Matchups

The Boston Bruins have been a disaster on their home ice and the Minnesota Wild are struggling mightily to win on the road. One of those trends will come to an end - at least briefly - when the Bruins continue their season-high five-game homestand on Wednesday night against Minnesota.

The San Jose Sharks are perfect halfway through their six-game road trip and look to match their longest winning streak of the season when they visit the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night. The Sharks have kicked off the lengthy trek with three straight one-goal victories and look to win four in a row for the first time since opening the season with a four-game run.

Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin is an elite offensive player, but his leadership skills can also be special as the Penguins continue their four-game homestand versus Western Conference teams by hosting the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday. Malkin told reporters the team needs to “stop, look in the mirror and start working” after a 4-0 loss to New Jersey on Saturday and the Russian backed up his words with two goals and two assists in Pittsburgh's 4-3 victory over Minnesota on Thursday.

The top team in the Western Conference meets one of the best in the East when the Dallas Stars visit the Washington Capitals on Thursday. The Stars are tied for the most points in the league (30) after winning six of their last seven contests and Washington boasts points in 13 of its 17 games this season following a 2-1 overtime victory at Detroit on Wednesday.

The Montreal Canadiens are among the elite teams in the NHL, but can't afford to get off to another slow start Thursday against the Arizona Coyotes in the finale of a three-game homestand . “It’s definitely satisfying getting the win, but we know we have to play 60 minutes,'' captain Max Pacioretty, who has a team-high nine goals, told reporters after Montreal erased a three-goal deficit before prevailing 4-3 in overtime against Vancouver. "We didn’t (Monday).”

The Columbus Blue Jackets were winless in seven games to start the season when John Tortorella took over as coach and four weeks later, they are moving confidently in the other direction. The Blue Jackets go after their fourth straight victory and eighth in 13 under Tortorella when they visit the Ottawa Senators on Thursday.

The New York Rangers go after their 10th straight victory and a touch of revenge against the team that eliminated them in the playoffs last season when they visit the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday. The Rangers have outscored opponents 31-13 during their run while the defending Eastern Conference champion Lightning are struggling with goal scoring and injuries.

The Florida Panthers have reached the Stanley Cup playoffs once in the past 15 years, but are playing as if they want to rejoin the party as they host the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday in the second contest of their five-game homestand. Florida completed a home-and-home sweep of Tampa Bay with a 1-0 victory Tuesday and has won three of its last four games while hanging tough in the Atlantic Division, where five points separate the second- through eighth-place clubs.

The St. Louis Blues have hit a rough patch with three losses in four games but hope to get back on track when they host the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday night in the first of two meetings between the clubs in a five-day span. The Blues have dominated the Sabres since 2011, winning six consecutive meetings while allowing a total of five goals.