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The Vancouver Canucks head to Ball Arena on Wednesday night for an 8:30 p.m. ET matchup with the Colorado Avalanche, and this one sets up as a serious test for a Vancouver team that has already been eliminated and enters at 21-44-8. Colorado is 49-14-10, owns a 24-7-5 home record, and has already beaten the Canucks twice this season. It is also one of the biggest favorites on the board. Vancouver has dropped six straight, while Colorado comes in off a 9-2 blowout of Calgary and has won four of its last five. There is still something to play for here too: the Avalanche can clinch home-ice advantage in Round 1 with a win, while a Canucks loss would lock

Anaheim heads to SAP Center on Wednesday night for a 9 p.m. ET matchup against San Jose, and this one matters on both sides of the standings. The Ducks enter at 41-28-5 with 87 points and still sit on top of the Pacific Division, while the Sharks are 34-31-7 with 75 points and still pushing hard for a Western Conference wild-card spot. It is also a national TV game on TNT, truTV, and HBO Max, so the market is getting a little more attention than usual. Anaheim is trying to clean up its late-game play after blowing a third-period lead in a 5-4 overtime loss to Toronto, and it will have to do that without Cutter Gauthier, who is out

Atlanta heads to the Kia Center on Wednesday night for a 7:00 PM tip in a game that matters quite a bit inside the Southeast Division. The Hawks are 43-33 and sitting on top of the division, while the Magic are 40-35 and still trying to tighten their grip on postseason positioning after Tuesday’s 115-111 win over Phoenix. Atlanta has won two straight, Orlando has taken three of its last four, and the number says this should be one of the more interesting sides on the board with the Hawks laying 4.5 on the road and the total set at 233. (ESPN.com) There is a little more underneath that surface, though. Atlanta has already taken the first three meetings in

Sacramento closes this road trip at Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday night, with tipoff set for 8 p.m. ET on NBCS-CA and TSN. The Kings come in at 19-57 and dead last in the Western Conference, while Toronto sits at 42-33 and sixth in the East. Sacramento has dropped four straight, including losses to Orlando, Atlanta and Brooklyn, while the Raptors are back home after Tuesday’s 127-116 loss in Detroit. That makes the shape of this game pretty clear. Toronto still has seeding to protect, so motivation should not be an issue, but the spread is inflated enough that the schedule spot matters. The Raptors have been playing much better basketball lately, with Scottie Barnes driving the offense during wins over