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This is one of the better games on Thursday’s NHL board, and maybe one of the trickier ones too. Tampa Bay comes into Bell Centre at 48-24-6, while Montreal sits at 46-22-10, with both teams still tangled in the Atlantic race near the top of the Eastern Conference. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+, and this has the feel of a playoff-caliber game even before the postseason gets here. The form is good on both sides, just in different ways. Montreal has won nine of its last 10 and is coming off a comeback shootout win over Florida, while Tampa Bay has still gone 7-3 over its last 10 despite getting drilled 6-2 by Ottawa in

The Philadelphia Flyers head to Little Caesars Arena on Thursday night in a game that still matters quite a bit in the Eastern playoff race. Philadelphia is 40-26-12 and holding third place in the Metropolitan Division, while Detroit is 40-29-9 and trying to keep its wild-card hopes alive after a painful 4-3 shootout loss to Columbus on Tuesday. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. ET. These teams just saw each other a week ago, when Detroit beat Philadelphia 4-2 on April 2, but the momentum has shifted a bit since then. The Flyers have won three straight, including a 5-1 win over New Jersey and a 2-1 overtime win over Boston, while Detroit has dropped two in a row

The Columbus Blue Jackets head to KeyBank Center on Thursday night in a game that still carries real pressure for both sides, even if the pressure is a little different. Columbus is 39-27-12 and still chasing the final playoff spots in both the Metropolitan Division and the Eastern wild-card race, while Buffalo is 48-23-8 and now sits alone in first place in the Atlantic. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+, and the scheduling spot matters because the Sabres are coming off a road win over the Rangers on Wednesday night. Columbus at least arrives with some life again after a 4-3 shootout win in Detroit snapped a six-game skid. Zach Werenski carried a huge load in

The Winnipeg Jets and St. Louis Blues meet Thursday night at Enterprise Center in a game that feels bigger than the records alone suggest. Winnipeg comes in at 34-31-12, St. Louis at 33-32-12, and both teams are still trying to hang around the Western wild-card picture with very little margin left. Puck drop is set for 8:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+, and with each club sitting on the edge of irrelevance, this is about as close to a must-win as an April regular-season game gets. The Jets look like the slightly hotter side coming in. They just beat Seattle 6-2 on Monday and have gone 6-2-0 over their last eight games, while the Blues are coming off a 3-1 home