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The San Jose Sharks head to Bridgestone Arena on Monday night for an 8:00 p.m. ET puck drop, and this one still has real playoff weight to it. San Jose enters at 37-34-8 and has very little room left in the Western wild-card race, while Nashville is 38-32-10 and sits one point behind Los Angeles for the final spot. That makes this game feel close to an elimination game for the Sharks, and close to a must-win for the Predators too. The recent form adds a little tension, but not in the same direction for both teams. San Jose has dropped three straight after opening April by winning three of four, while Nashville just beat Minnesota 2-1 on Saturday and

The Minnesota Wild head to Enterprise Center on Monday night for an 8:00 p.m. ET puck drop on ESPN+, and this one feels a little strange because only one side really has anything left to sort out emotionally. Minnesota is 45-23-12, already clinched a playoff berth earlier this month, and is essentially headed for a first-round series against Dallas. St. Louis is 34-33-12 and was eliminated from playoff contention on Saturday, so the Blues are now playing out the schedule at home. That does not make the game meaningless. The Wild still have enough form and enough offensive talent to want a cleaner tune-up heading into the postseason, while the Blues have at least shown some life lately with wins

The Buffalo Sabres head to United Center on Monday night for an 8:30 p.m. ET start on ESPN+, and this game still matters quite a bit for the visitors. Buffalo is 49-23-8, sits atop the Atlantic race on points, and needs just two more points to lock up home ice in the first round, with three more needed to secure the division outright. Chicago is 28-38-14, locked into another last-place finish in the Central, so the urgency gap is pretty clear coming in. The recent form points the same way. Buffalo has won five straight and already blasted Chicago 9-3 in the first meeting this season, while the Blackhawks are just 2-7-1 over their last 10 and have gone 13-18-8

The Colorado Avalanche head to Rogers Place on Monday night for a 9:30 p.m. ET start on ESPN+, and this is one of those late-season games where the standings only tell part of the story. Colorado is 52-16-11, has already clinched the Central Division and the top overall seed, and can afford to think big-picture now. Edmonton is 40-30-10 and still fighting through a packed Pacific race, sitting one point behind Vegas and tied on points with Anaheim. That makes the urgency angle pretty obvious, even if the roster health is not. There is also a strange push-pull to this matchup. The Avalanche are the better team, and that is not really debatable over an 82-game sample, but they are