Edmonton at Carolina (-128, 5.5)
The reason for the Edmonton Oilers' losing streak is pretty simple according to coach Craig MacTavish - his team is not scoring enough goals.
The Oilers again try to get their sputtering offense back on track as they look to avoid dropping their sixth straight game when they visit the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday.
After opening the season with four wins - its best start since winning its first five games in 1985-86 - Edmonton (4-4-1) has recorded just one point in its last five contests.
Edmonton's offense got off to a solid start to the season, scoring 13 goals during the winning streak, but the team's scored just five times during the skid.
In their first trip back to Carolina since losing Game 7 of the finals, the Oilers suffered a 7-2 defeat on Jan. 18. Edmonton is 1-3-0 with two ties all-time at Carolina.
The Hurricanes are coming off a 1-0 win over St. Louis on Thursday to finish their road trip 3-1-2. Left wing Tuomo Ruutu scored the game-winner, as he deflected a slap shot by Eric Staal from just inside the left circle at 9:41 of the third period.
Cam Ward made it stand up with 19 saves for his seventh career shutout.
Dallas at Boston (-145, 5.5)
With the league's worst penalty kill, the Boston Bruins can't afford to take a period off, regardless of how well goaltender Tim Thomas is playing.
Boston looks to rebound from its first loss in four games when it hosts the Dallas Stars on Saturday night.
In Thursday night's 3-2 loss at Calgary, the Bruins (5-3-3) had their three-game win streak snapped as they allowed two second-period power-play goals.
Boston - which has the NHL's worst penalty kill at 71.1 percent - hadn't allowed a power-play goal in its three previous games.
Dallas (4-5-2) is hoping for a similar result in its return to Boston after opening a five-game road trip with a 5-2 loss to Chicago on Friday.
The Stars had nearly an identical record (5-4-2) through 11 games last season as they would advance to the Western Conference finals, but that similarity doesn't help alleviate this season's struggles.
Dallas, which has the NHL's worst goals-against average at 4.09, started backup goalie Tobias Stephan for the second straight game, but likely will switch to Marty Turco on Saturday. Turco, who has a league-high 4.26 GAA in nine starts, is 4-1-0 with a 0.79 GAA and one shutout in five career starts against the Bruins.
Dallas is 4-1-0 with a tie in its last six games in Boston.
Washington at Buffalo (-135, 5.5)
The Washington Capitals found their way once without their leader. On Saturday night at Buffalo, they'll have to do it again.
Still in Russia with his ailing grandfather, reigning league MVP and scoring champ Alex Ovechkin will miss the Capitals' game against the Sabres and isn't expected back until next week.
Without Ovechkin for the first time in 204 games, the Capitals (5-3-1) defeated visiting Nashville 4-3 in a shootout on Tuesday.
Capitals goaltender Jose Theodore has lost four consecutive starts at Buffalo, last winning there on Jan. 14, 2000 with Montreal.
Buffalo (6-2-2) is hoping for a different result after losing its third straight on Thursday - 5-2 at home to Tampa Bay.
Miller had won seven straight decisions against the Capitals before a 3-1 home loss on March 5. He is 7-2-0 with a 2.76 goals-against average lifetime versus Washington.
The Sabres outscored the Capitals 16-10 as they won three of four meetings last season. The teams split two matchups in Buffalo.
NY Rangers at Toronto (117, 5.5)
One sign of a good team is getting contributions from every player on their roster. The New York Rangers have reason to be confident they are one of those teams as backup goaltender Stephen Valiquette may get the start Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Rangers (10-2-1) lead the NHL with 21 points and are trying for their second five-game winning streak of the young season. Nikolai Zherdev had a goal and an assist in the third period as New York held off Atlanta 3-2 on Thursday, continuing his fast start since being acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets via trade in the offseason.
While Zherdev has been a focal point for the Rangers, Valiquette is sort of an unsung hero. Getting only two starts thus far behind workhorse Henrik Lundqvist, Valiquette has been sharp in winning both and is in line to make his first start since making 21 saves in a 1-0 shootout victory over the Maple Leafs on Oct. 17.
Playing the Maple Leafs appears to give Valiquette a little something extra. He is 3-0-0 with a 1.29 goals-against average and .950 save percentage in three starts and five lifetime appearances against Toronto, including a 2-0 mark with a 1.45 GAA at the Air Canada Centre.
