National Hockey

Nashville Predators (25-21-2, fourth in the Central Division) vs. Chicago Blackhawks (22-20-5, sixth in the Central Division) Chicago; Friday, 8 p.m.

Montreal Canadiens (20-15-9, fourth in the North Division) vs. Calgary Flames (19-23-3, fifth in the North Division) Calgary, Alberta; Friday, 9 p.m.

Minnesota Wild (29-13-3, third in the West Division) vs. Los Angeles Kings (17-20-6, seventh in the West Division) Los Angeles; Friday, 10 p.m.

EDMONTON — Josh Anderson set the tone Wednesday morning by encouraging his teammates to up their intensity as they look to solidify a playoff spot.

LAS VEGAS — The Vegas Golden Knights are no longer the new kids on the NHL block. They’re a perennial powerhouse.

LAS VEGAS — Jonathan Marchessault scored twice and the Vegas Golden Knights became the first NHL team to clinch a playoff berth, beating the San Jose Sharks 5-2 on Wednesday night for their eighth straight victory.

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Kirill Kripizov scored a dazzling goal to break Minnesota's rookie record, Cam Talbot stopped 39 shots and the Wild stretched their winning streak to five games with a 4-1 win over the Arizona Coyotes on Wednesday night.

DALLAS — The defending Western Conference champion Dallas Stars have quite a road to get back in the post-season .

CHICAGO — Brandon Hagel scored 3:00 into overtime, and the Chicago Blackhawks rallied to beat the Nashville Predators 5-4 on Wednesday night. Hagel also had two assists as Chicago beat Nashville for the first time in seven games this season.

The NHL on Wednesday confirmed it has not guaranteed loosened virus protocols for players who are vaccinated after Vegas goaltender Robin Lehner ripped the league for what he said were unkept promises.