They will see if they can keep the recent momentum going when they face the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night in Raleigh, N.C.

The Hurricanes have won three games in a row for the first time since mid-November. They are on a 5-1-1 run and are coming off back-to-back road victories over the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday and the Dallas Stars on Tuesday.

The Thursday game will mark the end of a four-game road trip for the Blue Jackets, who are 1-1-1 after a 5-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday. That result was sparked by the first career hat trick from Adam Fantilli, who was playing in his hometown.

Now it will be a matter of Columbus refocusing after being on an emotional high. Despite the brief wobble to start the trip, the Blue Jackets are 7-1-1 in their past nine games.

The Hurricanes could send veteran goalie Frederik Andersen out for his first home appearance since the season opener, when he took his lone loss in five starts this season. He went down with a knee injury in late October and missed nearly three months after surgery, returning to action Monday in a 4-3 overtime victory against the Blackhawks.

Pyotr Kochetkov handled net duties the next night in Dallas and made 22 saves in a 2-1 win.

"That's the position, we talk about it over and over and over," Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said of the goalies. "If our guy can be better than the other guy at the other end, we're usually in good shape."

The Blue Jackets could be in a different situation regarding goaltending. Elvis Merzlikins left the mid-day skate on Wednesday with an apparent injury, but then he was in the crease that night and stopped 28 of 29 shots while beating the Maple Leafs. Daniil Tarasov is Columbus' backup.

Columbus will be without defenseman Denton Mateychuk, who has missed the past two games because of illness. Cole Sillinger (upper-body injury) also was out on Wednesday.

The Blue Jackets say they know the best formula to create constant pressure.

"If we start to skate around and try to make the hard plays, it's not our game," said Columbus winger Kirill Marchenko, who recorded his 33rd assist on Wednesday. "We need to just be inside and shoot more pucks and play more simple."

Columbus also will look to slow Martin Necas. The Hurricanes forward has 16 multi-point games this season -- tied for 10th in the NHL -- after registering two assists on Tuesday.

"An elite player that does a bit of everything," Brind'Amour said. "Obviously creates a lot of offense."

This will be the teams' fourth meeting of the season, with the home team having won the first two. Columbus posted a 5-4 shootout win on Nov. 23 and a 4-3 shootout victory on Dec. 31, sandwiching Carolina's 4-1 triumph on Dec. 15.

The Blue Jackets are in a similar situation that Carolina was in at the beginning of the week -- playing a road game followed the next night by another road assignment against a team that has been off for a day.

A night after the Bruins' season of ups and downs continued with a 5-1 road loss to the New Jersey Devils, Boston returns to home ice for a Thursday night matchup against the Atlantic Division rival Ottawa Senators.

Boston had been on a four-game point streak (3-0-1) prior to Wednesday, with the lone blemish coming when Ottawa overcame a late two-goal deficit to earn a 6-5 shootout win on Saturday.

"We're trying to find an answer here and what we're doing isn't good enough. We know it," Bruins forward Morgan Geekie said. "It's embarrassing, frankly, just the way that we're letting these games slip away."

Geekie scored a first-period goal -- his third tally in five games -- that staked the Bruins to a 1-0 lead on Wednesday, but the Devils' four-goal middle frame was Boston's downfall.

Another David Pastrnak-Pavel Zacha connection set up the Bruins' lone goal. Pastrnak has 12 of his 54 points in the past five games.

"They're starting to heat up," Bruins interim coach Joe Sacco said. "Obviously Pasta's been heating up the last number of games here. ... (Zacha) has the ability to make plays through the middle of the ice, so they seem to have that pretty good chemistry going right now."

Boston allowed three power-play goals in a game for the seventh time this season, and the Bruins yielded 35 or more shots for the sixth time in the past eight contests -- including 44 shots by Ottawa on Saturday.

Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman was pulled after two periods in New Jersey, having allowed four goals on 29 shots. He has managed a .912 save percentage over his past 12 starts (4-6-2).

"He was dealing with something minor, so we thought it would be best with how the game was going to get him out of there. We'll see how he is (on Thursday)," Sacco said.

Wednesday marked Boston forward Trent Frederic's second straight game out due to illness.

The Senators had a day off in Boston after taking a 5-0 road loss to the New York Rangers on Tuesday, marking their first regulation defeat since Jan. 9 (5-1-1). It was their fourth time being shut out in a 10-game span and their second straight game being held to 20 shots.

The successful recent run put Ottawa in an Eastern Conference playoff position, but the Thursday rematch with Boston is a key game in the crowded Atlantic Division and wild-card races.

"There are 82 games and sometimes it doesn't click as well. It's about how you respond," Senators forward Claude Giroux said. "For us, we have to keep doing what we're doing and play hard and good defensively."

Rookie goaltender Leevi Merilainen's strong play in place of Linus Ullmark (back) has been important of late, especially given the team's struggles to score at times. Merilainen is 6-3-1 with a 2.32 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage in 10 games.

Ottawa captain Brady Tkachuk hopes to get back on track after going eight games without recording a point.

