It's a new year and a new decade, but we can expect the same excitement on Saturday nights.
Hockey Night in Canada's first broadcast of 2020 takes place Jan. 4 with a full slate of games as the NHL charges full steam into another calendar year. Four of the seven Canadian clubs will be in action when Hockey Night in Canada kicks off on Saturday, starting at 7 p.m. ET.
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Who plays on Hockey Night in Canada tonight?
- New York Islanders vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
- Puck drop: 7 p.m. ET
The Leafs are a red-hot 8-1-1 over their last 10 games, good for the best record in the entire league over that stretch. Playing like a completely new team under Sheldon Keefe, Toronto will host a good Islanders team that may not be as hot in recent times but still boasts the third-best overall record in the Eastern Conference.
- Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Ottawa Senators
- Puck drop: 7 p.m. ET
Suddenly resurgent, the Lightning got off to a rocky start to the season but head into Saturday with a five-game winning streak and games in hand on nearly every team ahead of them. A match-up against the struggling Sens could help continue Tampa Bay's building run.
- Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Montreal Canadiens
- Puck drop: 7 p.m. ET
The Canadiens are slumping hard and now sit just three spots above last place in the East standings. Mired in a four-game losing skid, Montreal faces a Pittsburgh squad that had excelled despite dealing with numerous injuries.
- New York Rangers vs. Vancouver Canucks
- Puck drop: 10 p.m. ET
Boasting the longest current winning streak in the NHL (six games), the Canucks have really put things together in recent weeks and appear primed to make a real run to the top of the Western Division. Standing in the way of Vancouver's seventh-straight victory is a Rangers team that has won just four of their last 10 contests.
What channel is Hockey Night in Canada on?
- TV channel: CBC (NYI vs. TOR, NYR vs. VAN), SN1 (TBL vs. OTT) and SNE/CityTV (PIT vs. MTL)
CBC has been the home of Hockey Night in Canada since its television inception in 1952.
With Rogers Communications becoming the primary Canadian rightsholders for the NHL in 2014, CBC has been joined by Rogers-owned Sportsnet and CityTV as broadcast networks for HNIC games.
Longtime host Ron MacLean is joined by David Amber and play-by-play announcers Jim Hughson, Dave Randorf and Paul Romanuk.
Hockey Night in Canada schedule January 2020
| Jan. 4 | 7 p.m. | Tampa Bay vs. Ottawa |
| 7 p.m. | NY Islanders vs. Toronto | |
| 7 p.m. | Pittsburgh vs. Montreal | |
| 10 p.m. | NY Rangers vs. Vancouver | |
| Jan. 11 | 7 p.m. | Montreal vs. Ottawa |
| 10 p.m. | Edmonton vs. Calgary | |
| Jan. 18 | 7 p.m. | Chicago vs. Toronto |
| 7 p.m. | Vegas vs. Montreal | |
| 10 p.m. | San Jose vs. Vancouver |