The New York Rangers return to Madison Square Garden to host the Los Angeles Kings with a chance to move within one game of matching the longest season-opening home winning streak in franchise history. The Rangers enter the contest with a 7-5-1 record, having swept their first six games on home ice this season. That formidable home form mirrors their historic 1990-91 campaign when they opened with eight straight victories at Madison Square Garden. New York’s success in front of their home fans has proven vital given their struggles on the road, where they sit at 1-5-1 and are currently mired in a five-game slide featuring four regulation losses and one overtime defeat. James Reimer is slated to start in goal for the Rangers following his signing of a one-year contract. Meanwhile, the Kings arrive at 2-5-2, continuing a five-game road trip where they have so far compiled a 2-1-0 mark.
The matchup also brings a notable return to Manhattan for Kings coach Peter Laviolette, who stands on the verge of tying Ken Hitchcock for sixth place on the NHL all-time coaching wins list with his 849th career victory. The game marks Laviolette’s first appearance at Madison Square Garden since his dismissal by the Rangers following the 2024-25 season. During his two-year tenure in New York, Laviolette posted a 94-59-11 record and guided the club to the 2024 Eastern Conference Final. The contest also features forward Artemi Panarin making his second visit to Madison Square Garden since the Rangers traded him to Los Angeles on February 4. Panarin previously recorded an assist for the Kings in a 4-1 victory over his former team on March 16.
Out west, the Edmonton Oilers prepare to host the Detroit Red Wings with multiple individual milestones hanging in the balance. Edmonton forward Leon Draisaitl enters the game aiming to extend his multi-goal game streak to four consecutive contests. Draisaitl currently carries a six-game goal streak overall totaling nine tallies, placing him second in the NHL with 12 goals this season after scoring twice in each of his past three outings. Should he find the net multiple times against Detroit, he would match Wayne Gretzky’s performance from the 1984-85 season for the second-longest multi-goal streak in Oilers franchise history, trailing only Connor McDavid’s five-game run from the 2022-23 season.
McDavid himself looks to prolong his remarkable season-opening point streak to 12 games. The Edmonton captain leads the NHL with 33 points, comprising eight goals and 25 assists through his first 11 appearances. The Oilers hold an 8-2-1 record overall and have claimed victories in two of the first three legs of a five-game homestand. The Detroit Red Wings arrive in Edmonton to conclude a four-game road trip where they currently stand at 1-1-1. Detroit comes in looking to rebound after their six-game point streak, which spanned three wins and three overtime losses, was snapped by a 4-1 defeat at the hands of the Calgary Flames.
