from Scott Burnside of ESPN,

The Flames' gutsy win against Anaheim sets the stage for a couple of crucial tilts Thursday night.

First, the Kings -- still somewhat shockingly outside the playoff bubble with less than a month to go in the regular season -- will travel to Vancouver and play the Canucks. Like the Falames, Vancouver is soldiering on without a key piece of their machinery in starting netminder Ryan Miller. The Kings have been putrid on the road all year with just 11 wins, but they're coming off a road win against Colorado and a win Thursday will close the gap on both Calgary and Vancouver, who currently own the third and second spots in the Pacific, respectively.

The other game to watch is the San Jose Sharks hosting the Nashville Predators. The Sharks are going to have to go on a tear if they're going to keep their playoff streak alive, and the Preds will provide a stern test as they try to hold off the St. Louis Blues atop the Central Division.

Drama? Every night it seems.

read on for Lebrun and Custance on the Flames and Joe McDonald for the race to the top in the Eastern Conference...