Boy, I wish there was at least one game with some kind of panache. I mean, really, what a boring slate of -- oh yeah. Washington vs. Pittsburgh is tonight. I guess that game, you know, has a tiny bit of relevance ... right? Maybe. Today’s Best
Pittsburgh Penguins (42-25-6, 90 pts) at Washington Capitals (48-14-10, 106 pts) 7:00 PM ET
The Penguins have a lot more to play for in this one being that New Jersey is now in first place in the Atlantic. Still, something tells me the Capitals will have plenty of motivation too. Some might say that the Caps are playing to see which round the Penguins will play against them, but Pittsburgh is struggling right now. A lower seed might make it difficult for Pittsburgh to meet Washington halfway.
Los Angeles Kings (42-24-5, 89 pts) at Colorado Avalanche (40-25-7, 87 pts) 9:00 PM ET
The Colorado Avalanche cannot afford to slip much further because the Calgary Flames are only 4 points behind them for a playoff spot. Considering their 3 game losing streak, I’d be a little concerned if I were Joe Sacco and Co. For the Kings, it’s all about maintaining their superior position over the pesky Nashville Predators.
The Rest
New York Islanders (29-33-10, 68 pts) at New York Rangers (31-32-9, 71 pts) 7:00 PM ET Want more evidence that the East is an inferior division compared to the West? Thanks to a 3 game losing streak, the playoff-hopeful Rangers are now under .500.
Montreal Canadiens (36-30-7, 79 pts) at Buffalo Sabres (39-22-10, 88 pts) 7:30 PM ET
The Buffalo Sabres are sitting pretty as their other Northeast division neighbors slug it out for a playoff spot. Montreal needs to keep an eye on Atlanta right now.
St. Louis Blues (34-29-9, 77 pts) at Detroit Red Wings (36-23-13, 85 pts) 7:30 PM ET
The Blues might be the strangest team in the league: they have more road wins (22) than Detroit has at Joe Louis Arena (20). Someone explain this to me.
Anaheim Ducks (34-30-8, 76 pts) at Vancouver Canucks (44-25-4, 92 pts) 10:00 PM ET
My guess is that Roberto Luongo is just fine. Relax, Canucks fans.