The Dallas Stars will return from a much needed five-day break Saturday when they host the Colorado Avalanche. The Stars have lost three of four while trying to keep pace in a tight Western Conference playoff picture that sees them in wild card position.

The Toronto Maple Leafs ride a season-high six-game winning streak into their Hockey Night in Canada showdown with the visiting New York Rangers on Saturday, but will be without Ilya Mikheyev. The 25-year-old Russian scored his eighth goal of the season Friday before sustaining what the club called a significant wrist laceration, and was hospitalized.

The Tampa Bay Lightning look to continue their success against Atlantic Division foes and build off one of their best efforts of the season when they host the surging Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night. The Lightning have been inconsistent through the first half of the season, but are 11-2-0 versus Atlantic Division opponents after rolling to a 6-1 victory Monday over Florida before the Christmas break.

The Florida Panthers were heading into the Christmas break with a head of steam, only to be cooled off in a lopsided drubbing at in-state rival Tampa Bay. The Panthers will look to get back on track after a four-day respite with a pair of home games against Atlantic Division rivals, beginning with Saturday night's matchup against the struggling Detroit Red Wings.

The surging Pittsburgh Penguins look to complete an impressive home-and-home sweep following the Christmas break when they host the Nashville Predators on Saturday night. The Penguins came out flying with three goals in the first period and never let up en route to a 5-2 victory at Nashville on Friday to improve to 8-2-0 over their last 10 games as they still await the return of captain Sidney Crosby from sports hernia surgery.

The NHL-best Washington Capitals try to make it two straight victories coming out of the Christmas break when they visit the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday. Washington remains the only team without back-to-back regulation losses this season after T.J. Oshie's overtime goal gave the Capitals a 2-1 win over Columbus on Friday.

Vancouver entered its holiday break on a high note by securing three consecutive victories over teams currently holding playoff positions - Vegas, Pittsburgh and Edmonton. The Canucks will look to keep it going Saturday when they finish off a five-game homestand against Los Angeles, which they’ve outscored 13-5 in two games this season.

First place in the Pacific Division is on the line when the Arizona Coyotes visit the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday. Vegas has allowed 17 goals in its last four games after Friday's 4-3 loss at Anaheim was its third during that span, leaving it tied with Arizona atop the crowded Pacific with fifth-place Vancouver four points off the pace.

The Philadelphia Flyers turn the page on a poor start to their season-high six-game road trip as they visit the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday. Philadelphia's four-game winning streak ended emphatically 6-1 against San Jose on Saturday in its first game after the Christmas break and it faces a quick turnaround down the California coast.

The surging Philadelphia Flyers attempt to match their best winning streak of the campaign at five when they begin a season-high six-game road trip on Saturday night against the struggling San Jose Sharks. The Flyers, who are 8-9-1 on the road as opposed to 13-2-4 at home, allowed seven goals while winning their last four outings - including a 5-1 victory over the New York Rangers on Monday before breaking for the holidays.