Two teams desperate to get back into playoff position in the Western Conference will go head-to-head in front of a nationally-televised audience Tuesday night.
The Los Angeles Kings -- who currently two points back of the Dallas Stars for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West -- will face the Minnesota Wild at the Xcel Energy Center. Opening faceoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET and can be seen on the NBC Sports Network in the United States and TSN2 in Canada.
Minnesota (28-25-9) has won only three of its last 10 games and is back points back in the playoff race. Hoping for more offense from their blue line, the Wild acquired Tom Gilbert from the Edmonton Oilers on Monday.
Five of nine games begin at 7 p.m. ET. The Ottawa Senators will visit the Boston Bruins at TD Garden, while the Toronto Maple Leafs host the Florida Panthers at the Air Canada Centre. Meanwhile, the New York Islanders battle the Washington Capitals at the Verizon Center, while the Carolina Hurricanes host the Nashville Predators.
Also at 7:30 p.m. ET, the Montreal Canadiens return to action as they visit the Tampa Bay Lightning at the Tampa Bay Times Forum. That game can be seen on RDS in Canada.
In the final two games of the evening, the Phoenix Coyotes face the Vancouver Canucks at Jobing.com Arena (9 p.m. ET), while the San Jose Sharks finally return home against the Philadelphia Flyers at HP Pavilion. That showdown is slated for 10:30 p.m. ET.