"It's all about ... finding a level to each individual's game," Tkachuk said. "I feel what's best for me is putting that extra work in and knowing that I did absolutely everything possible to prepare."

A mixed bag of injury news has Senators forward David Perron expected to return on Thursday, replacing Josh Norris, who is likely to miss at least a few games due to an upper-body injury.

Perron, who has played in just nine games and has not registered a point this season, is expected to provide a boost to coach Travis Green's lineup.

"Good to have him back. He's been out for a while now," Green said. "Veteran leadership, obviously. Good hockey player."

Luca Del Bel Belluz added a goal and an assist and James van Riemsdyk also scored for the Blue Jackets, who have won seven of nine (7-1-1).

Elvis Merzlikins was often spectacular in stopping 28 shots for Columbus. The Blue Jackets are 1-1-1 on their four-game road trip.

Auston Matthews scored and Dennis Hildeby made 14 saves for the Maple Leafs, who had a three-game winning streak end.

Kings 2, Panthers 1

Adrian Kempe netted the game-winner as Los Angeles cued up a third-period comeback to claim a victory over visiting Florida.

Samuel Helenius scored his first NHL goal and Darcy Kuemper made 27 saves for the Kings, who snapped a two-game losing streak. Helenius, a 2021 second-round pick, was playing in his 25th career game. Kempe has a four-game goal-scoring streak, tying his career best.

Evan Rodrigues tallied for the Panthers, who lost for only the second time this season when leading after two periods (18-2-0). Florida goalie Spencer Knight stopped 26 shots.

Devils 5, Bruins 1

Dawson Mercer scored bookend goals in New Jersey's four-goal second period, propelling the Devils over Boston in Newark, N.J. Mercer recorded his first multigoal game this season.

Nico Hischier had a goal and two assists, and Dougie Hamilton (one goal, one assist) and Timo Meier (two assists) also had multipoint efforts for the Devils.

Devils goaltender Jacob Markstrom did not return after his left leg struck the post during a second-period collision with Boston's Justin Brazeau. Markstrom made six saves on seven shots in 23:09. Jake Allen stopped all 16 shots he faced in relief. Morgan Geekie scored for the Bruins.

Jets 3, Avalanche 2 (OT)

Neal Pionk scored 17 seconds into overtime and Connor Hellebuyck made 25 saves as Winnipeg beat Colorado in Denver.

Morgan Barron and Gabriel Vilardi also scored and Josh Morrissey and Vladislav Namestnikov had two assists each for the Jets, who won the season series 3-1-0.

Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar scored goals, Jonathan Drouin had two assists and Blackwood turned away 22 shots for the Avalanche, who are 1-2-1 in their past four games.

Samuel Helenius scored his first NHL goal and Darcy Kuemper made 27 saves for the Kings, who snapped a two-game losing streak.

Evan Rodrigues tallied for the Panthers, who lost for only the second time this season when leading after two periods (18-2-0). Florida goalie Spencer Knight stopped 26 shots.

With Los Angeles trailing 1-0 and struggling to gain offensive momentum, Helenius tied the game at 6:41 of the third period. A point shot was blocked in front of the net, but Helenius -- the club's 2021 second-round draft choice -- was on the spot for the loose puck and chipped it into the net. The milestone goal came in the 22-year-old forward's 25th NHL game.

Buoyed by that goal, the hosts carried the momentum and were rewarded when Kempe produced fourth goal in as many outings at 13:12 of the final frame. While parked in front of the net, Kempe deflected Kevin Fiala's point shot.

The four-game goal-scoring streak ties a career high Kempe has reached on four previous occasions.

Shots on goal in the third period at that point were 13-1 for the Kings.

The Panthers frantically pushed for the equalizer, but Kuemper delivered a couple of clutch stops, notably against Sam Reinhart and Matthew Tkachuk in the final seconds.

Florida, the defending Stanley Cup champions, had won three of four games heading into the clash.

After a scoreless first period, Rodrigues notched a power-play goal at 7:27 of the second period. Mackie Samoskevich sent a point shot wide of the net for Anton Lundell to corral after it caromed off the end boards. Lundell slipped a pass across the crease to set up Rodrigues for a tap-in tally.

It was Florida's first man-advantage marker in five games.

It's the fourth contest on a trip that began with three games over four days -- a run that also included a six-hour coast-to-coast flight to Los Angeles after a 4-1 loss to the NHL-leading Washington Capitals on Saturday.

Despite the long travel, the Penguins bounced back to defeat the Los Angeles Kings 5-1 on Monday in what Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan called "one of the better games we played all year."

Center Sidney Crosby, who had a goal and an assist against the Kings, agreed.

"I thought everyone played well," Crosby said. "It was a great effort on both sides of the puck. ... Thought we managed the game really well."

"It's tough playing three (games) in four (nights) and obviously traveling coast to coast and not having a day in between to adjust to the time change," said Penguins winger Anthony Beauvillier, who added a goal and an assist on Monday. "But I thought we stuck together. Everyone was involved in all facets of the game."

It was just the third regulation home loss of the season for the Kings (14-3-1).

