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NHL Playoff Push: Big bubble battles

Colorado Avalanche v Los Angeles Kings

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 21: Alec Martinez #27 of the Los Angeles Kings pushes Mikko Rantanen #96 of the Colorado Avalanche during the third period of a game at Staples Center on December 21, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

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On a busy Thursday in the NHL, there’s at least one big matchup in both the East and West. While there are cases where playoff teams merely need to take care of business against lottery fodder, the most fun could come in tests of might with considerable stakes.

Western Conference

The most intriguing contest could be Los Angeles Kings at Colorado Avalanche, a battle between the West’s two wild card teams.

weststandingsthurs

As you can see, the Avalanche currently hold the first wild-card spot, and they’re only two points behind the Wild for the Central’s third seed. The Kings could leap over the Ducks for the Pacific third seed, as Anaheim only holds one point over Los Angeles.

The San Jose Sharks host the Vegas Golden Knights in another interesting contest, which airs on NBCSN at 10 p.m. ET as part of a doubleheader. Here’s the stream link.

San Jose faces low odds in catching Vegas for the Pacific crown, but the Sharks are hot enough that a win tonight could strengthen such a drive. If nothing else, they hope to improve their chances of holding onto the second seed.

With Auston Matthews likely to return tonight, the Maple Leafs visiting the Predators should be a lot of fun, even if the two teams seem fairly locked into their spots in respective playoff races.

[The 2018 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs begin April 11 on the networks of NBC]

Eastern Conference

eaststandingsthurs

Alongside Kings - Avs, Florida Panthers at Columbus Blue Jackets is the other big game of the day.

With two games in hand on the Devils and three on the Flyers/Blue Jackets, Florida could really climb the ranks. They do face a road-heavy haul, however, and that includes one of the toughest tests of that run tonight, when they face the red-hot Blue Jackets. Artemi Panarin is one of the driving forces of a squad riding a nine-game winning streak, and making the Metro races congested in the process.

If Columbus wins, they would really push the idle Penguins and even the Capitals, who hope to maintain or increase their lead for the Metro title as they face the Red Wings in Detroit. You can watch those teams, and maybe see Alex Ovechkin increase his Maurice Richard Trophy lead, in an NBCSN game. Coverage begins at 7:30 p.m. ET, while you can also catch the stream here.

There are also two “take care of business” games. The Lightning could really fatten their Atlantic title edge by beating the Islanders, while the Flyers hope to increase their margin of error over the Panthers/Blue Jackets if they can win against the Rangers.

The rest of the night features games between teams who are either eliminated from the playoffs or hurtling toward that fate.

If the playoffs started today

Tampa Bay Lightning vs. New Jersey Devils
Washington Capitals vs. Philadelphia Flyers
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Columbus Blue Jackets
Boston Bruins vs. Toronto Maple Leafs

Nashville Predators vs. Los Angeles Kings
Vegas Golden Knights vs. Colorado Avalanche
Winnipeg Jets vs. Minnesota Wild
San Jose Sharks vs. Anaheim Ducks

Noteworthy games

Tampa Bay Lightning at New York Islanders, 7 p.m. ET
New York Rangers at Philadelphia Flyers, 7 p.m. ET
Florida Panthers at Columbus Blue Jackets, 7 p.m. ET
Washington Capitals at Detroit Red Wings, 7:30 p.m. ET
Toronto Maple Leafs at Nashville Predators, 8 p.m. ET
Los Angeles Kings at Colorado Avalanche, 9 p.m. ET
Vegas Golden Knights at San Jose Sharks, 10 p.m. ET


James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.