NY Islanders at NY Rangers (-300, 5.5)
The New York Islanders have struggled to win games this season, but that's not been the case when playing at Madison Square Garden.
After snapping a six-game losing streak, the Islanders look for a third straight victory over the rival New York Rangers at the Manhattan arena on Tuesday night.
The Islanders (3-7-1) won 4-3 in overtime at home over Columbus on Monday for its first victory since a 4-3 overtime win at Tampa Bay on Oct. 16.
"We're gaining experience as we go along,'' Islanders forward Bill Guerin said. "(Monday) was a good sign because we got two points.''
Now, they'll make the 30-mile trip to face the Rangers for the second time in nine days. The Rangers won 4-2 on Long Island on Oct. 27 in the teams first meeting of the season to improve to 4-0-2 overall since last losing to the Islanders in regulation last November. The Islanders, though, are 7-1-1 at MSG since losing six of seven there and have won their last two via shootout.
Carolina at Toronto (-120, 5.5)
A game against the Maple Leafs seemed to get the Carolina Hurricanes' struggling offense back on track. The Hurricanes hope to get another strong offensive effort when the teams meet again in Toronto.
Carolina looks to win consecutive games for the first time in nearly four weeks and sweep a home-and-home series over the Maple Leafs Tuesday at the Air Canada Centre.
The Hurricanes (6-3-2) entered Sunday's game against Toronto (5-4-3) with just four goals in their previous three contests, but erupted for three scores in a span of less than 4 minutes during the second period. Carolina scored four goals overall in the second, turning a 3-1 deficit into an eventual 6-4 victory.
"Once we got (the first goal), it didn't seem like we were going to stop until the game was ours,'' said Hurricanes left wing Chad LaRose, who had a goal and an assist.
Tuomo Ruutu, Dwight Helminen, Ray Whitney and Eric Staal also each had a goal and an assist for Carolina, which matched its highest scoring game of 2008-09 - a 6-4 victory over Florida in the Oct. 10 season opener. The Hurricanes opened the season with back-to-back wins, but haven't won two in a row since.
Washington at Ottawa (no line)
Ovechkin returns to the Caps lineup Tuesday after missing two games as his team tries to win its fifth straight over the Ottawa Senators.
Ovechkin, the NHL's reigning MVP who led the league in scoring last season, left the Capitals (5-4-1) return to Russia to be with his grandfather, who helped raise him. He missed two games - a shootout win over Nashville and a 5-0 loss to Buffalo on Saturday - snapping his 2 1/2-season consecutive games streak.
"When you have somebody for 203 straight games, and then you miss somebody of his stature, when he comes back it's like your big brother's back," coach Bruce Boudreau said. "You're happy to see him. And you're happy to see him smiling again."
Ovechkin, who has two goals and three assists in eight games, felt the family situation weighed on him during the first weeks of the season. Being away "helped me a lot," Ovechkin said.
Facing the Senators (4-5-2) might also help Ovechkin get back into a rhythm, as he has a nine-game point streak against them. He's recorded 10 goals and nine assists in 12 career games against Ottawa, and had six goals and four assists last season as Washington swept the four-game series with the Senators.
Phoenix at Calgary (-162, 5.5)
The Flames aim to bounce back from their first defeat in more than two weeks with a fifth consecutive victory over the visiting Phoenix Coyotes on Tuesday.
Calgary (7-4-1) opened 2008-09 with a 1-3-1 mark, then rebounded by reeling off six straight wins.
The Flames, though, were unable to pick up their seventh in a row - a feat they haven't accomplished since an eight-game run from Nov. 1-16, 2005 - as they fell behind early in a 3-2 loss at Anaheim on Sunday night. It was their fourth one-goal defeat of the season.
"The intensity level wasn't high enough for a team as good as the team we were playing (Sunday night)," Flames coach Mike Keenan said.
Todd Bertuzzi scored on a power play in the third period, while captain Jarome Iginla provided two assists, but Calgary couldn't recover after allowing the game's first three goals.
"It's tough to see our streak end, but we've got to be sharper off the start," said Iginla, who has five goals and six assists in his last seven games and leads Calgary with 14 points. "I thought we made a game of it, but we wanted to win. We'll get back to it next game."
Facing the Coyotes (4-5-0) may help Iginla and the Flames return to the win column. They have beaten Phoenix four straight times, and are 15-3-1 in the series since Feb. 23, 2003.
Calgary won the final three matchups of last season's four-game series, and posted a 4-1 victory in Phoenix on Oct. 25.
Nashville at Vancouver (-143, 5.5)
Spotless penalty killing at home had been a bright spot for an otherwise porous Vancouver Canucks defense.
However, the Canucks have now proven to be vulnerable even at GM Place, and they won't catch a break Tuesday night when they face Martin Erat and the surging Nashville Predators.
Vancouver (6-6-0) has given up 3.2 goals per game, but it had been playing well defensively at home. The Canucks allowed four goals in three games at GM Place before a 3-2 loss to Detroit on Sunday night.
Much of the defensive success on home ice was due to the Canucks' stellar penalty killing, as they thwarted all 12 power-play opportunities in their first three games in Vancouver. The Red Wings, though, went 3-for-5 with the man advantage.
"It's a huge part of our team and our game, and we've got to make sure we're pinpoint on that," Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo said.
Luongo is off to a mediocre start, posting a 2.99 goals-against average. He'll likely be back in net as the Canucks try to slow down Erat and the Predators (6-4-1).
Anaheim at Los Angeles (139, 5.5)
Through the first few weeks of the season, the Anaheim Ducks struggled to find the win column and forwards Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Teemu Selanne had trouble cracking the scoresheet.
It's probably not a coincidence the team is surging with the trio establishing itself offensively.
The Ducks and their scoring leaders look to keep their momentum going on Tuesday against the Pacific Division rival Los Angeles Kings.
Anaheim (7-5-1) started the season with four straight losses and five in its first six games.
During that stretch, Getzlaf and Perry - who paced the Ducks with 82 and 54 points, respectively, last season - were held to one assist apiece. Selanne, meanwhile, managed just one goal in his first seven games after totaling 12 goals and 23 points in 26 regular-season contests in 2007-08.
However, Anaheim has since gone 6-0-1. Getzlaf, Perry and Selanne have combined for 14 goals and 38 points in those seven games.
The group collectively earned the NHL's first star of the week, marking the first time any combination of teammates has received the honor since the award's inception in 1981-82, according to the Ducks' official Web site.
Minnesota at San Jose (-182, 5)
The Western Conference-leading Sharks look to remain perfect at home and defeat the Wild for the eighth consecutive time when the teams meet Tuesday night.
San Jose (10-2-0), which has won four straight overall, has scored nine goals in its last two games after being held to three or fewer in each of its previous three contests.
This matchup opens a three-game homestand for San Jose, which has averaged 3.8 goals while winning all six of its games at HP Pavilion this season.
The Sharks, though, have won seven straight against Minnesota (7-2-1) mostly due to dominant defense, outscoring the Wild 20-10 in regulation. They haven't lost to the Wild since a 4-1 defeat at home on Oct. 21, 2006.
Minnesota is tied with Calgary atop the Northwest Division, but faces a tall order against a San Jose team coming off one of its best offensive efforts of the season. The Sharks got two goals each from Devin Setoguchi and Milan Michalek in a 5-3 victory at Colorado on Sunday night.