Panthers go for seventh straight win; Blackhawks host Maple Leafs seeking first victory.

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Oilers can continue hot start

The Edmonton Oilers seek their sixth straight win when they host the Philadelphia Flyers (10 p.m. ET; TNT, SN360, SN1, TVAS, NHL LIVE). It would be the second-best start in Oilers history; they were 7-0-0 in 1983-84. That season, they won the Stanley Cup for the first of five times in seven seasons. Everything has been working for Edmonton, which is second in the NHL in goals per game (4.60), first on the power play (47.1 percent) and fifth on the penalty kill (88.2 percent). The Flyers play their first road game of the season and begin a three-game trip. They are tied for third in scoring with the Florida Panthers (4.50 goals per game), so we could be in line for a high-scoring affair. –– David Satriano, staff writer

Panthers look to keep rolling against Bruins

Everything has been clicking for the Florida Panthers during their six-game winning streak to start the season. They’re averaging 4.50 goals per game and are allowing 2.00 per game (third in the NHL). The power play is 4-for-15 (26.7 percent) in its past three games, and they’ve killed 13 of the past 14 opposing power plays. Depth scoring? Florida has that as well, with 12 players scoring at least one goal. And the Panthers have wins against four teams that reached the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season. They will try to keep it going at home against the Boston Bruins on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET; NHLN, TVAS, BSFL, NESN, NHL LIVE). The Bruins have won two straight games, with goalie Linus Ullmark allowing four goals on 62 shots. Boston also is getting some nice depth contributions, especially from forwards Taylor Hall (two goals, one assist) and Charlie Coyle (one goal, two assists), each of whom has scored three points in four games. — Adam Kimelman, deputy managing editor

Maple Leafs, Blackhawks look for course correction

Neither the Toronto Maple Leafs (2-4-1) nor Chicago Blackhawks (0-5-1) envisioned such a poor start to the season, and the winner of their game at the United Center on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. ET; SN1, NBCSCH, ESPN+, NHL LIVE) will be hoping it’s a springboard to better days ahead. The Maple Leafs have lost four in a row (0-3-1), average 1.86 goals per game (29th in the NHL), and at minus-10 have the second-worst goal differential in the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference (Montreal Canadiens, minus-14). The Blackhawks have not held a lead in any of their six games, and have allowed 27 goals in six games, an average of 4.50 per game (31st). — Tim Campbell, staff writer

Wednesday schedule

Boston Bruins at Florida Panthers (7 p.m. ET; NHLN, TVAS, BSFL, NESN, NHL LIVE)

The Panthers can become the 14th team in NHL history to start a season 7-0-0 and the first since the Montreal Canadiens were 9-0-0 in 2015-16. Florida defenseman Aaron Ekblad is expected to play his 500th NHL game. Boston forward Taylor Hall is one point from 600 in the NHL. Forwards Brad Marchand (seven points; four goals, three assists) and David Pastrnak (five points; two goals, three assists) each has a four-game point streak for the Bruins.

Detroit Red Wings at Washington Capitals (7 p.m. ET; NBCSWA+, BSDET, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)

The Capitals have earned at least one point in each of their first six games this season (4-0-2) and are allowing 27.5 shots against per game, second fewest in the NHL (New Jersey Devils, 27.4). Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond, the No. 4 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, leads all rookies with seven points (four goals, three assists) in six games and is second on Detroit in goals, behind Tyler Bertuzzi, who has scored six.

Toronto Maple Leafs at Chicago Blackhawks (7:30 p.m. ET; SN1, NBCSCH, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)

Auston Matthews, the Rocket Richard Trophy winner last season after he led the NHL with 41 goals, has scored one goal in four games this season. Toronto’s power play has struggled at 13.6 percent (3-for-22), which is tied for 25th in the NHL. The Blackhawks’ special teams have been sharp, at 26.1 percent on the power play (6-for-23) and 90.9 percent on the penalty kill (20-for-22), but they have struggled at 5-on-5, outscored 22-7 in six games.

Vegas Golden Knights at Dallas Stars (8:30 p.m. ET; BSSW, ATTSN-RM, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)

The Golden Knights (2-4-0) got 26 saves from Robin Lehner and ended a four-game losing streak with a 3-1 win at the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday. Vegas has not scored a power-play goal this season (0-for-14). The Stars (3-3-0) lost 4-1 to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday. Each of their three wins has come in overtime or a shootout. It’s the first game between the teams since the Stars eliminated the Golden Knights in five games in the best-of-7 Western Conference Final in 2020.

Philadelphia Flyers at Edmonton Oilers (10 p.m. ET; TNT, SN360, SN1, TVAS, NHL LIVE) 

Oilers center Connor McDavid has scored multiple points in each of his five games this season and leads the NHL with 13 points (six goals, seven assists). Flyers forwards Cam Atkinson (five points; four goals, one assist) and Claude Giroux (four points; three goals, one assist) each has a four-game point streak.

