Preview Roundups
March 12, 2015
Tampa Bay at Boston 7:00 PM ET
The Boston Bruins revived their season with points in seven of the last eight games (6-1-1) and look to continue to their mastery against the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday. The Bruins, who lead Florida by six points for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, attempt to extend their win streak to 10 against Tampa Bay in the first of three meetings in the span of a month. The Lightning won their last four contests, capped by Tuesday’s 1-0 overtime triumph at Montreal.
Edmonton at Pittsburgh 7:00 PM ET
The Pittsburgh Penguins struggled with the offense during their four-game road trip, but the team may be ready to flex its muscle when it hosts the defensively challenged Edmonton Oilers on Thursday. Pittsburgh mustered just eight goals and failed to convert on all 12 power-play opportunities during the trek, but managed to skate away with a 2-1-1 mark.
Dallas at Carolina 7:00 PM ET
Defenseman Alex Goligoski and Cody Eakin each had a goal and an assist as visiting Dallas kept its playoff hopes alive with its fourth victory in five games.
Dallas at Carolina 7:00 PM ET
The Dallas Stars face a daunting task to make the playoffs, sitting eight points back of the second wild card in the Western Conference with a glut of teams in front of them. Winners of three of four, the Stars continue their five-game road trip with a visit to the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday.
Ottawa at Montreal 7:30 PM ET
The Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators are far apart in the Eastern Conference standings, but it would be hard to tell which team is better by looking at their past two meetings. The Senators look to defeat the Canadiens for the third straight time Thursday night as the Atlantic Division rivals square off at the Bell Centre. Montreal is among the conference leaders but has a pair of convincing losses on its ledger courtesy of the Senators, who look to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Columbus at Detroit 7:30 PM ET
Detroit Red Wings netminder Jimmy Howard has yet to yield a goal in two meetings against Columbus this season and looks to continue his dominance of the Blue Jackets when the teams meet at Joe Louis Arena on Thursday. Playing in his 300th career game, Howard turned aside all 28 shots he faced in Detroit's 5-0 victory over Columbus on Nov. 18 before making 29 saves in a 1-0 shootout loss on Dec. 16.
Winnipeg at Florida 7:30 PM ET
The Florida Panthers are trying to stay in playoff contention in the Eastern Conference but will be without their top two goaltenders for a third straight game when they host the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday. The Panthers, who are six points back of Boston for the eighth playoff slot, were hoping Roberto Luongo would be able to return but the veteran netminder remains sidelined with a shoulder injury. Florida has lost four of five to Winnipeg, including an 8-2 drubbing on Jan. 13.
Philadelphia at St. Louis 8:00 PM ET
Ken Hitchcock attempts to become the fourth coach in NHL history to record 700 career wins when his St. Louis Blues host the skidding Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday. Hitchcock is on the cusp of joining Scotty Bowman (1,244), Al Arbour (782) and Joel Quenneville (745) as the only coaches to reach the 700-win plateau after seeing St. Louis improve to 4-1-1 in the last six with a 5-4 victory over Winnipeg on Tuesday.
New Jersey at Colorado 9:00 PM ET
The odds are stacked against the Colorado Avalanche in their pursuit of the final playoff slot in the Western Conference - and that's with a healthy Semyon Varlamov. The status of the Avalanche's starting goaltender is in question as they prepare to host the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night. Varlamov, who had a string of 22 consecutive starts halted Tuesday by a groin injury that forced him to miss Wednesday's practice, will test out the injury in Thursday's morning skate.
Los Angeles at Vancouver 10:00 PM ET
If the Vancouver Canucks hope to fend off hard-charging Los Angeles in the Pacific Division race, they'll need to find a way to end the Kings' recent dominance over them. The Canucks seek their third straight victory - and a little breathing room, as well - when they entertain Los Angeles at Rogers Arena on Thursday night. The Canucks own a slim three-point lead over the Kings in the Pacific, but are coming off back-to-back wins over San Jose and Anaheim.
Chicago at Arizona 10:00 PM ET
It was no surprise to Antoine Vermette when he was moved prior to the trade deadline and the 32-year-old center will get a chance to say goodbye to his fans in Arizona as the Chicago Blackhawks visit the Coyotes on Thursday. "You get the sense how things were going, and every day was leaning more and more toward that," Vermette told reporters about the build-up to the Feb. 28 trade. "So, I wasn't naive about the process.''
Nashville at San Jose 10:30 PM ET
The Nashville Predators snapped a frustrating six-game losing streak last time out and look to continue turning their ship around when they visit the San Jose Sharks on Thursday. The Predators have lost a lot of their cushion in the Central Division, but own a two-point lead on St. Louis after James Neal’s overtime goal beat Arizona 2-1 on Monday. The Sharks have won three of the last four to remain in the hunt for a playoff spot, including a 2-1 shootout triumph over Pittsburgh on Monday.