Most interesting game among 14 matchups Thursday debated

There are exactly three weeks left in the NHL regular season, with six games April 18 wrapping things up.

But there is still plenty to be decided. Entering the 14 games Thursday, only one of the 16 berths in the Stanley Cup Playoffs have been clinched. Three of the four divisions have a difference of three points or fewer between the first-place team and the second-place team.

The race for the second wild card from the Eastern Conference is tight, with the Washington Capitals ahead of the Detroit Red Wings by two points, the New Jersey Devils by five points, and the New York Islanders by six points. Even the Buffalo Sabres (eight points back) and Pittsburgh Penguins (nine points back) are still in the hunt.

In the Western Conference, the Dallas Stars (99 points), Colorado Avalanche (97) and Winnipeg Jets (94) are five points apart for first, second and third in the Central Division. In the Pacific Division, the second-place Edmonton Oilers are three points ahead of the third-place Los Angeles Kings.

The Kings and Oilers go head-to-head Thursday, and though it’s a big one, it’s not the only game on the schedule with huge playoff implications.

But which one is the most interesting? We asked seven NHL.com writers to give their picks for most anticipated game Thursday:

Washington Capitals at Toronto Maple Leafs (7 p.m. ET; SN1, MNMT)

I'm already feeling sorry for the goalies in this one. How could you not, with forward Alex Ovechkin getting hot at the right time with eight goals in his past six games for the no-longer-under-the-radar Capitals (36-26-9), who have vaulted back into the playoff race with six wins in their past seven. And then there's Auston Matthews, who continues to amaze night in and night out and leads the NHL with 59 goals, one shy of his League career high of 60 set in 2021-22. The center, who is a game-time decision because of an illness, has a legitimate chance to reach 70 for the Maple Leafs (40-22-9), who are trying to solidify their hold on third place in the Atlantic Division. I definitely don’t want to miss anything, so I’m going to try real hard not to blink. -- Barry Rubinstein, manager, assignments

New York Islanders at Florida Panthers (7 p.m. ET; MSGSN, BSFL)

Florida hasn’t gotten the results it would prefer of late but will get a chance to turn things around when it hosts New York. The Panthers (46-21-5) have lost five of their past six games (1-4-1), including 4-3 Tuesday to the Boston Bruins, whom they trail by two points for first place in a heated Atlantic Division race. Meanwhile, the Islanders (30-26-15), who have lost seven of eight (1-6-1), are turning to Semyon Varlamov in goal in a game they have to have, trailing the Capitals by six points for the second wild from the East with 11 games to go. It may be too little, too late, but Varlamov has historically performed for New York in big spots. -- Brian Compton, managing editor

Detroit Red Wings at Carolina Hurricanes (7:30 p.m. ET; BSSO, BSDET)

OK, part of the reason I want to watch this is to see if the Hurricanes (45-21-7) can get closer to catching the New York Rangers for first in the Metropolitan Division. Carolina is second, three points behind New York. But my biggest reason to watch is to see if the Red Wings (36-29-7) can right the ship, which has been wayward these past few weeks, and clinch a playoff berth for the first time since 2016. They looked well on their way a month ago, when they capped a six-game winning streak with an 8-3 victory against the Capitals on Feb. 27. Since then, they’re 3-9-1. Part of it is sentimentality; I’d love to see former Chicago Blackhawks forwards Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat in the postseason again, especially given what Kane can do on the big stage. Every game is big for the Red Wings from here, and I’ll probably be watching all of them, starting with this one. -- Tracey Myers, staff writer

Vegas Golden Knights at Winnipeg Jets (8 p.m. ET; TSN3, SCRIPPS)

