NHL matchups, odds to watch: January 21
Stars-Islanders, Maple Leafs-Kraken, Lightning-Red Wings highlight 6-game slate
NHL.com identifies key gameday matchups and players to watch throughout the 2023-24 season.
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1. Dallas Stars at New York Islanders (7:30 p.m. ET; MSGSN, BSSW)
Over 6.5 total goals: +100
Under 6.5 total goals: -140
The Islanders will play their first game since firing coach Lane Lambert and replacing him with Patrick Roy on Saturday. Roy was 130-92-24 in 246 NHL regular-season games while coaching the Colorado Avalanche for three seasons (2013-14 to 2015-16) and won the Jack Adams Award in 2014. New York is winless in its past four games (0-3-1) and 5-8-4 in 17 games since Dec. 15. The Stars will be on the second of back-to-back games after a 6-2 road win against the New Jersey Devils on Saturday, improving to 5-2-0 in their past seven games.
New York is allowing the 10th-most home goals per game (3.23) this season, and Dallas has scored four or more goals in eight of their 13 road wins. Stars goalie Jake Oettinger has a .917 save percentage in four games since returning from injury (2-2-0) earlier this month, and Islanders’ likely starter Ilya Sorokin has a .915 save percentage and two shutouts in 18 home games.
Stars forward Jason Robertson had two assists against the Devils on Saturday, giving him 27 points (nine goals, 18 assists) in 24 games since the start of December. Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson has 10 assists, four on the power play, in his past nine games dating to Jan. 1
2. Toronto Maple Leafs at Seattle Kraken (9 p.m. ET; ROOT-NW, SNO, TVAS)
TOR moneyline: -120
SEA moneyline: +100
The Maple Leafs are 1-4-1 in their past six games, and the Kraken have lost three straight in the absence of top defenseman Vince Dunn (undisclosed). Toronto is 12-5-6 on the road this season; Seattle is 9-8-3 at home but 5-0-1 in its past six home games (outscoring opponents 22-5 in span). The Maple Leafs had a 4-3 shootout win at home against the Kraken on Nov. 30.
Toronto forward Mitchell Marner had a hat trick against Seattle when they played earlier in the season, and Kraken forward Jared McCann scored two goals in the loss. Seattle wing Oliver Bjorkstrand has 15 points (four goals, 11 assists) in his past 15 games.
3. Tampa Bay Lightning at Detroit Red Wings (7 p.m. ET; BSSUN, BSDET, TVAS)
TBL puckline (-1.5 goals): +200
DET puckline (+1.5 goals): -245
The Lightning are on a five-game winning streak, outscoring opponents 22-10 in the span, and have won three straight games by multiple goals. Tampa Bay goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy is 13-9-0 with one shutout in 22 games this season. The Red Wings defeated the Lightning 6-4 on Oct. 14, when Vasilevskiy did not play during his recovery from microdiscectomy surgery. The Red Wings are coming off a 4-2 road loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday, but Detroit is 11-7-4 at home, while Tampa Bay is 9-12-2 on the road.
Seven players had multipoint games when the teams played earlier in the season: Red Wings forwards Alex DeBrincat (two goals, one assist), J.T. Compher (one goal, one assist) and defenseman Moritz Seider (one goal, one assist), along with Lightning forwards Steven Stamkos (two goals, one assist), Nikita Kucherov (two assists), Brandon Hagel (one goal, one assist) and defenseman Victor Hedman (one goal, two assists). Kucherov leads the NHL with 34 power-play points this season.
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