Given their ongoing struggles at Barclays Arena, the New York Islanders might find life on the road more to their liking -- especially against the worst team in the Eastern Conference. The Islanders look to climb back into a playoff spot when they visit the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday night before returning home for four in a row.

February shapes up as a potential make-or-break month for the Calgary Flames, who face a brutal stretch with nine of their next 12 games away from home as they contend for a playoff slot in the congested Western Conference. The Flames were victorious in the opener of a six-game road trip and look to continue the momentum at the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night.

The City of Brotherly Love will be in a festive mood on Thursday as Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kennedy said he expects "north of two million people" to line the streets to honor the Super Bowl champion Eagles. The Flyers, who are the most recognizable tenants of Broad Street, will bid to keep the party going later that night when they host the Montreal Canadiens.

The Nashville Predators will have their sights set on first place in the Central Division when they continue their four-game road trip Thursday against the Ottawa Senators. Nashville pulled within one point of Winnipeg for the top spot in the division on Wednesday, when they overcame a two-goal deficit in Toronto before falling 3-2 in a shootout.

The NHL-best Tampa Bay Lightning survived an eight-game road swing by collecting five wins and play at home for the first time since Jan. 18 when they host the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night. The Lightning won three of four away from home before the All-Star break and split four games on the central and western  Canada leg of the road stretch, closing with their worst performance in a 6-2 loss at Edmonton on Monday.

The Colorado Avalanche continue to battle for a wild-card spot in the Western Conference, but injuries to key players are starting to mount as they visit the St. Louis Blues on Thursday. Mikko Rantanen missed Tuesday's 3-1 victory over San Jose - Colorado's only home game between Jan. 20 and Feb. 14 - with a lower-body injury, leaving the Avalanche without their top two point-getters as he joined Nathan MacKinnon (upper-body) in the trainer's room.

The Minnesota Wild have skated back into the postseason picture by virtue of a strong 7-2-1 mark over their last 10 contests. The Wild look to strengthen their hold on the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference on Thursday when they open a five-game homestand against the Arizona Coyotes.

The Dallas Stars dropped all five matchups to the Chicago Blackhawks in 2016-17, but they have turned the tables on their Central Division rivals this season. The Stars have won three in a row overall and all three meetings against the Blackhawks as they go for a season series sweep on Thursday night in Chicago.

Jonathan Marchessault and William Karlsson are paving the way for the Vegas Golden Knights during their Cinderella expansion season. The talented duo looks to continue its torrid ways on Thursday when the Golden Knights complete a three-game road trip against the Pacific Division rival San Jose Sharks.