The Buffalo Sabres finally ended their franchise-record losing streak earlier this week. Their reward: a date with the hottest team in the NHL, as they entertain a St. Louis Blues team Thursday night that has won six consecutive games to move within striking distance of top spot in the league. St. Louis extended its streak with a 2-1 overtime win over Tampa Bay on Tuesday, while the Sabres earned their first victory of 2015 with a 3-2 triumph over Montreal.

Staring at the prospect of a season-high losing streak, the New York Islanders must overcome a nightmarish venue when they visit the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night. The Islanders have dropped three in a row and now must contend with a resurgent Philadelphia club that is 17-1-2 at home against New York since 2007. The Islanders have won the past three matchups - all at home - between the Metropolitan Division rivals, including a 7-4 drubbing on Jan. 19.

The Washington Capitals have maintained a stranglehold on a playoff slot despite a string of one-goal losses and seek back-to-back wins for the first time in more than three weeks when they visit the Ottawa Senators on Thursday. The Capitals dominated Los Angeles 4-0 on Tuesday for only the second victory in eight games (2-4-2) - with all six losses coming by a single goal. Washington has dropped seven of eight to the Senators, including its past four visits to Ottawa.

The Los Angeles Kings resemble every bit the team that won two Stanley Cups in three years - when they play at home. The road has provided a much different story for Los Angeles, which looks to end its pronounced woes away from Staples Center when it continues its five-game trek versus the Florida Panthers on Thursday.

Two-time Vezina Trophy finalist Pekka Rinne returns from a three-week absence as the Nashville Predators look to extend their franchise-record nine-game home winning streak when they face the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday. "I feel really good," said Rinne, who still leads the NHL in wins (29) despite missing eight games with a knee injury. "I feel 100 percent and feel ready to go. It's never a good time to be injured, but I'm feeling good."

The top two scoring teams in the league meet while holding vastly different positions in the standings as the Tampa Bay Lightning visit the Dallas Stars on Thursday. The Lightning, who average 3.17 goals to lead the NHL, boast the most points in the Eastern Conference (69) after going 5-1-1 in the last seven games. Dallas is battling to get back in playoff position with a 4-2-1 stretch after coughing up a two-goal lead in the third period during Tuesday’s 3-2 shootout loss to Colorado.

The Colorado Avalanche look to ride the momentum from a dramatic comeback victory when they host the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night. The Avalanche rallied from a two-goal deficit in the third period before prevailing in an 11-round shootout at Dallas on Tuesday to pull within four points of the final postseason slot in the Western Conference. “That’s the way we were last year," Colorado coach Patrick Roy said. “We never gave up, and we were very resilient."

The Arizona Coyotes will look to do something they haven't done in more than nine years when they host the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night. The Coyotes haven't beaten the Hurricanes at home since Dec. 3, 2005, losing each of their last three encounters with Carolina in the desert. Arizona comes into this one having won back-to-back games for the first time since late-December, while the Hurricanes have dropped three consecutive contests.

The Vancouver Canucks continue their six-game homestand when they face off against the San Jose Sharks on Thursday. Vancouver has alternated wins and losses over the first four games of the stretch at Rogers Arena, evening its record at 2-2-0 with a 3-2 overtime victory over Winnipeg on Tuesday. Ronalds Kenins forged a tie with 7:28 remaining in the third period and defenseman Luca Sbisa scored 36 seconds into the extra session as the Canucks won for just the second time in the last six at home.