"I thought we played with a ton of energy," Sullivan said. "We did a real good job of playing on top of them in the offensive zone."

Although they enter the Thursday contest seventh in the Metropolitan Division with 48 points, the Penguins, who are 2-4-0 over their past six games, are just four points out of a wild-card spot in the very tightly bunched Eastern Conference playoff race.

Anaheim stumbles into the contest having lost four in a row (0-3-1) and seven of its past eight (1-5-2). The offensively challenged Ducks are further behind in the race for the playoffs than are the Penguins, sitting nine points behind the Calgary Flames for the Western Conference's final wild-card slot.

Anaheim, shut out in three of its past six games, ranks last in the NHL in goals scored with 111 and an average of 2.36 goals per game. The Ducks are 1-23-4 when scoring two goals or fewer in a game.

The Ducks jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first five minutes against the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers on Tuesday when Frank Vatrano scored a power-play goal. However, Anaheim then surrendered three consecutive goals in the period, including Carter Verhaeghe's tally that proved to be the game-winner.

Verhaeghe stole the puck from Jacob Trouba in the right corner and then beat Lukas Dostal with a sharp-angled shot from the bottom of the right circle.

"We just were in and out of it, in terms of focus," Anaheim coach Greg Cronin said. "Turnovers, the third goal, all you have to do is rim the puck out, they're changing (lines), and we throw the puck back into the area where there's a guy sitting."

Florida then took control of the game with two goals in the first 4:17 of the third period to stretch its lead to the eventual 5-2 final score.

"We're scraping and clawing to get points here, we're trying to stay in the playoff race," Cronin said. "That was a period where we needed to have an A-plus period, and we didn't have it."

Forward Trevor Zegras returned to Anaheim's lineup after missing 22 games following knee surgery. He failed to score on four shots while going minus-2 in 15:48 time on ice.

Toews was pursuing Winnipeg forward Kyle Connor in the Jets zone and clipped Murray near his right knee at 7:26 of the period. Murray, down on his hands and knees, was attended to by Colorado trainers.

He got to his feet and skated off with help and went back toward the Avalanche dressing room.

Play continued with Tyson Baker serving as the only linesman.

Morgan Barron and Gabriel Vilardi also scored and Josh Morrissey and Vladislav Namestnikov had two assists each for Winnipeg, which won the season series 3-1.

Pionk got the puck from Namestnikov as he skated down the right side and, right after entering the Colorado zone, beat Mackenzie Blackwood with a blast to end it.

Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar scored goals, Jonathan Drouin had two assists and Blackwood turned away 22 shots for the Avalanche.

Linesman Jonny Murray was helped off the ice at 7:26 of the second period after he was clipped on the right leg by Devon Toews. He was on his hands and knees on the ice for a few minutes before Colorado's trainers took him back to the locker room.

Play continued with one linesman, and Murray returned at the start of the third period but left again part way through.

MacKinnon finally broke through against Hellebuyck when he got a pass at the top of the zone, skated down the right slot and wristed a shot off the right post. He got his own rebound and snapped it by the diving Hellebuyck at 6:09 of the second period to open the scoring.

Winnipeg tied it midway through the second when David Gustafsson sent a pass to the front of the net and Barron deflected it over Blackwood at 10:56. The Jets then took the lead late in the frame when Morrissey's wide shot hit off Vilardi and in at 18:44.

Makar got the Avalanche even again when he got a backhand pass from Mikko Rantanen, carried the puck into the left circle and stickhandled it to his forehand and beat Hellebuyck with a shot high to the far side as he was falling to the ice at 7:05 of the third period.

Mark Scheifele nearly broke the tie late in the third when he had a point-blank chance on Blackwood, but the goalie stopped the initial shot and the rebound attempt.

Luca Del Bel Belluz added a goal and an assist and James van Riemsdyk also scored for the Blue Jackets, who have won seven of nine (7-1-1).

Elvis Merzlikins was often spectacular in stopping 28 shots for Columbus. The Blue Jackets are 1-1-1 on their four-game road trip.

Auston Matthews scored and Dennis Hildeby made 14 saves for the Maple Leafs, who had a three-game winning streak end.

Toronto had the advantage in play for much of the first period, and William Nylander was foiled on a breakaway.

Columbus broke through when Fantilli scored his first career short-handed goal on a shot from the left circle at 15:40 of the opening period. Ivan Provorov set up Fantilli with a pass into the neutral zone. Mathieu Olivier also earned an assist.

Columbus struck against the flow of play at 13:40 of the second period when former Maple Leaf van Riemsdyk scored from the slot. Del Bel Belluz made the setup pass, and Kent Johnson also assisted.

Fantilli scored again at 15:21 of the second when he pounced on a loose puck at the edge of the crease after circling behind the net. Dmitri Voronkov and Zach Werenski earned assists.

Del Bel Belluz scored unassisted from the edge of the crease at 5:56 of the third period for a 4-0 lead.

Soon after the goal, Nylander hit the post with a backhand shot.

Matthews scored on a 5-foot shot at 9:22 of the third with Nylander and Oliver Eckman-Larsson assisting. Matthews has a five-game scoring streak in which he has produced six goals.

