The NHL betting schedule for Saturday sees 24 of the league's 30 teams in action, and there are a plethora of games on the ice that are going to once again impact the playoff chases in both conferences.
If the playoff were to start right now, the New York Rangers would be the top seed in the Eastern Conference. They lead the conference in wins with 34, and their 73 points leaves them four points clear of the rest of the conference with fewer games played than most of the other top teams.
Henrik Lundqvist continues to be hot. He has three shutouts in his last seven starts, and has only allowed more than two goals in one of those seven games. At 24-11-4, he has a tremendous record, and his 1.75 GAA and .939 save percentage are both second in the NHL.
Just six days ago, Lundqvist picked up the win in a 5-2 triumph over the Philadelphia Flyers. The win extended New York's lead in the Atlantic Division, and it could do the same again by picking up two points on Saturday afternoon against these same Flyers.
The Rangers put their 17-7-3 road mark on the line in the City of Brotherly Love in a 1:00 (ET) skate on Saturday afternoon.
Also at 1:00 (ET), the Boston Bruins are going to be in action at TD Garden vs. the Nashville Predators. They have the best goal differential in the league at +63, yet their lead in the Northeast Division is nowhere near safe at this point.
The Bruins were trumped 6-0 in one of their worst showings of the year on Wednesday night by the Buffalo Sabres, and they are going to be eager to get back on the ice to put that defeat behind them. Nashville has lost a pair of one-goal games in a row though, and the Preds are going to want to prove that they are good enough to go on the road and win in one of the toughest venues in the league.
You can catch this one on FOX Sports Tennessee and NESN.
Elsewhere during the afternoon, the Florida Panthers and New Jersey Devils drop the puck at 1:00 (ET), while clashes pitting the Edmonton Oilers against the Ottawa Senators and the Winnipeg Jets against the Pittsburgh Penguins start at 2:00 (ET).
Six more games are on tap for Saturday evening, the showcase game of which pits the Vancouver Canucks against the Calgary Flames at the Saddledome.
Vancouver's 73 points leaves it in second place in the Western Conference. The team is actually playing better on the road than at home, as its 19 wins away from home is the most for any team in the league.
The Flames are one of five teams within four points of each other trying to snare the last two playoff spots in the Western Conference. They have been helped out by claiming at least one point in their last four games.
The Canucks have gone a whopping 44-14 in their last 58 games in division, but the Flames stopped a five-game slide against Vancouver when these teams last met on December 23.
The puck drops in Calgary at 10:00 (ET), and this Saturday night Canadian clash can be seen on CBC in the Great White North.
The Chicago Blackhawks have lost six games in a row heading into their Friday contest at San Jose, the longest losing streak in the league. They'll be up against it on Saturday night on the road at the Phoenix Coyotes, who have the longest winning streak in the league at four games coming into the weekend. This 8:30 p.m. (ET) skate can be seen on FOX Sports Arizona and WGN.
There are two games that get started at 7:00 (ET) on Saturday night. The Tampa Bay Lightning and Buffalo Sabres square off in a battle of Eastern Conference cellar dwellers, while the Toronto Maple Leafs will continue their rivalry against the Montreal Canadiens.
At 8:00 (ET), the Colorado Avalanche take on the scorching St. Louis Blues, who will be looking to improve their solid 22-3-4 record at Scottrade Arena this year. The lowly Columbus Blue Jackets also take on the Minnesota Wild at 8:00 (ET).