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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

Carolina heads to United Center on Thursday night with the Metropolitan Division already locked up, but the work is not finished. The Hurricanes are 50-22-6, they still have a shot at the No. 1 seed in the East, and this four-game road trip is really about holding that edge all the way into the postseason. Chicago, at 28-36-14, is out of the race, though it has already shown it can be annoying in spoiler spots and did beat Carolina in a shootout back on January 22. The scheduling spot matters here. Carolina has won four of five and just came off a wild 6-5 overtime win against Boston that clinched the division, while Chicago has dropped six of seven and

This one looks like a playoff preview, and maybe it is. Minnesota comes into Dallas at 45-21-12 riding a four-game winning streak, while the Stars sit at 46-20-12 and are trying to hold off the Wild in the Central Division race. Puck drop is set for 9:00 p.m. ET at American Airlines Center on ESPN+, and with both teams already in the postseason mix, this game still matters for seeding, home ice, and a little bit of tone-setting before the bracket locks in. The Wild have looked sharper over the last week. They beat Seattle 5-2 on Tuesday, and before that they handled Ottawa, Vancouver, and Detroit during this run. Dallas is winning too, but it is doing it a