Fantilli scored into an empty net at 12:02 of the third. The 20-year-old was playing in his 97th career NHL game.

Toronto's Matthew Knies (upper-body injury) was injured late in the second period after taking a hit, and he did not return.

Cole Sillinger (upper-body injury) and Denton Mateychuk (illness) did not play for Columbus.

The Blue Jackets defeated the Maple Leafs 6-2 at Columbus on Oct. 22.

On the heels of their wild 7-5 comeback victory over the Sharks on Tuesday in the first half of a home-and-home set, the Predators are riding a four-game winning streak -- their longest of the season. Nashville has a renewed hope that it can make a miracle run in the final three dozen games.

"Over the last month, I think we've been trying to build towards that (belief)," said defenseman Nick Blankenburg, who scored the game-winning goal in Tuesday's victory. "We've played some good hockey teams and have played some good hockey in the last month. And I think just continuing to build off of that has been big for us."

Last season, the Predators rode a midseason 16-0-2 run that vaulted them into the playoffs. They had high hopes coming into this campaign after adding a trio of big-name free agents in Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei. Instead, they struggled in the first half of the campaign.

The first four-goal comeback in franchise history -- after trailing San Jose 5-1 just past the midway point -- is a huge boost to their hopes.

"We've been playing well the past, I want to say, six, seven weeks," said Marchessault, who scored once in a four-point game and is riding a nine-game point streak. "We've played some good hockey, and we're into most games, but some nights we just didn't find a way to win games. ... So it's definitely positive."

The Predators have won 11 consecutive clashes with San Jose, and 13 of 14.

On the other side of that coin, the Sharks must find a way to regroup after such a disappointing loss.

On the plus, they built a 3-0 lead on Nashville in the first 12 minutes and extended that edge to four goals by the middle of the clash. Even so, the end result cuts deeply.

"We played a pretty good first half of the game, and after that they started playing better, and we just couldn't answer for that," said San Jose forward Mikael Granlund, who scored twice. "So that's (a) pretty embarrassing end."

Embarrassing and a continuation of yet another losing skid for the squad that sits at the bottom of the league standings. As they prepare to host the rematch, the Sharks have lost four straight games and managed only one victory in eight outings.

Going further back, San Jose has managed only four victories in 22 games (4-17-1).

"We're all extremely frustrated," coach Ryan Warsofsky said. "We have to learn and get better. ... We'll prepare our bodies to play a hockey game Thursday against the same team."

On Wednesday, the Sharks made a few moves. Forward Nico Sturm was placed on injury reserve due to a lower-body injury. Minor league forward Justin Bailey was traded to the Anaheim Ducks for forward Pavol Regenda.

San Jose then claimed forward Walker Duehr off waivers from the Calgary Flames. Duehr, 27, has collected one assist in 16 games this season and could be in the lineup on Thursday.

Mercer, 23, recorded his first multigoal game this season, scoring a game-tying goal 1:24 into the frame and the second of New Jersey's two goals in a late 12-second span.

Nico Hischier had a goal and two assists, while Dougie Hamilton (one goal, one assist) and Timo Meier (two assists) also had multipoint efforts for the Devils.

New Jersey went 3-for-7 on the power play and had a 35-23 shot advantage en route to its first regulation win since Jan. 6. The Devils were 1-2-3 in the past six games, including an overtime victory.

Devils goaltender Jacob Markstrom did not return after his left leg struck the post during a second-period collision with Boston forward Justin Brazeau.

Markstrom made six saves on seven shots in 23:09. Jake Allen stopped all 16 shots he faced in relief.

Morgan Geekie scored for Boston, which was on a four-game point streak (3-0-1).

Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman made 25 saves on 29 shots across the first two periods before being replaced by Joonas Korpisalo, who allowed one goal on six shots.

Swayman's 12 first-period saves helped the Bruins take a 1-0 lead into the locker room, but the game turned with the hosts scoring four goals on 17 shots in the middle period.

Mercer tallied on a turnaround shot after Meier collected the carom of a wide shot and fed the puck in front.

After Brazeau was penalized for interfering with Markstrom, Hamilton netted the go-ahead goal during the ensuing power play at 4:12. It was a one-timer off Bratt's cross-ice pass from right to left.

The first of the Devils' quick-fire goals was Noesen's man-up tally at 16:01. After Hischier's try banked off the skate of Boston defender Nikita Zadorov, Noesen benefited from a fortuitous bounce and scored over Swayman's pad.

Mercer added his second goal at 16:13, finishing a tic-tac-toe sequence with Justin Dowling and Meier.

Allen stopped the Bruins from gaining momentum, making a point-blank stop on Oliver Wahlstrom, who collected an Elias Lindholm feed off the rush in the final minute of the second.

On a sustained power-play shift, Hischier tipped home Hamilton's point shot to increase the Devils' lead at 13:32 of the third period.

In the first, brilliant passing led to the Bruins' goal at 5:50. Pavel Zacha started the play with an interception and left a quick drop feed for David Pastrnak, who made a no-look distribution across the ice to Geekie to rip into an open net.

