NHL Previews

The calendar says the Stanley Cup playoffs haven’t started yet, but the standings indicate that the game Thursday between the Pittsburgh Penguins and visiting Detroit Red Wings might as well be a postseason affair. The Penguins (36-30-12) and Red Wings (38-32-8) are tied with 84 points each, one point out of the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, and each has four games remaining. “(Detroit) is a team that we’re directly fighting with, so

Not only were the New York Rangers unable to clinch the Metropolitan Division title Tuesday night, but they also emerged from a rough performance against the New York Islanders slightly less healthy. The Rangers cannot clinch the division title Thursday night but are hoping forward Mika Zibanejad will be available when they host the floundering Philadelphia Flyers. New York (53-22-4) holds a three-point lead over the Carolina Hurricanes in the division after Tuesday, when the

The Florida Panthers are playing what can be considered the “soft” part of their remaining schedule before the season ends with a bang next week. On Thursday night, the Panthers — currently the second seed in the Atlantic Division — will play host to the out-of-contention Columbus Blue Jackets in Sunrise, Fla. This soft stretch also includes Buffalo, which is on tap for Saturday. But then the Panthers will end their regular season with a

The St. Louis Blues earned just three of a possible six points out of their recent three-game road trip, which pushed them to the brink of elimination from a playoff berth. Given his team’s math problem, Blues coach Drew Bannister has been giving younger players more responsibility during the closing games of the season. That process will continue when the Blues (41-32-5, 87 points) host the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday. Rookie winger Zack Bolduc scored

The Toronto Maple Leafs will look to solidify their playoff position when they face the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night in Newark, N.J. Toronto (45-23-9, 99 points) trails the Florida Panthers by three points for second place in the Atlantic Division, though the Maple Leafs have a game in hand. The Leafs lead the Tampa Bay Lightning by six points for third place. On Monday, Jake McCabe scored 1:30 into overtime to lift the

The effort has been there for the Calgary Flames. The results have not. Having already been eliminated from Stanley Cup playoff contention, the Flames will be playing for pride the rest of the season. They will look to snap a three-game skid when they kick off a three-game trip through California on Tuesday with a contest against the San Jose Sharks. The Flames (34-37-5, 73 points) are coming off a 4-2 loss to the Edmonton

Two of the Eastern Conference’s top three teams will become familiar foes down the stretch of the regular season as the Boston Bruins face the Carolina Hurricanes in the first of two meetings in a six-day span on Thursday in Raleigh, N.C. Boston (44-17-15, 103 points) looks for its third straight win in the finale of a six-game road trip. On Tuesday, a three-goal third period and Linus Ullmark’s 31-save shutout effort led to a

Rick Tocchet has been sounding the alarm the past few weeks about his team’s performance, and now the Vancouver Canucks’ coach has more ammunition as they prepare to face the Arizona Coyotes on Wednesday night in Tempe, Ariz. Sure, the Canucks (46-21-8, 100 points) remain atop the Pacific Division and sit second in the Western Conference. The Canucks, however, have lost three of four games after opening a three-game trip with a 6-3 loss to

On Monday, the New York Rangers turned in one of their worst performances in several weeks while facing a team clinging to playoff hopes. The Rangers hope to avoid another letdown against a team outside of the playoff picture on Wednesday night when they attempt to complete a season sweep of the visiting New Jersey Devils. The Rangers (50-21-4, 104 points) are bidding to avoid consecutive losses for the first time since March 2-4, when