The Jets (44-22-6) are in desperate need of a win. Winnipeg has lost four straight games, getting outscored 17-7 against the Oilers, Capitals, Islanders and Devils. They've fallen into third in the Central and are four points ahead of the fourth-place Nashville Predators. Meanwhile, the Golden Knights (39-25-8) are looking to bolster their playoff position as well; they enter Thursday holding the second wild card in the West but are one point behind the Los Angeles Kings for third in the Pacific. This should be a playoff atmosphere in a rematch from last season; Vegas defeated Winnipeg in five games in the best-of-7 Western Conference First Round on its way to the Stanley Cup championship. -- David Satriano, staff writer

New York Rangers at Colorado Avalanche (9 p.m. ET; MSG, ALT, TVAS-D)

This game intrigues me the most because it's a potential Stanley Cup Final preview and will have two top contenders for the Hart Trophy, awarded to the NHL most valuable players, opposite one another. For the Rangers (48-20-4), it's forward Artemi Panarin enjoying his best season in the NHL. The forward has NHL career highs of 43 goals and 102 points (59 assists), the first time he's scored 100 points in nine seasons in the League, becoming the first player to reach the mark for New York since Jaromir Jagr had 123 (54 goals, 69 assists) in 2005-06. Panarin’s 258 shots on goal are also an NHL career best, and he's willed New York to victory, most recently in consecutive wins against the Bruins (hat trick), Panthers (two goals) and Philadelphia Flyers (three assists). For the Avalanche (46-21-5), it's center Nathan MacKinnon and his astronomical season (123 points; 45 goals, 78 assists, plus-31) that has him arguably the favorite for the Hart. Neither team lacks in star power, and both are surging; the Rangers are 19-4-1 since Jan. 27, and the Avalanche had won nine in a row before losing 2-1 to the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday. Two teams competing for the Presidents' Trophy in prime time and possibly on course to playing for the Cup. Sign me up. -- Jon Lane, staff writer

Los Angeles Kings at Edmonton Oilers (9 p.m. ET; SN360, BSW)

Don’t look now, but the Kings (38-22-1) are on fire, winning four in a row and going 5-1-0 in their past six games, scoring at least five goals in three of those games. A team that even a few weeks ago appeared locked into third place in the Pacific has found its game and can move within one point of the Oilers (43-23-4) for second place. Los Angeles has been led by captain Anze Kopitar, who has nine points (four goals, five assists) in his past four games. The Kings and Oilers are on track to meet in the first round of the playoffs for the second straight season. Edmonton had home-ice advantage in that series last season and won it in six games, so home ice could be key if these teams face each other again this time. The Oilers have stumbled a bit lately, going 3-2-1 in their past six games, but have the best player on the planet in Connor McDavid, and now have 50-goal scorer Zach Hyman. I’m really interested to see how these teams go after each other in their last matchup before the playoffs. -- Bill Price, Editor-in-Chief

Dallas Stars at Vancouver Canucks (10 p.m. ET; SNP, BSSW)

Who doesn’t want to see a best-on-best matchup? This is certainly one that will keep those on the East Coast up late on a work night as the Stars (45-19-9) try to hold on to first place in the volatile Central when they visit the Canucks (45-19-8), who are first in the Pacific. The Stars are one point behind the Rangers for first in the NHL standings, and the Canucks are two back. I’ll be watching the goaltenders in this one. Jake Oettinger, one of the best young goalies in the game, has been wildly inconsistent for Dallas this season but has three straight wins, allowing two goals in each. The 25-year-old is 28-13-4 with a 2.97 goals-against average and .898 save percentage. Scott Wedgewood has gotten more work than expected as the backup, going 16-6-5 with a 2.84 GAA and .901 save percentage. For Vancouver, Thatcher Demko (34-13-2, 2.47 GAA, .917 save percentage) was a favorite for the Vezina Trophy before he sustained a lower-body injury March 9. He was placed on long-term injured reserve Wednesday. Casey DeSmith finished the March 9 game, stopping all 10 shots he faced, and has gone 3-2-1 since, allowing 14 goals on 135 shots (.896 save percentage). -- Shawn P. Roarke, Senior Director of Editorial