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Around the rink - March 19; Kaberle’s return to Toronto, Buffalo-Atlanta showdown

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All times Eastern

2:00 p.m.

Columbus @ Minnesota

An early start to the day in St. Paul thanks to the WCHA college hockey championships at night and for the Wild it’s a true make it or break it game. They’re six points out of the eighth spot in the West and a loss to the Jackets pretty much ends their playoff hopes. The return of Mikko Koivu hasn’t given them the boost they were hoping for and the scoring hasn’t shown up enough for them. Hope is a good thing to have and for the Wild it’s all they’ve got right now for the postseason. The Jackets will be hoping to play spoilers and help the Wild join them in misery in waiting until the NHL Draft.

7:00 p.m.

Atlanta @ Buffalo

Buffalo hangs on to the slimmest of advantages in the East playoff race and they’ll be hoping to get a little breathing room against the desperate Thrashers. They’ve got the tiebreaker over the Hurricanes in spite of both teams being tied with 76 points. Atlanta, meanwhile, has 72 points and a win gets them more into the thick of things for the playoffs. Calling this a crucial game for both teams is quite accurate. For teams that may or may not make the playoffs, games like these are their playoff warm up.

Boston @ Toronto

Toronto is hanging on to hope for the postseason by a thread and wouldn’t it figure that they’d have to deal with the Bruins to keep it alive. Making things more awkward, it’ll mark the return of Tomas Kaberle to Toronto, only now as a member of the Bruins. If you’re thinking he’ll get booed, think again. Expect to see James Reimer in goal for Toronto to keep their hopes alive and after J.S. Giguere and the Leafs offense had a spectacular failure against Florida the other night, don’t expect Ron Wilson to make those same mistakes again. For Boston, they’re hoping to gain ground on lurking Montreal in the Northeast Division. The Habs are just two points back of the Bruins but the B’s have two games in hand, meaning a win here goes a long way to securing the division title.

Tampa Bay @ Ottawa

The Lightning are six back of Washington for the division lead in the Southeast but they’re just two behind Pittsburgh for the fourth seed and home ice in the first round. Ottawa has 61 points and the third worst record in the NHL, ahead of just Colorado and Edmonton. Clearly, two teams in very different places. A win for Tampa Bay is huge here if they hope to get home ice. While Pittsburgh doesn’t show many signs of weakening, the Lightning must beat teams like Ottawa to put the pressure on the Pens.

NY Islanders @ Florida

Not every game is going to be one that grabs your attention. Instead, these two will be doing battle over who gets a better advantage in the lottery. Florida is just one point better than the Isles and the Isles are on a two game losing skid. Florida has been typically inconsistent of late alternating wins and losses. If you’re fired up for who wins between the fourth and fifth worst teams in the NHL, you’re a stronger person than most.

8:00 p.m.

Detroit @ Nashville

It’s a huge game for the Predators at home as they’re one point behind Calgary for eighth in the West and two behind Dallas and Chicago. A win puts them back in a great place in the West while a loss falls away as a missed opportunity. A Detroit win would put a virtual lock on the Central Division crown over Chicago. The Wings have a ten point lead on Chicago right now and adding to that would make it nearly impossible for the Hawks to get back in it.

Philadelphia @ Dallas

The Flyers could stand to get a win to continue to keep their lead in the Eastern Conference. With the Capitals continuing to win behind them, getting wins (or even points) is huge. Fortunately for Philly, they have three games in hand on Washington. Dallas sits in sixth in the West with 84 points just one point behind L.A. and five behind Phoenix. The Stars would like to at least just keep up with the joneses and a win would do that. With how things go in the west, any losses at all are a huge set back. With how both teams are playing, this should be one of the more fun games to see tonight.

10:00 p.m.

Colorado @ Edmonton

The two worst teams in the NHL square off to see who wants the best shot at the first pick in the 2011 draft the most. A win by Colorado would put them seven points off of the Oilers for worst record whereas an Oilers victory makes Colorado a real threat to finish the year as the NHL’s worst team. While there’s no real front-runner for the consensus player to be taken number one in the draft, both of these teams should have a huge interest in Swedish defenseman Adam Larsson.

10:30 p.m.

Anaheim @ Los Angeles

It’s the first of three games these two will play against each other over the next few weeks before the end of the season and each one should be vital for both teams when it comes to the playoffs. L.A. is currently in fifth in the Western Conference with 85 points while the Ducks are two points back of Calgary for eighth with 81. The Kings embarrassed themselves at home against St. Louis on Thursday night and facing off against their neighborly rivals should be the potion they need to wake up. The Ducks are winners of six out of their last eight games and coming off a win over the Blues on Wednesday. It’s got the makings of a barnburner in L.A.

St. Louis @ San Jose

The Sharks would like to keep the surging Coyotes off their heels and a win would extend their lead in the Pacific to three points. Now that Phoenix has reemerged as a threat to the top spot in the division, the Sharks will be tested to see how they handle the stress of being pursued. St. Louis would like to make their California road swing a memorable and potentially spoileriffic one by dealing the Sharks a loss. If they can defend the way they did in their 4-0 win over Los Angeles, the Sharks are in for a world of trouble.