The Golden Knights lost 6-5 at home to the Blues in a shootout on Monday after Vegas scored twice late in the third period and was able to gain a point. Coach Bruce Cassidy's team has lost four straight and six of its last seven (1-5-1).

Despite the slump, the Golden Knights remain one point ahead of the Edmonton Oilers for the lead in the Pacific Division. Cassidy told reporters on Tuesday that the current stretch has been marred by several "self-inflicted" mistakes at key moments.

"I don't think we're playing poorly. We're just playing poorly in the stretches that we're having to chase the game," he said. "It's not 60 minutes; it's pockets of it."

Pavel Dorofeyev has played well for the Golden Knights during the team's recent slump. The Knights' leading goal scorer has six of his 20 in the team's last five games, including the game-tying goal with 30 seconds left in regulation on Monday.

Points leader Jack Eichel (58) has four points (one goal, three assists) in the last three games, including a third-period goal and an assist on Dorofeyev's score on Monday.

Golden Knights goalie Adin Hill has an 18-8-3 record this season. However, he's 1-2-1 in his last four starts and has given up at least three goals in each of the losses.

The Blues have won three of their last four and are tied with the Vancouver Canucks, both of whom are one point back of the Calgary Flames for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

Jake Neighbours has scored in consecutive games and has points in three straight for St. Louis, and Brayden Schenn has at least a point in each of his last four games. They both tallied goals in Monday's shootout to get the second point for the Blues on Monday.

Blues netminder Jordan Binnington is just 13-17-3, which is the worst in his eight-year career. However, he's 9-4-5 in 19 appearances against the Golden Knights with a 3.08 goals-against average and .914 save percentage.

Despite letting a two-goal lead lapse in Vegas on Monday, Blues coach Jim Montgomery came away from the game happy with his team's performance.

"It should give us a lot of confidence that when we play the right way and our habits and details are really good and we combine that with really good effort and execution, that we can play with the elite teams in the league," he said.

Both teams may be somewhat short-handed going into Thursday.

Vegas forward Brett Howden may not make the trip to St. Louis due to an illness. He scored a goal in Monday's loss and is tied with Tomas Hertl for second on the team with 16 goals.

Cassidy also said forward Cole Schwindt, who missed Monday's game, is week-to-week dealing with a lower-body injury.

St. Louis defenseman Philip Broberg left Wednesday's practice early and was being evaluated for an injury, according to NHL.com. He registered an assist, his 12th of the season, in Monday's win. That was his first point since Dec. 31.

Instead, it's turned into so much more.

The Capitals enter Thursday's road game against the Seattle Kraken in first place in the league's overall standings with 69 points.

"I don't really know how to answer that," Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said with a chuckle when asked about his team's record. "We feel good. I mean, we're happy. The guys should be really proud where we are after (47) games. We'll just continue to build and continue to grind."

Offseason additions like forward Pierre-Luc Dubois and defenseman Jakob Chychrun have fit in seamlessly. Dubois is second on the team with 29 assists and Chychrun leads the Caps' blue liners with 13 goals and 31 points.

Chrychrun and Dubois also ranked second and third on the team, respectively, in plus-minus rating, at plus-19 and plus-17.

"There has to be an expectation that we're going to win," Capitals forward Tom Wilson said, according to ESPN. "That's a culture that's been built. The new guys came in this year and complemented that."

Ovechkin entered the season 41 goals behind Gretzky's record of 894 and is halfway to breaking the mark despite missing 16 games with a broken leg. Ovechkin has 21 goals in 31 games played.

Ovechkin scored the lone goal in a 1-0 overtime victory at Ottawa last Thursday, beating Senators rookie Leevi Merilainen. It was the 179th goaltender Ovechkin has scored upon, breaking Jaromir Jagr's record.

"Just the accolades and, like, the different parts of this record are going to just be about a 10-page essay," Carbery said. "You just continue to check boxes on his remarkable career, scoring on different guys and in different buildings and against every team. It's remarkable what he's doing."

This will be the second stop on a five-game Western trip for the Capitals, who won 3-2 on Tuesday in Edmonton. It was Washington's fifth consecutive victory and extended its points streak to 11 games (8-0-3).

The Kraken have won two in a row since starting a stretch when they play nine of 10 games at home.

They defeated the Los Angeles Kings 4-2 on Saturday behind Jaden Schwartz's hat trick and beat Buffalo 6-4 in a Monday matinee as Jared McCann had a goal and two assists.

McCann leads the Kraken in scoring with 36 points (14 goals, 22 assists).

"Not just him, but his line (with Shane Wright and Eeli Tolvanen) finding the offense is big," Kraken coach Dan Bylsma said. "We want to be deep through our team, throughout our scoring, and Jared's a big part of that. ... (That goal), those assists were big to see us rounding out 12 guys, any given guy who can add to the scoresheet."

Chandler Stephenson scored for the fifth time in the past 10 games, defensemen Jamie Oleksiak and Adam Larsson added key goals for the Kraken and goaltender Joey Daccord made 25 saves against the Sabres.

