Philadelphia at NY Islanders (141, 5.5)
Looking to avoid matching a season high with their fourth straight loss, the Flyers try to beat the Islanders for the sixth consecutive time on Tuesday afternoon at Nassau Coliseum.
Expectations are high for Philadelphia (4-6-3) after it finished with 95 points last season - a 39-point improvement from the previous year - and beat Washington and Montreal in the playoffs before losing to Pittsburgh.
The Flyers, though, struggled defensively during a season-opening 0-3-3 skid before appearing to right themselves with a four-game win streak. Three straight losses, however, have left them one point ahead of the league-worst Islanders (4-8-2).
Despite the return of center Daniel Briere, the Flyers were held to one goal for the second game in a row in Saturday's 2-1 loss to visiting Tampa Bay.
"It's odd when we're scoring goals in bunches and couldn't keep them out of our net, now we are keeping them out of our net and we are not scoring," Flyers coach John Stevens said. "It has to start from not giving up as much at our net. That is where this thing is going to turn around. I think we did that tonight and that is a step in the right direction."
Pittsburgh at Detroit (-185, 5.5)
Detroit's problem despite its hot start had been a shaky defense that gave up 37 goals in its first 11 games. The Red Wings, though, have given up three total in their last two wins.
Pittsburgh (8-4-2), on the other hand, had been having trouble scoring with Hossa no longer on Crosby's wing. Evgeni Malkin has 22 points but just four goals, and Petr Sykora, who had 28 goals last season, has only three.
But after scoring only 25 times in their first 11 games, the Penguins have started to pick it up offensively. They've scored 14 times during their three-game winning streak, and got two goals from Tyler Kennedy Saturday in a 4-3 shootout victory over the New York Islanders.
Malkin had an assist Saturday to extend his points streak to 10 games. Half of his 22 points have come on the power play, where he's often played on the blue line with defenseman Sergei Gonchar out for most of the season with a shoulder injury.
"I think with each game he's gotten better and better, especially back there on the power play," Crosby said. "That's not an easy position to play."
Ottawa at Montreal (-159, 5.5)
The Ottawa Senators appear to have rebounded from their struggles of the first few weeks of the season.
The Senators look to bounce back from their first regulation loss in two weeks when they visit the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night in the first meeting of the season between the Northeast Division rivals.
Ottawa (6-6-2) returns to the ice after falling 2-1 at Carolina on Friday, marking the first time in six contests the Senators failed to earn at least one point. Ottawa has allowed nine goals in regulation in going 4-1-1 since starting the season 2-5-1.
The Senators will be in for a challenge against Montreal (8-2-2), which is 4-1-0 at home.
"It's a good chance for us to judge ourselves as a team," forward Jason Spezza told the Senators' official Web site.
Toronto at Calgary (-135, 5.5)
It's been almost three years since the Toronto Maple Leafs took a road trip through Western Canada.
The Leafs look to build off their first victory in a week when they open the road stretch against the struggling Calgary Flames on Tuesday night.
Toronto (6-5-4) snapped a three-game losing streak with a 6-3 home victory over rival Montreal on Saturday and now heads out on a trip to Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. This is the Maple Leafs' first trip to Western Canada since going 1-2-0 versus the same clubs in January 2006.
Though Toronto won 5-4 in overtime over the Flames at home on Oct. 14, 2006, the Leafs have lost three in a row at Calgary, all decided by one goal, including two in overtime.
Toronto could end that road skid against the Flames (8-7-1), who have lost four of five since a six-game winning streak.
Dallas at Los Angeles (105, 5.5)
The emergence of the Los Angeles Kings' backup goaltender has the club looking to win three straight games for the first time this season on Tuesday when it hosts the struggling Dallas Stars.
Los Angeles (5-6-2) opened its season-high seven-game homestand 0-2-2, but has won its last two games thanks in part to unsung goaltender Erik Ersberg.
Jason LaBarbera was in goal for each of the Kings' first 10 games, but Ersberg's play is making it difficult for coach Terry Murray to take him out. He made his third consecutive start Saturday, and stopped 24 shots in the Kings' 5-3 victory over St. Louis.
Ersberg made 26 saves in a 1-0 overtime loss to Anaheim in his first start last Tuesday, and then stopped 13 shots in a 3-2 victory over Florida on Thursday. The Kings are 8-5-3 over the past two seasons in games started by Ersberg, who is 5-2-1 with a 2.22 goals-against average and two shutouts in eight starts at Staples Center.
Nashville at San Jose (-220, 5.5)
The San Jose Sharks have been unbeatable at home this season. They've looked that way to the Nashville Predators for years.
San Jose looks to match the second-longest season-opening home winning streak in NHL history Tuesday night when it faces Nashville, which has dropped the first three games of a six-game road trip.
The Sharks (13-3-0) own a league-high 26 points, due mostly to their remarkable start at home. San Jose is 9-0-0 at HP Pavilion, matching the league's third-best home win streak to open a season, and is the first team to win its first nine home games since the 1971-72 Chicago Blackhawks.
No team has opened with 10 consecutive home wins since the 1963-64 Blackhawks started a league-record 11-0-0 on home ice. The 1925-26 Ottawa Senators are the only other team to win its first 10 home games.
The Sharks are also riding a run of home success against Nashville, going 7-0-1 versus the Predators at HP Pavilion since the start of the 2003-04 season, including a pair of wins in 2007-08. The Sharks also took two meetings in Nashville last season for a sweep of the four-game series.