All-Star right wing Nikita Kucherov is enjoying one of the best stretches of his career and hopes to ride the momentum when his Tampa Bay Lightning visit the injury-hampered Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday night. Kucherov registered a career-high nine shots Feb. 19 against Colorado without a point and recorded six goals and six assists in four games since, including a hat trick Monday against Ottawa.

The Carolina Hurricanes could get leading scorer Jeff Skinner back in the lineup Friday as they try to snap out of a 1-5-3 tailspin when they host the struggling Arizona Coyotes. Skinner, who has scored 20 goals for the fifth time in his seven NHL seasons, has missed the last two games with an upper-body injury but should be available after Carolina went 0-0-2 in his absence.

A pair of teams who need strong finishes to the regular season to earn a Western Conference playoff spot meet Friday when the Winnipeg Jets host the St. Louis Blues. Neither team is in playoff position as St. Louis is one point behind eighth-place Los Angeles with Winnipeg another five points behind the Blues.

The Chicago Blackhawks have been nearly unbeatable since the beginning of February and have first place in the Central Division — and Western Conference — in their sights. Chicago looks to inch closer to the top spot and extend its winning streak to six games as it wraps up its four-game homestand Friday against the New York Islanders.

The Calgary Flames are making it clear they belong in the postseason as they host the Detroit Red Wings on Friday. Calgary defeated Pacific Division rival and playoff-position pursuer Los Angeles 2-1 in overtime on Tuesday for its fifth straight victory and 10th in the last 13 games (10-2-1) to open a solid lead in the Western Conference wild-card race while getting within within two points of Anaheim for third place in the Pacific.

The Anaheim Ducks' inability to put together back-to-back victories has them in danger of falling out of third place in the Pacific Division. Anaheim looks to avoid a second straight loss when it begins a three-game homestand Friday against the Toronto Maple Leafs.