"I think the way we're playing right now, we're starting to come into our own, really starting to play together, play as a team, create momentum from every single line," said forward Matty Beniers as the Kraken chase a Western Conference wild-card playoff berth.

"You see every line contributing, putting in goals. That's the way we need to play, that's our style, and we're starting to find it here."

There is bad blood between the two teams after the league slapped McDavid with a three-game ban Monday for delivering a crosscheck to the head of Canucks' agitator Conor Garland during the dying seconds of Vancouver's 3-2 victory on Saturday night.

Vancouver's Tyler Myers was also suspended for three games for a separate crosscheck on Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard during the incident.

The Oilers are upset that no penalty was called on Garland for holding McDavid just moments before the crosscheck took place.

"I'm just holding him; the time's running out. I thought that was the best way for us to win a game," Garland, who was not injured on the play, told reporters after the game.

McDavid served the first game of his suspension in a 3-2 loss to Washington on Tuesday.

Thursday night's contest is a rematch of last season's second-round playoff series which the Oilers won in seven games on their way to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Edmonton has now lost two straight to follow a four-game winning streak.

The Oilers' Leon Draisaitl scored his league-leading 34th goal and added an assist to stretch his point streak to seven games in the loss to the Capitals.

Stuart Skinner allowed three goals on 14 shots and the Oilers went 0-for-3 on the power play against the Capitals, but coach Kris Knoblauch isn't sounding the alarm.

"I think that's one of our better games that we've played defensively," Knoblauch said. "I don't think we gave up very much, a couple off the rush, yes. We're never going to play a perfect game, the other team is going to get scoring chances, but I don't think there were very many tonight."

Draisaitl gave the Oilers a 1-0 lead at 3:02 of the first period when he took a pass from Darnell Nurse and lifted a backhand shot past Washington goalie Logan Thompson from the low slot.

The Oilers outshot the Capitals 23-9 over the first two periods. Corey Perry also scored for Edmonton off a pass from Draisaitl.

Vancouver, which has been beset by trade speculation involving forward J.T. Miller, has lost seven of its last nine games.

The Canucks' Quinn Hughes, the reigning Norris Trophy winner as the league's top defenseman, has a team-best 51 points in 42 games. Miller is the next closest with 32 points.

"We got to find better consistency," Vancouver forward Elias Pettersson said. "We had some breakdowns in the defensive and neutral zones. But it is not one issue.

"When we play with speed, we find each other and create lot of scoring chances."

On Tuesday, the Canucks blew a 2-1 third-period lead before losing 3-2 to the Buffalo Sabres. Pettersson and Phillip Di Giuseppe scored while Thatcher Demko stopped 23 shots.

"We have got to man up," Demko said. "I haven't been good enough this year. I got to keep working and find that level that I know I can get to."

The 23-year-old has been stellar in his first full NHL season, going 16-7-2 with two shutouts, a 2.50 goals-against average and .917 save percentage in 25 games. The Flames will look for that success to continue when they hosts the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday.

A seventh-round pick (214th overall) of the Flames in 2019, Wolf has been given time to develop since getting a three-game taste of pro hockey in the 2020-21 season before returning to his junior team in the Western Hockey League.

Wolf spent each of the next three seasons primarily in the American Hockey League before earning an NHL roster spot this season. He has been eased into his first full NHL season, alternating starts with Dan Vladar every game or two. Lately, though, he has seized the reins with 11 starts in the Flames' past 15 games and is 8-2-1 in those outings.

That includes a 38-save performance in their 3-1 win against the Western Conference-leading Winnipeg Jets on Saturday.

"Just makes really tough saves look really routine and really easy," Calgary forward Blake Coleman said. "Definitely a calming presence for us. Some of the backdoor stops he made (Saturday), it's fun to watch, honestly. It takes a little bit of the stress out of it for us, honestly. He's obviously a huge part of why we come out with two points."

Calgary holds the second wild-card berth in the Western Conference as the team looks to reach the postseason for the first time since 2021-22.

Thursday's tilt marks a quick visit home for the Flames, who are coming off a four-game road trip in which they went 2-2-0. They have enjoyed the comforts of home this season, going 14-6-3 as the hosts compared to an 8-10-4 record as the visitors.

The Sabres, meanwhile, head into the matchup looking to build off a 3-2 road win against the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday. Down by one after two periods, Buffalo scored twice in just under five minutes in the third period to take the lead.

Rookie Jiri Kulich shined in the victory, scoring the equalizer and assisting on the other two tallies -- both of which came off key face-off wins. The 20-year-old, who returned to the lineup Monday after missing four games with a lower-body injury, has impressed since coach Lindy Ruff moved him to his natural center position at the end of November.

He had two goals and zero assists in his first 17 games. He has 10 points (six goals, four assists) in his past 16 outings and ranks fourth among NHL rookies in that stretch.

"Real impressive," Ruff said. "We knew how well he'd been playing before he went out. I mean, we talked about center or wing, I think he's proven now that he can play in the middle and he can carry the puck through the neutral zone, he can win key face-offs for us, and defensively he's been really strong."

