Overview
- The Islanders placed No. 1 goalie Ilya Sorokin on injured reserve before hosting the Rangers, with David Rittich starting and leading scorer Bo Horvat back after a five-game absence.
- The Rangers remain without top defenseman Adam Fox, who stayed on LTIR after a no-contact skate, and captain J.T. Miller is week to week, while Igor Shesterkin starts in goal.
- Buffalo carries a seven-game win streak into its home game against Boston, closing to within a point of the Bruins as Boston seeks defensive fixes after a four-game skid and mounting penalties.
- First-place Carolina hosts Detroit in a matchup of conference leaders, with the Hurricanes trying to shake three straight blown leads and the Red Wings riding John Gibson’s 8-0 December run.
- Vancouver welcomes back Elias Pettersson for his 500th NHL game and starts Thatcher Demko against San Jose, marking the first home appearance for recent additions Marco Rossi, Liam Öhgren and Zeev Buium.