New York Islanders only have a slim chance of securing a wildcard spot for the playoffs but will aim to keep their hopes alive by beating the Montreal Canadiens. The Canadiens, already out of postseason contention, have lost three on the spin while the Islanders are 15 points adrift of a playoffs place with nine games remaining.
Florida Panthers go hunting for a ninth straight victory which will cut Colorado Avalanche’s lead back down to two points at the top of the NHL standings. The Panthers also hold a six-point advantage in the Eastern Conference while the Jets are eight points out of a play-off spot and should be refreshed having not played since Monday.
Nashville Predators will target a second win in a row to solidify their position in the Western Conference wildcard spots. For Edmonton, they will look to turn things around immediately after their seven-game point streak came to an end in Minnesota.
Boston Bruins will hope to arrest a two-game slide as they bid to climb into the top three of the Atlantic Division and automatic qualification for the play-offs. Boston trail the Tampa Bay Lightning by one point with nine games to go while Ottawa have long since been eliminated and will look to build on Tuesday’s 4-1 win at Detroit Red Wings.
Calgary Flames will be seeking a sixth successive victory to maintain their healthy lead at the top of the Pacific Division when Vegas Golden Knights visit. The Flames (45-19-9) suffered a blow to their play-off hopes when losing in overtime to the Vancouver Canucks.
Vancouver Canucks know they cannot afford any slip-ups in their battle to secure a play-off place when they face the Arizona Coyotes. The Canucks (36-28-10) made it four wins on the bounce by beating Vegas Golden Knights in overtime on Tuesday while the Coyotes went down 6-2 to New Jersey Devils for a fourth successive loss.
Columbus Blue Jackets will be eliminated from the play-offs if they do not beat the Montreal Canadiens. The Blue Jackets are 18 points behind the Washington Capitals in the second wildcard place with just nine games remaining.
The Vancouver Canucks have just nine games to force their way into the playoff picture in the Pacific Division. They currently sit six points behind the Los Angeles Kings with time running out.
The Minnesota Wild will look to make their game in hand count as they look to solidify second place in the Central Division. The Edmonton Oilers had a six-game winning streak ended on Saturday by the league-leading Colorado Avalanche in a shootout and look to get back to winning ways in a vital Western Conference match-up.
The Toronto Maple Leafs will look to make it three wins in a row as the race in the Atlantic Division hots up. The season is over now for the Buffalo Sabres but they will look to arrest a slide that has seen them lose three games in a row.
Calgary Flames will look to make it five wins in a row against the already-eliminated Seattle Kraken. The Kraken have had a tough first season in the NHL but will hope to finish strongly as they aim to build their franchise.
With both teams already eliminated from the post-season with 10 games to go, this will have a focus on the future. Ottawa have suffered three successive defeats while the Red Wings have lost seven of their last nine, including back-to-back reverses to the Senators on April 1 and 3.
The Winnipeg Jets will be desperate to close in on the play-off qualification spots against an already-eliminated Montreal Canadiens. The Jets sit seven points behind the Dallas Stars for the second wildcard spot in the Western Conference and have just nine games remaining in the regular season.
Ottawa were unfortunate to come up against an inspired New York Rangers outfit last night but can find Winnipeg more conducive company. The Senators hammered the Jets 5-2 on the road last month and have had some decent results on home ice at Canadian Tire Centre of late.