Special teams play has the New York Islanders ascending toward the top of the Metropolitan Division. With a potent power play and a stingy penalty kill among the league's top five in both categories, the Islanders vie for their seventh win in eight outings on Thursday when they host the Carolina Hurricanes.

After seeing their four-game winning streak come to an end against one Metropolitan Division rival, the New Jersey Devils look to get back on track versus another on Thursday when they pay a visit to the Philadelphia Flyers. Travis Zajac, who assisted on Kyle Palmieri's goal in New Jersey's 3-1 setback to Columbus on Tuesday, doesn't want to see the streaky Devils spiral in the wrong direction.

Dan Bylsma is approximately 16 months removed since being fired as coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Bylsma will return to the familiar confines of the Consol Energy Center on Thursday when his visiting Buffalo Sabres face the team with which he spent 5 1/2 seasons.

The Tampa Bay Lightning look to snap out of their brief scoring slump when they host the similarly struggling Colorado Avalanche on Thursday. The Lightning, who led the league in goals last season on the way to the Stanley Cup Final, have been shut out in back-to-back games while allowing a total of only three tallies – one into an empty net.

The struggling Anaheim Ducks look to salvage the finale of their five-game road trip without their captain when they visit the St. Louis Blues on Thursday. Ryan Getzlaf underwent an appendectomy on Wednesday and is expected to miss 4-12 days as he recovers, but Anaheim was not exactly clicking offensively even with him in the lineup.

Chicago Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville hopes for more offense when his squad visits the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday, but there is no arguing the defending Stanley Cup champions have earned their last two victories – both of which came in dramatic fashion. Corey Crawford shut out the opposition and captain Jonathan Toews scored the game’s lone tally in back-to-back 1-0 triumphs, marking the first time since the NHL reintroduced overtime in 1983-84 a team has won consecutive overtime shutouts.

The Vancouver Canucks derailed the Montreal Canadiens' bid to make history, but they will be facing an opponent coming off a dramatic victory of its own when they visit the Dallas Stars on Thursday night. The Canucks snapped a four-game skid with a 5-1 rout of Montreal on Tuesday, denying the Canadiens a chance to match for a record-tying 10th straight win to open the season.

The Vancouver Canucks derailed the Montreal Canadiens' bid to make history, but they will be facing an opponent coming off a dramatic victory of its own when they visit the Dallas Stars on Thursday night. The Canucks snapped a four-game skid with a 5-1 rout of Montreal on Tuesday, denying the Canadiens a chance to match for a record-tying 10th straight win to open the season.

After coming up short in their bid to match the best record in league history, the Montreal Canadiens will continue their three-game road trip through Western Canada with a visit to the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night. The Canadiens saw their perfect 9-0-0 start come to a halt with a 5-1 setback at the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night.