Buffalo will be looking to win consecutive games for just the second time in 11 games after going 4-5-1.

Lowry awkwardly crashed into the boards during the first period and missed the next two periods. Winnipeg coach Scott Arniel revealed the injury timetable after Wednesday's morning skate in Denver for a game against the Colorado Avalanche.

"Obviously a big blow," Arniel said. "He played the rest of the period but it really affected what he was able to do."

Wednesday's absence will be the first of the season for the 31-year-old Lowry, who has 11 goals and 15 assists in 48 games.

"It's a huge loss -- in many ways," Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey told The Athletic. "His dependability at both ends of the ice, his ability to play against top lines, any extracurricular stuff -- he can obviously handle his own. But he also has the ability to produce and defend, I think we've really seen him at his best this season. On the ice, what you see, we miss. Off the ice, what people don't see -- the leadership, how he brings the guys together ... We'll miss that."

The center is in his 11th NHL season, all with Winnipeg. Lowry has 116 goals and 149 assists in 750 career games.

Heading into Thursday's encounter in New York, the Rangers are on a nine-game points streak while the Flyers are attempting to earn at least a point in a seventh straight contest.

The Rangers allowed goals to Bobby Brink and Travis Konecny in the opening 4:24 of their 3-1 loss at Philadelphia on Nov. 29 and it was their fifth straight defeat in what became a 4-15-0 slide. The skid saw the Rangers go from two points out of first place in the Metropolitan to seven points out of the second wild-card spot.

The last game of that skid was a 5-3 loss to the Florida Panthers on Dec. 30 and since then the Rangers are 7-1-3 in their past 11 contests. New York's lone regulation loss was a 7-4 road setback to the Washington Capitals on Jan. 4 and since then the Rangers are 6-0-3.

New York is on its best points streak since winning 10 straight Jan. 27-Feb 24 last season en route to winning the President's Trophy. The Rangers scored at least three goals for the sixth time in this stretch Tuesday night when it rolled to a 5-0 victory over the Ottawa Senators that improved them to 4-0-1 in their past five home contests following a run of eight losses in 11 home games.

Two nights after blowing four one-goal leads in a 5-4 overtime loss to the host Montreal Canadiens, the Rangers earned their most lopsided victory of their hot streak by getting goals from five different players and points from 13 players. Alexis Lafreniere, Arthur Kaliyev and Matt Rempe scored at even strength before Artemi Panarin and Will Cuylle scored power-play goals 56 seconds apart in the third period.

"It was really good, but it's been fairly consistent," Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said after his team allowed a season-low 20 shots on goal and scored at least five goals for the ninth time. "I thought tonight we were real sharp defensively out of the gate in the first period, able to get a lead."

The Rangers have a game in hand with the Flyers, who are at 50 points through 48 games. Before its hot streak, Philadelphia lost four straight (0-3-1) and went 5-10-2 in a 17-game span from Dec. 1-Jan. 9 that dropped them five points out.

Philadelphia's successful streak began with a 6-0 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Jan. 11 and its only loss was a shootout loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Jan. 14 when it allowed the tying goal with under five minutes remaining.

The Flyers played their fourth one-goal contest in their streak when they earned a 2-1 overtime win over the visiting Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday. Rasmus Ristolainen scored with 26 seconds left in overtime and Joel Farabee scored in the first period before setting up the game-winner, giving him four points since being scratched for three straight contests.

Philadelphia's latest win was its 11th one-goal victory and the Flyers head to New York having allowed 30 shots on goal or fewer in 12 straight contests.

"I think as a young team, we're learning to play those tight games, be patient, not open up and give in," Philadelphia captain Sean Couturier said. "These are good learning experiences. We're finding ways to get results, so it's always rewarding. It's nice for the confidence. We've just got to build on that."

One of the players, Kirill Kaprizov, is the leading scorer on the Wild. The other, Jared Spurgeon, is the team captain and a respected leader in the dressing room.

"It's exciting," Eriksson Ek said. "Two very important players for us. It's fun to have them back out there."

Barring any late surprises, Kaprizov and Spurgeon are expected to be on the ice when the Wild welcome the Utah Hockey Club on Thursday night in Saint Paul, Minn. Kaprizov has not played since Dec. 23, and Spurgeon has not played since Dec. 31.

Wild coach John Hynes said both players took part in practice Wednesday and looked good. Hynes said the duo's return led to a high-energy practice ahead of Thursday's game.

"It certainly helps when you have guys coming back and being part of the practice," Hynes said. "Not only is the team excited, but I also think the players that are coming back from injury, they're glad to be around the guys and the team and be at practice. Each side fuels each other."

Utah also is feeling good after posting back-to-back wins at home against the St. Louis Blues and Winnipeg Jets. The club will open a three-game road trip at Minnesota before traveling north of the border to face the Jets and the Ottawa Senators over the weekend.

Utah forward Clayton Keller said he liked the way that he and his teammates were playing together in the past week. Keller reached the 50-point mark in his latest game and has at least one point in each of his past four games, with two goals and seven assists during that span.

