The Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins are each sitting in third place in their respective divisions but both are very much in the hunt for first place. The two-time reigning Stanley Cup champion Penguins will be looking to avoid dropping three games in a row for the first time in 2 1/2 months when they visit the Bruins on Thursday night.

The Philadelphia Flyers ascended into first place in the Metropolitan Division on the strength of a six-game win streak and 12-game point stretch (10-0-2), only to fall back into second place following a day off. The white-hot Flyers aim to regain the top spot at the expense of a division rival on Thursday when they host the reeling Carolina Hurricanes, who have dropped six in a row (0-4-2).

With their hopes of finishing in the top three in the Atlantic Division long gone, the Florida Panthers became somewhat of a forgotten entity in the Eastern Conference playoff picture. Yet the Panthers remain well within striking distance of the eighth postseason slot as they resume a six-game homestand against the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night.

Ben Bishop looks to match his performance from last game when the Dallas Stars try to string two wins together for the first time in almost three weeks Thursday night against the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning. Bishop turned aside all 38 shots for a critical 2-0 victory over Calgary on Tuesday to maintain one of the two wild-card spots in the Western Conference, despite a 3-4 record over the last seven games.

The Nashville Predators can do no wrong of late with wins in five straight games to bolster their lead atop the Central Division while matching upstart Vegas with the most points in the Western Conference. The surging Predators look to continue their good fortune on Thursday as they visit Edmonton bidding for their 12th consecutive victory over the Oilers.

The Minnesota Wild are surging up the Central Division standings, ripping off five consecutive wins and earning points in 10 of their last 11 games (8-1-2). One of the losses in that stretch was an overtime setback against league-worst Arizona on Feb. 8, a defeat the Wild will attempt to avenge when they visit the Coyotes on Thursday night.

Evander Kane was quick to note the importance of the games being played by his new team far outweigh those being contested by his former one. After notching a pair of assists in his debut with San Jose, a determined Kane hopes to help the Sharks avenge a loss last week to the Chicago Blackhawks when the Western Conference foes meet at SAP Center on Thursday.

After sweeping a home-and-home series against the division leader, the Los Angeles Kings hope to move up another spot in the Pacific when they host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday. Los Angeles defeated first-place Vegas on consecutive nights to climb into third place in the division and are two points behind San Jose for second.