Toronto (4-3-3), though, has found an offensive groove after stumbling to a 1-2-3 start. The Leafs have won three of their last four games, including a 6-5 shootout victory at New Jersey on Wednesday as Matt Stajan had two goals and an assist before Niklas Hagman scored the winner in the fourth round of the shootout with a backhand that beat Martin Brodeur.
The Maple Leafs have been aggressive offensively during their four-game surge, averaging 40.5 shots. They also have been highly effective on the power play, converting 8 of 23 chances in that span - two coming from defenseman Mike Van Ryn.
Atlanta at New Jersey (-208, 5)
New Jersey Devils coach Brent Sutter believes his team's mistakes can be corrected. Facing the Atlanta Thrashers gives the club a good chance to gain some confidence.
Losers of three straight, the Devils look to saddle the Thrashers with their sixth consecutive defeat when the teams continue their season series Saturday night.
New Jersey (5-2-2) is 0-1-2 since beating Dallas 5-0 on Oct. 22, and got an uncharacteristically poor performance from goaltender Martin Brodeur in a 6-5 shootout loss to Toronto on Wednesday night.
Brodeur and New Jersey have an excellent chance to bounce back against the Thrashers (2-6-2). Brodeur made 25 saves in a 1-0 win at Atlanta on Oct. 16, and the Devils have earned at least a point in seven straight games versus the Thrashers, going 5-0-2.
Brodeur has started each of those contests, posting a 2.07 goals-against average and two shutouts.
Atlanta's six points are second-fewest in the NHL behind the New York Islanders' five, and the Thrashers have given up 20 goals en route to losing their last four games - all in regulation.
Atlanta's defense improved somewhat in its latest lost, 3-2 against the New York Rangers on Thursday night.
Kari Lehtonen bounced back from the Thrashers' 7-0 home loss to Philadelphia on Tuesday night, in which he allowed all the goals on 31 shots. He finished with 30 saves Thursday, but Atlanta lost its fifth straight (0-4-1).
Montreal at NY Islanders (182, 5.5)
The league-worst New York Islanders could certainly use a spark from their power-play unit.
This is a bad time for a matchup with the Montreal Canadiens.
With their penalty-kill unit coming off an outstanding effort, the Canadiens look to keep the Islanders without a power-play goal yet again when the teams meet Saturday night.
New York is struggling partly due to its problems on the power play. The Islanders have scored on 12.5 percent (6-for-48) of their chances with the man advantage.
During a five-game losing streak (0-4-1), New York is averaging 2.0 goals overall.
Now, the Islanders will likely have to face Price, who tops the league with a 1.91 goals-against average. This would be his first career start against New York.
Price stopped 28 shots versus Minnesota to help Montreal win its second straight. He is 2-0-1 with a 1.62 GAA in three road starts.
The Islanders have been playing without No. 1 goalie Rick DiPietro (lower-body injury), and have allowed 16 goals in their last four games. New York lost 3-2 in overtime against Philadelphia on Thursday night.
Chicago at Columbus (-114, 5.5)
A recent scoring slump by Rick Nash may be a cause of concern for the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Given what Nash has done at home against the Chicago Blackhawks in recent years, though, he appears poised to end that drought.
Looking to extend his scoring mastery at Nationwide Arena over Chicago, Nash will try to help the Blue Jackets avoid their third straight home loss on Saturday night, when they face the Blackhawks for the first time in 2008-09.
The three-time 30-goal scorer has a point in 10 straight home games against the Blackhawks since April 1, 2006, totaling four goals and 10 assists. The Blue Jackets are 6-4-0 in that span.
Columbus' four wins over Chicago last season were its most against any opponent.
The Blue Jackets (4-6-0) return home following a 4-2 win over Colorado on Thursday. Derrick Brassard and Jason Chimera each had a goal and assist, and backup goaltender Fredrik Norrena made 30 saves as they won for just the second time in 15 visits to Denver.
With Pascal Leclaire on injured reserve (ankle), Norrena likely will start again. In 11 career starts against Chicago, Norrena is 4-4-1 with a 3.68 goals-against average.
Nash is not the only star to struggle. The Blackhawks (4-3-3) are still waiting for new captain Jonathan Toews to score his first goal of the season.
Toews, who at 20 is the third-youngest captain in NHL history, had 24 goals in 64 games as a rookie in 2007-08, but his longest goal-scoring drought was just six games. He has three goals in seven career matchups against the Blue Jackets, but none have come in Columbus.
