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The Florida Panthers head to Canadian Tire Centre on Thursday night looking more dangerous than their record suggests, but still badly shorthanded and still trying to stop a slide. Florida is 37-37-4 and has dropped six of its last eight, while Ottawa is 41-27-10 and sitting in a much better late-season position after a 6-2 win over Tampa Bay on Tuesday. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+, and this one matters more to the Senators because they are still protecting their playoff spot in the East. There is also some real recent history here. Florida blasted Ottawa 6-3 on March 31 and leads the season series 3-0, so this is not some simple favorite-versus-underdog setup where

The Pittsburgh Penguins head to Prudential Center on Thursday night with a chance to lock up a playoff berth, and that gives this game a little more weight than a standard April matchup. Pittsburgh is 40-22-16 and sitting second in the Metropolitan Division, while New Jersey is 40-35-3 and already on the wrong side of the playoff line. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+, and the urgency is much clearer on the Pittsburgh side. The recent form points that way too. The Penguins have won four of their last five and just beat Florida 5-2 after dropping nine on the Panthers the night before. New Jersey, meanwhile, is coming off a 5-1 loss to Philadelphia that

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