NHL On Tap: Matthews tries to maintain torrid scoring pace for Maple Leafs

Welcome to the NHL On Tap. Three NHL.com writers will share what they are most looking forward to on the schedule each day. Today, their choices from the four games Monday.

Does Matthews have another trick up his sleeve?

Auston Matthews will try for his fourth hat trick of the season when the Toronto Maple Leafs host the Tampa Bay Lightning at Scotiabank Arena (7 p.m. ET; TVAS, SN, NHLN, BSSUN). More important for the Maple Leafs (5-4-2) will be getting a victory after losing their four previous games (0-2-2), but Matthews, who leads the NHL with 11 goals, is off to a historic start to the season.  The center scored his third hat trick of the season in Toronto’s 6-4 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday. That came in the Maple Leafs’ 11th game, which is the sixth fewest games to begin a season needed to score three hat tricks in NHL history and fewest since Odie Cleghorn had three hat tricks in the Montreal Canadiens’ first 10 games of 1921-22. It was also the 10th hat trick for Matthews in the NHL. Brayden Point scored his second NHL hat trick and Nikita Kucherov had his fourth five-point game (one goal, four assists) for the Lightning in their 6-4 win at the Ottawa Senators on Saturday. Tampa Bay (5-3-3), which is 3-1-1 in its past five games, will look to avenge a 4-3 overtime loss to Toronto on Oct. 21, when it let a 3-1 third period slip away. — Tom Gulitti, staff writer

Canucks finding their groove

I was looking back at season predictions from various outlets and the Vancouver Canucks were typically picked to finish in the middle or lower half in the Pacific Division. Obviously, it’s early in the season but the Canucks (8-2-1) are proving a lot of folks (including me) wrong. They’re second in the Pacific behind the Vegas Golden Knights and will try to extend their winning streak to four straight games when they visit the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Arena on Monday (10 p.m. ET; TVAS, SN). Vancouver leads the NHL in scoring (4.36 goals per game) and are second in goals allowed per game (2.00) behind the Boston Bruins (1.91). Elias Pettersson has 20 points (six goals, 14 assists), tied for the League lead with Jack Hughes of the New Jersey Devils (five goals, 15 assists). It’s all going well for the Canucks, but we can’t say the same for the Oilers. Expected to be among the best in the Pacific, Edmonton (2-7-1) is 1-5-1 in its past seven games and sits seventh in the division. Leon Draisaitl hasn’t scored a goal in seven straight games. Connor McDavid is without a goal in his past five. It’s been a surprise start for both teams. — Tracey Myers, staff writer

Bruins face another big test

The Boston Bruins (9-1-1) lost for the first time in regulation Saturday, a 5-4 defeat to the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesar’s Arena that ended their 10-game point streak to begin the season. It was inevitable, of course, but it’s also notable that losses have been few and far between since coach Jim Montgomery took over the Bruins at the start of last season. In Boston, Montgomery has seen just 13 regulation losses in 93 regular-season games. But It won’t get easier on Monday when the Bruins head to American Airlines Center to visit the Dallas Stars on Monday (8 p.m. ET; BSSWX, NESN). The Bruins are without top defenseman Charlie McAvoy, who is in the third game of his four-game suspension for an illegal check to the head against Oliver Ekman-Larsson of the Florida Panthers, and Matt Grzelcyk, who’s on long-term injured reserve with an upper-body injury. The Stars (7-2-1) are first in the Central Division but come off their second loss of the season Saturday, 2-0 to the Canucks, ending a run of three straight wins. — Amalie Benjamin, staff writer

Columbus Blue Jackets at Florida Panthers (7 p.m. ET; BSFL, BSOH)

The Blue Jackets (4-5-2) have lost five of six games (1-3-2), including a 2-1 loss to the Washington Capitals on Saturday in which forward Johnny Gaudreau was benched for the final 16:07 of the game. Rookie forward Dmitri Voronkov scored Columbus’ only goal Saturday and has a three-game point streak (two goals, one assist). Matthew Tkachuk got his 500th NHL point (194 goals, 306 assists) on Saturday against the Chicago Blackhawks with a goal, but the Panthers’ four-game point streak ended in a 5-2 loss. The Panthers (5-4-1) had been 3-0-1 in their previous four games.

Tampa Bay Lightning at Toronto Maple Leafs (7 p.m. ET; TVAS, SN, NHLN, BSSUN)

The Lightning are coming off their first road win of the season, having started 0-3-1 away from Amalie Arena this season. Tampa Bay has two more games on the road, against the Maple Leafs on Monday and the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday, before heading back home. Maple Leafs forward William Nylander has an 11-game season-opening point streak, which he extended Saturday with an assist against the Buffalo Sabres.

Boston Bruins at Dallas Stars (8 p.m. ET; BSSWX, NESN)

The Bruins were assessed 12 penalties Saturday against the Red Wings and allowed two power-play goals. They’d given up one power-play goal in their first 10 games and are second in the NHL on the penalty kill this season (93.6 percent). The only team better on the PK so far are the Stars (94.4 percent).

Edmonton Oilers at Vancouver Canucks (10 p.m. ET; TVAS, SN)

The Canucks can join the Golden Knights as the second team to score 50 goals (including shootout-deciding goals) in their first 12 games of the season. The Golden Knights have 53 goals in 13 games, including 50 in their first 12; the Canucks have 48 goals in 11 games. This last happened for multiple teams in 2005-06 when the Ottawa Senators had 58, the Philadelphia Flyers 56, the Colorado Avalanche 53, the Carolina Hurricanes 52 and Red Wings 51. The Oilers head back on the road after three games at Rogers Place, all losses, and their sole “home” win of the season, at the 2023 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic at Commonwealth Stadium. Their only win of the season inside an NHL arena came on the road, against the Nashville Predators in their season opener.