The Anaheim Ducks look to put the pieces back together after third-period collapse in the opener of their six-game road trip when they visit the Boston Bruins on Thursday night. The Ducks, who had points in seven of their previous eight games (6-1-1), turned a one-goal lead into a 6-2 loss in an eight-minute span during the middle of the final period Tuesday at Dallas.

The Chicago Blackhawks have dominated the New York Islanders in their most recent meetings, even if the teams haven't met since opening the 2015-16 season with a home-and-home set. Chicago emerged victorious in both outings to improve to 7-1-1 in the last nine encounters heading into Thursday's tilt at the Barclays Center.

Top overall pick Auston Matthews became hooked on hockey while watching the then-Phoenix and now Arizona Coyotes on the ice. The Arizona native will have a chance to play host to the Coyotes at Air Canada Centre on Thursday when the club pays a visit to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Los Angeles Kings veteran center Jeff Carter didn't mince words when describing his team's lackluster performance following the first of nine consecutive games on the road. While several of his words are not fit for publication, suffice to say that Carter hopes the message was received by his teammates when the Kings visit the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday.

The St. Louis Blues cannot get home soon enough after another ugly performance on the road that capped an unproductive four-game trek. The Blues have been a far different team at Scottrade Center, however, and will look to build on their stellar 12-1-3 record at home when they host the sliding New Jersey Devils on Thursday night.

The red-hot Minnesota Wild have ripped off five consecutive victories, but they will have to knock off an opponent with one of the league's best home records to keep their streak intact. The Wild will square off with a Central Division rival on Thursday when they visit the Nashville Predators, who are coming off a spectacular comeback victory.

The Winnipeg Jets likely will be a refreshed bunch when they host the Florida Panthers on Thursday, following three consecutive off days after a grueling stretch to open the season. The Jets played 32 games in the season’s first 60 days and had more than two days off between games once before this week, a break Winnipeg entered on a three-game losing streak.

With the league's second-highest scoring team coming to town, the Dallas Stars picked an opportune time to get their own offense untracked. Fresh off a third-period goal-scoring binge in a win over Anaheim, the Stars look to keep the momentum going when they continue their five-game homestand against the New York Rangers on Thursday night.