"The last three games, even though we didn't win against the (New York) Rangers (three games ago), that was a step in the right direction," Keller said. "If you keep doing the right things, you're going to win. So it's good to see us get a couple (of wins) before we go on the road.

"It's a huge road trip for us. So I'm looking forward to that."

Minnesota will start either Filip Gustavsson or Marc-Andre Fleury in net. Gustavsson is 18-9-3 with a 2.58 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage, and Fleury is 10-4-1 with a 2.60 GAA and a .909 save percentage.

Utah's main two netminders are Karel Vejmelka and Connor Ingram. Vejmelka is 10-13-3 with a 2.54 GAA and a .910 save percentage, and Ingram is 8-5-3 with a 3.29 GAA and an .882 save percentage.

This is the third meeting of the regular season between the teams. Minnesota won the first matchup 5-4 in a shootout round on Dec. 10, and Utah earned a 2-1 victory on Dec. 20.

Hynes said he wanted the Wild to continue to play a team game if Kaprizov and Spurgeon returned to the lineup.

"It's important that if those two guys come back, they come in and they play their roles and play to their identities," Hynes said. "But everybody else has to continue to do what they're doing. When players come back of the magnitude of those two guys and everybody else continues to play at the level that they've played at, now your team can get stronger. That's something that I would like to see."

Montreal has a 13-3-1 record over its last 17 games with the wins over the Red Wings coming early in the streak. The Canadiens won at Detroit 4-3 on Dec. 20, then took the rematch the following night, 5-1.

The game on Thursday will be the third of four meetings between the Original Six opponents. Montreal has won its last two games following a 7-3 to Toronto. The Canadiens bounced back with a 5-4 overtime victory against the New York Islanders, then rallied from a two-goal deficit to defeat Tampa Bay, 3-2, on Tuesday.

"We don't want to be caught in those (deficit) situations, especially coming down the stretch," center Alex Newhook said. "We don't want to be chasing the game all the time. If there's anything we can take away from this success we've found, it's getting out to better starts is important for us."

Jake Evans finished off the rally with a tiebreaking goal with 2:15 remaining.

"I think we just have so much belief in how we play and no lead is too far off for us to chase off," Evans said. "We were down two and weren't playing our best, and we knew if we started playing our hockey, it's going to be easy to get back in it."

Lane Hutson could make some history on Thursday. He extended his assist and point streaks to nine games on Tuesday. That tied the NHL record for the longest assist streak by a rookie defenseman, set by Shayne Gostisbehere of the Philadelphia Flyers in 2015-16.

The Red Wings return home after an unproductive road trip. They have lost four of their past five games and went 1-2-1 on the journey, which pushed them back to the .500 mark. Detroit has the third-fewest points in the Eastern Conference.

Detroit completed the road swing with a 2-1 overtime loss to Philadelphia on Tuesday.

"We've been in this position (before), we were here last year," captain Dylan Larkin said. "You have to capitalize on your opportunities. A night like (Tuesday), we didn't have our legs and it was a sloppy game but we found a way to get a point. It would have been nice to get two and especially with the way things have been going."

The Red Wings reeled off seven straight victories under new coach Todd McLellan prior to the five-game dropoff, which began with a home loss to one of the league's worst teams, San Jose.

After a 5-2 victory over defending champion Florida, the Red Wings have scored a single goal in each of their last three games.

"We limited them to two goals, one of them in overtime," forward Lucas Raymond said. "The defensive structure was real good most of the game. If we get a couple of goals, it's a completely different game."

Now, the Red Wings need a prolonged hot streak to get back in the playoff picture.

"For sure not a successful trip in our point of view," Raymond said. "We know the way we're supposed to play and we have to get back to that."

Bailey, 29, has spent this season with the San Jose Barracuda of the American Hockey League, recording 14 points (seven goals, seven assists) in 33 games.

He has totaled 23 points (10 goals, 13 assists) in 141 career games with the Buffalo Sabres, Philadelphia Flyers, Vancouver Canucks and Sharks. He was selected by the Sabres in the second round of the 2013 NHL Draft.

Regenda, 25, has 16 points (four goals, 12 assists) in 36 games this season with the San Diego Gulls of the AHL.

He has appeared in 19 career NHL games, totaling three points (one goal, two assists) -- all with the Ducks.

"They were good. They do feel good," Hynes said after both players participated in line rushes during practice on Wednesday.

"I think we're going to wait, go discuss with the trainers, but cautiously optimistic that they'll be back for tomorrow."

Kaprizov, 27, has missed the team's past 12 games with a lower-body injury. Despite his absence, he still leads Minnesota in goals (23), assists (27) and points (50) in 34 games this season.

The Calder Trophy recipient as the NHL's top rookie in 2020-21, Kaprizov has totaled 380 points (183 goals, 197 assists) in 312 career games with the Wild.

Spurgeon, 35, sat out the last nine games with a lower-body injury. The defenseman has totaled 13 points (four goals, nine assists) in 32 games and is averaging 20:43 of ice time.

Spurgeon has totaled 397 points (114 goals, 283 assists) in 899 career games -- all with Minnesota.