Canada’s teams find themselves in must-win mode in NHL playoff action

The GIST: The Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes are just one win away from advancing to the next round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, so let’s see how the rest of the field is stacking up heading into a crucial weekend of games.

Eastern Conference: The President’s Trophy–winning NY Rangers have had the upper hand on the Washington Capitals all series long and will aim to rewrite history as they attempt to go up 3-0 when the puck drops in DC tonight at 7 p.m. ET, but don’t count out captain Alex Ovechkin — despite his struggles, he can turn it on at a moment’s notice.

• Out in Toronto, frustrations are mounting for the Maple Leafs after Wednesday’s 4–2 Game 3 loss to the Boston Bruins, who now lead the series 2-1 thanks to captain Brad Marchand’s outstanding offensive efforts. The rivals meet again for Game 4 tomorrow at 8 p.m. ET.

Western Conference: The West remains as wild as ever with some high-scoring series evened at one game apiece. After dropping their Game 2s on Tuesday, the Winnipeg Jets and Vancouver Canucks will look to get back on track when they head out on the road for tonight’s Game 3s against the Colorado Avalanche (7:30 p.m. ET) and Nashville Predators (10 p.m. ET), respectively.

• The Edmonton Oilers slipped on their own ice in Wednesday’s 5–4 overtime Game 2 loss to the LA Kings — tune in to see if Connor McDavid and Co. can shine under the Hollywood lights in tomorrow’s 10:30 p.m. ET Game 3.

• The defending champion Vegas Golden Knights (up 2-0) are the only squad bucking the trend and will aim to stay in the driver’s seat against the Dallas Stars tomorrow at 10:30 p.m. ET. All in.