There are five games on the NHL schedule for Friday, with one nationally televised in the United States and two in Canada. Here are five things to watch today, along with the complete game schedule.
Rookie showcase
Zeev Buium and Matthew Schaefer, two of the top rookie defensemen in the League and candidates for the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year, go head to head when the Vancouver Canucks (13-17-3) face the New York Islanders (19-12-3) at UBS Arena (7 p.m. ET; MSGSN, NHLN, SN). Buium, 20, will be playing his third game for Vancouver since he was acquired from the Minnesota Wild in the blockbuster trade for defenseman Quinn Hughes on Dec. 12. He had a goal and assist in his first two games with the Canucks and has 16 points (four goals, 12 assists) in 33 games this season. Schaefer the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, has been outstanding in his first season with 23 points (nine goals, 14 assists) in 34 games, while averaging 23:48 of ice time. The 18-year-old has worked his way into the conversation for a spot with Team Canada for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.
Reach for the top
Nathan MacKinnon has company at the top of scoring race for the first time since Nov. 8, but he can break his tie with Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid when the Colorado Avalanche (24-2-7) host the Winnipeg Jets (15-16-2) at Ball Arena (9 p.m. ET; KTVD, ALT, TSN3, TVAS). The Avalanche forward has 58 points (28 goals, 30 assists) in 33 games and can stay on target to becoming the fourth player in NHL history with a point in all but two home games in a calendar year, joining Wayne Gretzky (1982, 1986, 1989), Mario Lemieux (1992) and Paul Kariya (1997). MacKinnon has 12 points (six goals, six assists) during a six-game point streak, and has been held without a point just five times this season. Colorado is first in the Central Division, four points ahead of the Dallas Stars (23-7-5), and can extend its winning streak to four games.
