The Boston Bruins, Florida Panthers, Carolina Hurricanes, and Dallas Stars all punched their tickets to the playoffs during a busy Thursday night.

The Stars secured their spot by beating the Vancouver Canucks 3-1, marking their third straight playoff berth. Captain Jamie Benn played the hero with a late power-play goal.

Dallas made it all the way to the conference finals last spring but was dispatched by the Vegas Golden Knights.

Once again one of the Central's top squads, the Stars lead their division with a 46-19-9 record. They are just the second team to eclipse the 100-point mark this season.

The Canucks would have clinched their first playoff appearance since 2020 if they prevailed over the Stars.

The Bruins weren't in action, but they clinched their spot thanks to the Philadelphia Flyers' 4-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens.

Beantown has now qualified for the postseason for eight straight campaigns, but it hasn't advanced past the first round since 2021. Last spring, the Florida Panthers upset the Bruins in the opening round after Boston set all-time records in wins (65) and points (135) in the regular season.

The Bruins were expected to take a step back in 2023-24 following the offseason retirements of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, but they occupy the top spot in the Atlantic Division with a 42-17-15 record.

The Panthers lost their game to the New York Islanders 3-2 on Thursday, but they'll return to the postseason for the fifth straight year thanks to the Hurricanes' 4-0 victory over the Detroit Red Wings.

Florida stunned the hockey world last season by reaching the Stanley Cup Final, though it fell to the Golden Knights in five games.

The Panthers carried that momentum into this season. They sit second in the Atlantic Division with a 46-22-5 record and are just two points behind the Bruins in first with one game in hand.

Head coach Paul Maurice didn't answer any questions about the Panthers clinching a playoff spot, as he was less than pleased with their effort against the Islanders.

"Today is free quote f-----g day," he said postgame, according to Florida Hockey Now's Colby Guy. "Take whatever you think I might say and use it. I won't b---- about it."

The loss was Florida's sixth in its last seven games.

The Hurricanes handled their business with a convincing victory over Detroit, securing their sixth consecutive playoff berth. They're in second place in the Metropolitan Division with a 46-21-7 record.

Carolina made the conference finals last spring but was swept by the Panthers. Head coach Rod Brind'Amour's squad has advanced to at least the second round in each of the last three seasons.

Each of the Hurricanes' losses to Florida came by one goal. In an effort to avoid the same fate, Carolina acquired one of the biggest fish at the trade deadline in Jake Guentzel.

The New York Rangers became the first team to clinch a playoff spot Tuesday.

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Ottawa Senators general manager Steve Staios' hunt for a new head coach is starting to take shape.

The GM is building on a list of candidates that includes Toronto Marlies head coach John Gruden, TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported during Thursday's edition of "Insider Trading."

"But other bigger names such as Todd McLellan, Dean Evason, Craig Berube, among others, I believe, are also on this working list," LeBrun added.

LeBrun noted that the Senators "are in no rush" to find their replacement behind the bench, though they'd "love" to have someone in place by the 2024 NHL Draft in late June.

Jacques Martin took the reins after D.J. Smith was fired in December, but the 71-year-old has expressed no interest in taking over the role on a full-time basis.

Gruden has never been a head coach at the NHL level, but he served as an assistant coach for the Boston Bruins during their Presidents' Trophy-winning campaign in 2022-23. Before that, he spent four seasons on the New York Islanders' bench.

The 53-year-old is in his first season as head coach of the Marlies, the Toronto Maple Leafs' AHL affiliate. The team has gone 30-21-9-2 under his direction.

Gruden has previous experience working with Staios and Senators owner Michael Andlauer while coaching the OHL's Hamilton Bulldogs from 2016-18. They won the OHL championship together in 2018.

The other names reportedly on Staios' list so far have a wealth of NHL experience.

McLellan was fired as head coach of the Los Angeles Kings in February following a concerning stretch in which they dropped 14 of 17 games. He owns an all-time record of 598-412-134 split between the San Jose Sharks, Edmonton Oilers, and Los Angeles. The 56-year-old also has 88 playoff games under his belt, and he won the Stanley Cup in 2008 as an assistant coach for the Detroit Red Wings.

Evason spent the last five seasons as bench boss of the Wild, but Minnesota dismissed him in November after an abysmal seven-game losing streak. He guided the Wild to the playoffs four times, but they never advanced past the opening round. The 59-year-old owns a 147-77-27 record in the regular season.