Sharks go for fifth straight win; Kahkonen could start for Wild

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Islanders, Golden Knights getting tested early

A season-opening 13-game road trip is a test of character for any team and the New York Islanders are no exception. A popular pick to win the Stanley Cup, the Islanders are 2-2-1 on the longest trip in their history that started on the East Coast, went to the Midwest and continues west with the second of a back to back against the Vegas Golden Knights (10 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN1, ATTSN-RM, MSG+, NHL LIVE) following a 3-0 win against Arizona Coyotes on Saturday. A Golden Knights win would be their 175th (174-97-24) since joining the NHL in 2017-18, a milestone that’s been elusive thanks to a three-game losing streak since defeating the Seattle Kraken 4-3 in their season opener. Like the Islanders, the Golden Knights are considered a top Cup contender but they are without injured forwards Max Pacioretty (lower body) and Mark Stone (lower body), and defensemen Alec Martinez (upper body) and Zach Whitecloud (upper body). Though elite teams usually find their way back after a slow start, there is the chance the Islanders and/or Golden Knights may buckle under the burden of great expectations and extenuating circumstamnces. You can’t clinch a Stanley Cup Playoff berth early in the season, but you can lose one. — Jon Lane, staff writer

Sharks going for fifth straight win

The San Jose Sharks have started the season on a four-game winning streak and are one of the biggest surprises in the NHL so far this season. They missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs by 14 points last season when they finished with 49, more than five teams in the NHL. And then they started training camp with the controversy surrounding forward Evander Kane, their leading scorer last season (49 points; 22 goals, 27 assists), and his eventual 21-game suspension for violating NHL COVID-19 protocol. The Sharks have won three of their four games on the road, the past three in Canada. The question is how long can they keep it going? The Boston Bruins ruined the Buffalo Sabres unbeaten start by handing them their first loss in four games, 4-1 on Friday. It was a big win considering they lost 6-3 at the Philadelphia Flyers two nights earlier. As far as early season games go it’s hard to call this massive for either team because they’re not in the same conference. But in a way it’s a measuring stick for each. The Sharks will try to win their fifth straight in a tough environment against an experienced, quality opponent. The Bruins will try to build a winning streak against an opponent that comes into TD Garden in Boston (1 p.m. ET; SN1, NESN, NBCSCA, ESPN+, NHL LIVE) with confidence and a strong belief that they’re better than anyone expected. — Dan Rosen, senior writer

Wild bid to continue early streak

The Minnesota Wild (4-0-0) will look to continue their winning ways when they complete a three-game homestand against the Nashville Predators (1-4-0) at Xcel Energy Center (6 p.m. ET; BSN, BSWI, BSSO, ESPN+, NHL LIVE). Minnesota has won each of its first four games by one goal. The past two have come in overtime, 6-5 against the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday and 4-3 against the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday. Joel Eriksson Ek has a team-leading three goals; Marcus Foligno, Mats Zuccarello and Ryan Hartman each have scored two. Goalie Cam Talbot (2.68 goals-against average, .904 save percentage) has started each of the first four games, but Kaapo Kahkonen could start the second of a back to back. — Tim Campbell, staff writer

Sunday schedule

San Jose Sharks at Boston Bruins (1 p.m. ET; SN1, NESN, NBCSCA, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)

The Sharks’ four-game winning streak to start this season is their longest since going 6-0-0 to begin 2013-14 and 7-0-0 in 2012-13. Forwards Logan Couture (seven points; three goals, four assists) and Timo Meier (seven points; two goals, five assists), and defenseman Erik Karlsson (six points; two goals, four assists), each have season-opening point streaks, the first time San Jose has had multiple players with points in at least four games to open a season since Patrick Marleau (eight), Couture (six) and Marc-Edouard Vlasic (four) in 2013-14. The Bruins are getting their usual production from “The Perfection Line” with David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron combining for nine points (four goals, five assists) in three games. 

Nashville Predators at Minnesota Wild (6 p.m. ET; BSN, BSWI, BSSO, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)

The Predators are 4-for-15 on the power play to start the season, 2-for-4 in their 6-4 loss to the Jets on Saturday. The Wild are 23-5-2 at home since the start of the 2020-21 season.

Detroit Red Wings at Chicago Blackhawks (7 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN1, NBCSCH, NHL LIVE)

Blackhawks goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, the reigning Vezina Trophy winner voted as the best goalie in the NHL, has allowed 12 goals in three starts. The Red Wings started a stretch of seven of eight games on the road with a 6-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday and have scored 14 goals in their first five games this season.

New York Islanders at Vegas Golden Knights: (10 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN1, ATTSN-RM, MSG+, NHL LIVE)

Islanders defenseman Zdeno Chara played his 1,613th game Saturday to pass Ray Bourque for fourth in NHL history at the position. Golden Knights forward Jonathan Marchessault is four points from 300 in the NHL.