Ottawa at Tampa Bay (-111, 5.5)
Craig Hartsburg didn't get off to the start he hoped for in his first season as coach of the Ottawa Senators. Barry Melrose had an even less auspicious beginning to his tenure on the Tampa Bay Lightning bench.
Both coaches, however, appear to be making progress.
The Lightning host the Senators on Saturday night in a matchup between teams looking for their third straight win following slow starts.
Ottawa has won two of three on a four-game road trip that concludes Saturday.
Tampa Bay (3-3-3) went 0-2-3 before getting Melrose his first win since 1995 on Oct. 21. The Lightning followed that up with a loss to San Jose, but have won their last two games by a combined 8-4.
Tampa Bay goalie Mike Smith, who ranks among league leaders with a 2.11 goals-against average in six games, gave up three goals on 19 shots to lose his only previous start against Ottawa last Dec. 7.
Senators goalie Alex Auld, not far behind Smith with a 2.21 GAA, is 2-1-0 with a 3.34 GAA lifetime against the Lightning.
Ottawa has dominated Tampa Bay over the last decade, going 29-8-1 with two ties in the series since the 1997-98 season. The Senators, who have recorded at least one point in seven of their last eight games in St. Petersburg, went 2-1-1 against the Lightning last season.
Florida at Nashville (-172, 5.5)
A solid defensive performance highlighted the Nashville Predators' latest victory. They could have similar results against a team that has struggled to score all season.
The Predators seek their second straight win as they host the Florida Panthers on Saturday night.
Nashville (5-4-1) ranks among the highest-scoring teams in the NHL, scoring at least three goals in nine straight games and tallying 35 overall. That success, however, has been countered by a defense that has yielded 36 goals.
But the Predators played solidly during a 3-1 home victory over Edmonton on Thursday. Shea Weber contributed a goal and an assist, and Ryan Suter added two assists as backup Pekka Rinne - starting in place of the injured Dan Ellis (back) - made 27 saves to help Nashville collect at least a point for the third straight game (2-0-1).
Ellis was hurt in Tuesday's shootout 4-3 loss at Washington could have played Thursday, but Trotz went with Rinne as a precautionary measure. It is unclear which goaltender will start Saturday, but neither has much experience versus Florida (4-5-0).
Rinne has never faced the Panthers, while Ellis - 4-4-1 with a 3.28 goals-against average in nine games this season - made 24 saves in a 4-3 home victory on Oct. 27, 2007.
It likely won't matter which netminder Nashville starts as Florida hasn't been generating much offense much lately.
Among the lowest-scoring teams in the Eastern Conference with 20 goals, the Panthers have been outscored 6-1 and outshot 62-43 en route to losing back-to-back contests for the first time this season.
The Panthers' official Web site reported that backup goaltender Craig Anderson would start on Saturday. He is 2-2-1 with a 2.83 GAA in seven all-time starts versus the Predators, and 1-1-0 with a 2.51 GAA in the three games he started in place of Tomas Vokoun, who stopped 29 shots on Thursday.
Florida won the first four games in the all-time series against Nashville, but has since gone 1-2-1 with three ties.
Pittsburgh at St. Louis (-127, 5)
The Pittsburgh Penguins have struggled to score over the past week, and they haven't had much success on offense at St. Louis in eight years.
Losing Sidney Crosby for an extended period of time wouldn't help matters.
With Crosby's status uncertain, the Penguins look to snap a three-game losing streak as they play a rare contest with the Blues on Saturday night.
Crosby suffered an undisclosed injury in Pittsburgh's 4-1 loss to Phoenix on Thursday night, and it's unclear if the star center will be able to play against the Blues (5-4-0).
This would be a tough time to lose Crosby. Pittsburgh has scored two goals or less in every game during a three-game skid (0-2-1).
The Penguins have also lost three straight on the road (0-2-1), and have been held to two goals or fewer in each of their last four contests away from Mellon Arena.
Now, Pittsburgh will travel to St. Louis, where it has scored a combined three goals in its last three contests. The Penguins have lost four straight (0-2-2) at St. Louis since a 4-3 win on Dec. 12, 1998.
Pittsburgh hasn't scored more than two goals in a road game with the Blues since a 4-3 loss on Nov. 16, 2000.
St. Louis, meanwhile, has had its own problems on offense, getting shut out in two of its last three games. The Blues lost 1-0 to Carolina on Thursday night, six days after a 4-0 loss to Los Angeles.
St. Louis entered Thursday's game with the top-ranked power-play in the NHL, but failed to produce on its three chances and coach Andy Murray was not pleased with his team's effort.
