday in Florida...Mitch Marner has points in 11 of his last 12 games. The 27-year-old has five goals and 19 points during the streak, giving him six goals and 26 points in 20 appearances.

UTAH

Games this week: @ Montreal, vs. Edmonton, @ Vegas

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: Utah had scored only 12 goals in their previous seven games before exploding for six goals Saturday in an easy win over Pittsburgh...Karel Vejmelka has been strong of late, despite his 2-3-0 record over the last five games. The netminder has allowed only 10 goals on 175 shots...Connor Ingram is out of action with an upper-body injury that has forced him to miss four of the last five games...Dylan Guenther leads the team with nine goals, including three on the power play.

VANCOUVER

Games this week: @ Boston, @ Pittsburgh, @ Buffalo, @ Detroit

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Canucks play all four games on the road as they are in the middle of a six-game road trip...They play three games in four nights and it's expected that Kevin Lankinen should get at least two starts while Arturs Silovs picks up the slack for the remaining game(s)...J.T. Miller will not play this week due to personal reasons, but could return as early as the following week...Elias Pettersson has back-to-back two-assist nights, giving him six goals and 15 points in 19 appearances.

VEGAS

Games this week: @ Philadelphia, @ Colorado, vs. Winnipeg, vs. Utah

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Golden Knights finish up a five-game road trip before Thanksgiving...Vegas plays four games this week, including three games in four nights...Adin Hill could get as many as three starts, but it's more likely that he and Ilya Samsonov will share the net...Jack Eichel continues to be red-hot in the early going. The 28-year-old has seven goals and 25 assists in 21 contests, as he has moved into the top-three in NHL scoring.

WASHINGTON

Games this week: @ Florida, @ Tampa Bay, vs. New York Islanders, @ New Jersey

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: Washington plays four games this week including three in four nights...Logan Thompson and Charlie Lindgren are expected to share the crease...Alex Ovechkin leads the league with 15 goals but will miss the next 4-to-6 weeks with a broken fibula...Ivan Miroshnichenko has moved into Ovechkin's spot on the top line, alongside Dylan Strome and Aliaksei Protas...Connor McMichael continues to impress, picking up his 13th goal and 20th point of the season in just 20 games.

WINNIPEG

Games this week: @ Minnesota, @ Los Angeles, @ Vegas, @ Dallas

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Jets are on the road for all four games this week...Connor Hellebuyck should patrol the crease in three games with Eric Comrie playing once...Dylan Samberg suffered a broken foot Saturday and should be out multiple weeks...Josh Morrissey has two goals and 20 points in 21 games...Kyle Connor has 13 goals and 13 assists in 21 games while linemate Mark Scheifele is just one assist in arrears.