NHL

The Minnesota Wild can relate to the sensation that is the story of the first-year expansion Las Vegas Golden Knights. A year ago, the Wild were the shocking surprise team in the NHL's Western Conference, rocketing to the top of the standings and flirting with first overall in the conference before fading badly down the stretch and exiting meekly from the Stanley Cup playoffs in the opening round.

The bye week couldn't have come at a worse time for the Philadelphia Flyers. They'd won three in a row and were making a concerted effort to move back into playoff contention. The New Jersey Devils, on the other hand, probably welcomed the break. They've lost five in a row and have yet to taste victory in 2018. These two Metropolitan Division rivals return to action facing each other.

We’re heading into the final week of the NHL season, so expect games to tighten up down the stretch as clubs battle for playoff position and home-ice advantage. Among the games to keep an eye on is the Pittsburgh-Columbus matchup, which will feature two of the league’s most potent offensive clubs facing off.

The NHL trade deadline is a day of hope and excitement, as Stanley Cup contenders seek out that missing piece of the puzzle. It's always a roll the dice, so you never know what you're going to get.

The New Jersey Devils take a trip to the Shark Tank to take on a hungry San Jose squad looking to stay right up there in the race for the Pacific Division title. Puck drops at 10:30PM EST, with the Sharks as the heavy favourite on Thursday night.

The Pacific Division leading Los Angeles Kings head to The Scottrade Center to take on a strong St. Louis Blues squad at 8:00pm EST on Thursday. When two of the best teams in the Western Conference play each other it allways makes for a great game and some great betting – with Los Angeles Kings being a smart pick as a road underdog.

The Vancouver Canuck’s continue their 6 game road trip with a quick stop in the City of Brother love to play the Philadelphia Flyers at 7:00pm EST. Neither team excels at scoring so expect a nitty, gritty game with the home team Flyers having the edge on Thursday night.

Central Divisional rivals do battle on the Ice this Thursday night as the Chicago Blackhawks travel to Nashville to take on Predators at 8:00pm EST. The central division is the most hotly contested and talented division in the NHL this season and every game matters – so except a tight battle between two evenly match foes.

The Toronto Maple Leafs head down to Minnesota to face the Wild on the second game of a back-to-back at 8:00pm EST on Thursday night. The Leafs have not had any success this season playing in back-to-back games, but with James Reimer likely to return to the net, the Leafs have a chance to best a well-rounded Minnesota squad.