A bright spot for St. Louis was the return of goaltender Chris Mason, who made 29 saves against the Hurricanes in his first start since an emergency appendectomy on Oct. 16.
Minnesota at Phoenix (-120, 5)
Though the Minnesota Wild have dropped consecutive games for the first time this season, they might be able to turn things around against a team they've dominated in recent years.
As they try to avoid losing their third straight overall, the Wild seek their eighth consecutive victory over the host Phoenix Coyotes on Saturday.
Minnesota (6-2-1) was the last remaining team in the NHL without a loss in regular for a second straight season, opening with a 6-0-1 mark through the first few weeks after starting 7-0-1 in 2007-08.
But the Wild couldn't overcome an early deficit in a 4-2 defeat at Dallas on Wednesday, then lost 2-1 at home to Montreal on Thursday.
While Minnesota struggled on special teams in its last game, it ranks among the league leaders in the NHL in converting 21.7 percent (10-for-46) of its chances with the man advantage. The Wild also boast the best penalty-killing unit in the league, stopping 30 of 32 power-play opportunities (93.8 percent).
They should continue to have success in those areas on Saturday versus a Coyotes squad that has capitalized on just 15.6 percent (5-for-32) of its man-advantage chances so far and allowed six power-play goals in 18 tries (33.3) over its last five games.
Minnesota has tallied seven power-play goals and has outscored Phoenix 21-8 in winning the teams' last seven matchups. It has also won nine of the last 10 meetings, sweeping the four-game series last season.
The Wild, who are opening a four-game road trip, have won three straight away matchups versus the Coyotes (4-4-0), who improved to 2-1-0 on their current four-game stretch at Jobing.com Arena with a 4-1 rout of visiting Pittsburgh on Thursday.
Ilya Bryzgalov made 27 saves, helping the Coyotes to their best start since opening 6-1-0 with a tie in 2000-01. He has a 3.01 goals-against average in splitting six starts this season, but has stopped 55 of 57 shots in winning both of his outings at home.
However, Bryzgalov has a 3.54 GAA in losing all four of his career starts versus the Wild.
Meanwhile, Minnesota's Josh Harding made 19 saves on Thursday in his first start of the season, but top goaltender Niklas Backstrom will likely be back in the net on Saturday.
Backstrom - 6-1-1 with a 2.29 GAA in eight overall starts - is 6-0-0 with a 1.17 GAA and two shutouts lifetime versus the Coyotes. He has allowed four goals on 106 shots in three contests in Phoenix.
Calgary at Los Angeles (122, 5.5)
Winning is starting to become a habit for the Calgary Flames, and they don't appear to be slowing their momentum anytime soon.
The Flames seek their sixth consecutive victory, while extending the Los Angeles Kings' slide to four games on Saturday in a matchup at Staples Center.
Calgary (6-3-1) struggled early as it opened the new season with a 1-3-1 mark that matched its start from 2005-06.
But it has since gone on to win five straight contests, capping that surge with a 3-2 victory over visiting Boston on Thursday. The latest triumph pulled Calgary into a tie for the Northwest Division lead with Minnesota, which visits Phoenix on Saturday.
Strong special-teams play has keyed the Flames' run as they have converted six of 23 power-play chances (26.1 percent) in that span to improve to 12-for-53 (22.6 percent) overall. They have also stopped 21 of 22 (95.5) of their opponents' man-advantage opportunities during that stretch.
Calgary now faces a Los Angeles squad that has allowed five power-play goals in 14 tries (35.7 percent) over its last three games after killing off all 27 penalties through its first six contests. It has gone 7-for-46 (15.2) with the man advantage.
Calgary continues to get strong goaltending from Miikka Kiprusoff, who made 29 saves on Thursday, and has a 1.40 goals-against average during this winning run after posting a 4.37 GAA over the first five games.
Kiprusoff is 5-1-0 with a 3.17 GAA in his last six games versus the Kings, falling only when he yielded all six goals in a 6-3 road loss on Feb. 15.
Jason LaBarbera made 14 saves Thursday and has a 3.01 GAA in nine starts thus far, but has gone 2-3-0 with a 3.19 GAA in six all-time games versus the Flames.
Los Angeles will play the third contest of its season-high seven-game stretch at Staples Center, but has lost four of seven home matchups versus Calgary since March 27, 2004. In that span, the Kings have dropped 10 of 14 overall to the Flames.