Ovi-Crosby highlights a 13-game Thursday night

Twenty-six teams will compete on a very busy Thursday night, and the League's two biggest stars will clash in a rematch of last season's Eastern Conference semifinal.

In a game that can be seen on the NHL Network in the U.S., Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals will face Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins at 7:30 p.m. ET at Mellon Arena. The Caps have won four in a row and have built a 17-point lead in the Southeast Division, while the Pens are coming off a 6-4 home win against the New York Islanders on Tuesday that saw Crosby factor into each Pittsburgh tally.

Five games have 7 p.m. ET start times -- the Ottawa Senators, who have won four straight, will host the St. Louis Blues (RDS in Canada); the Florida Panthers face the Isles on Long Island; Philadelphia hosts the New York Rangers; Carolina visits Atlanta and the Tampa Bay Lightning face the Toronto Maple Leafs at the St. Pete Times Forum (TSN in Canada).

The Detroit Red Wings continue their push for a playoff spot at 8 p.m. ET, when they visit the Minnesota Wild at the Xcel Energy Center. The Wings have earned points in seven of their last 10 games and sit just one point behind Los Angeles for the eighth seed in the Western Conference.

One hour later, the Phoenix Coyotes host the Nashville Predators at Jobing.com Arena. Nashville (29-17-3) has won seven of 10 and resides in second place in the Central Division, while the Coyotes are 13 points behind the first-place San Jose Sharks in the Pacific and are coming off a 7-2 home loss to Buffalo on Monday.

At 9:30 p.m. ET, the Calgary Flames return to the ice for the first time since their 9-1 loss at San Jose on Monday as they host the Chicago Blackhawks (34-12-4) at the Pengrowth Saddledome. The game can be seen on TSN in Canada.

Three more games take place on the West Coast. At 10 p.m. ET, the Vancouver Canucks host the Dallas Stars at GM Place, where the Stars will shoot for their third straight victory. The Canucks won 3-2 in overtime at Edmonton on Wednesday. Thirty minutes later, the Kings host the Buffalo Sabres at the Staples Center and the Sharks will host the Anaheim Ducks at HP Pavilion. San Jose has won three in a row, including a 5-1 win over the Kings on Tuesday. Anaheim is starting a six-game trip after beating Buffalo 5-4 on Tuesday.