Locked in a tight battle for first place in the Atlantic Division and a road-heavy schedule awaiting them, the Boston Bruins look to extend their point streak to six games when they host the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night. Boston outlasted Tampa Bay 1-0 on Tuesday in its third straight overtime contest to pull into a tie atop the division with the Lightning, who have a game in hand.

Barring a miraculous closing run down the stretch, the Montreal Canadiens will be spectators once the playoffs come around, but at least the team has managed to regain some of its mojo at home. The Canadiens look to continue their recent hot stretch at the Bell Centre when they host the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday night.

After falling short against one division cellar dweller, the Detroit Red Wings look to get it in gear against another on Thursday when they host the Winnipeg Jets. Detroit suffered its third straight loss and seventh in 10 games on Tuesday with a 5-3 setback to Columbus to remain just two points up on Philadelphia for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

The Florida Panthers can move into a virtual three-way tie for first place in the Atlantic Division when they host the desperate Ottawa Senators on Thursday. The Panthers have managed just one victory in their last six contests (1-3-2) to drop to third in the division after recording 51 shots in Monday's 5-4 overtime loss to Boston.

The Minnesota Wild benefited from two days of uninterrupted rest and relaxation after seeing their four-game winning streak come to a halt on Sunday. The Wild will get back to work on Thursday as they vie for a season sweep of the Edmonton Oilers when the clubs meet at the Xcel Energy Center.

After routinely making themselves at home on the road this season, the San Jose Sharks will have plenty of time to get re-acquainted with their fans at SAP Center in the next 2 1/2 weeks. The Sharks begin a three-game homestand on Thursday to open a stretch of nine contests in their next 10 at home when they host the New Jersey Devils.