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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

The Los Angeles Kings head to Climate Pledge Arena on Monday night for a 9:30 p.m. ET start on ESPN, and this one still carries real weight for the visitors. Los Angeles is 34-26-19 and sitting in the second wild-card spot in the West, just one point clear of Nashville and four back of Vegas with a game in hand. Seattle is 34-34-11, already eliminated, but still coming off a 4-1 win over Calgary and not exactly playing out the string quietly. The Kings have won four straight, including a 1-0 road win over Edmonton on Saturday, and they have been one of the league’s steadier road teams at 19-9-10. Seattle is 19-16-5 at home, so this is not a