The St. Louis Blues let Berube go in December after a 13-14-1 start to the season. He became their head coach in November 2018, and he helped pilot the Blues' turnaround from last place in the league to Stanley Cup champions. The 58-year-old holds an all-time record of 281-190-72 split between the Philadelphia Flyers and Blues.

The Senators are in the midst of another underwhelming campaign. Ottawa was generally expected to push for a playoff spot, but the team is toiling away near the bottom of the standings.

Staios recently acknowledged that the higher expectations were "debilitating" for his young Senators this season.

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Matt and guest co-host Irf Gaffar look at the Canucks second opportunity to clinch a berth in the Stanley Cup playoffs and a chance to reclaim the top spot in the Western Conference against the Dallas Stars. They delve into several topics including: Dakota Joshua's return to the lineup, his station alongside J.T. Miller & Brock Boeser how much he was missed, and his season arc after some tough love in October. Other topics include 10 games left, it's go time; Elias Lindholm's injury and the centre depth that's able to withstand it, the versatility of Canucks forwards who can play the middle, the matchup on defence against Dallas with two bright young superstars and two of the league's best pairs, a potential start for Arturs Silovs on Sunday, and playoff tickets going on sale soon.

Frank Seravalli stops by and talks about Lindholm's future with the injury and pending free agency. He also covers Filip Hronek's value as the most important Canucks free agent; the schedule for opening night of the playoffs, the cost of minor hockey these days and getting a kid to the NHL; plus the NHL's stance on CTE.

Patrick Johnston joins to talk about Canucks culture and how it's changed in the story he wrote. How the players have matured. How head coach Rick Tocchet has contributed to the changes. PJ also talks about their most important free agents and Joshua's return to the lineup. Presented by Applewood Auto Group.

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Matt and guest co-host Irf Gaffar look at the Canucks second opportunity to clinch a berth in the Stanley Cup playoffs and a chance to reclaim the top spot in the Western Conference against the Dallas Stars. They delve into several topics including: Dakota Joshua's return to the lineup, his station alongside J.T. Miller & Brock Boeser how much he was missed, and his season arc after some tough love in October. Other topics include 10 games left, it's go time; Elias Lindholm's injury and the centre depth that's able to withstand it, the versatility of Canucks forwards who can play the middle, the matchup on defence against Dallas with two bright young superstars and two of the league's best pairs, a potential start for Arturs Silovs on Sunday, and playoff tickets going on sale soon.

Frank Seravalli stops by and talks about Lindholm's future with the injury and pending free agency. He also covers Filip Hronek's value as the most important Canucks free agent; the schedule for opening night of the playoffs, the cost of minor hockey these days and getting a kid to the NHL; plus the NHL's stance on CTE.

Patrick Johnston joins to talk about Canucks culture and how it's changed in the story he wrote. How the players have matured. How head coach Rick Tocchet has contributed to the changes. PJ also talks about their most important free agents and Joshua's return to the lineup. Presented by Applewood Auto Group.

Follow us on social (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok & YouTube)

Thank you to our sponsors:

Applewood Auto Group | It’s All Good At Applewood

Ben Moss Jewellers | Shop Ben Moss Jewellers

GRETA Bar Vancouver | S&P's Home For Food, Drinks And Watching The Game

Great Clips | It’s Gonna Be Great

Kal Tire | It's How We Roll

Tim Hortons | Roll Up To Win Is Back

Yellow Dog Brewing | Located in Port Moody (2817 Murray Street)

Follow host Matt Sekeres

Follow host Blake Price

Follow producer Grady Sas

Watch Sekeres & Price LIVE on YouTube

Visit CanucksArmy.com for the latest on the Canucks!

Powered by The Nation Network. Reach out to sales@nationnetwork.com to connect with our Sales Team and discuss opportunities to partner with us.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Drew Doughty had a message for those who say the Los Angeles Kings' 1-3-1 alignment isn't good for the game of hockey.

"Pretty absurd comments," the veteran blue-liner said, according to The Fourth Period's Dennis Bernstein. "When we brought the system (in) ... I wasn't too keen on playing it, to be honest with you. But as we've continued to play it seeing how successful it is and how frustrating it is for other teams ... and I think a lot of these people are just saying it out of frustration, because it's working."

Vancouver Canucks rearguard Nikita Zadorov criticized the strategy after a 3-2 loss to the Kings on Monday night.

“I mean, that's their system,” he said, per Sportsnet's Iain MacIntyre. “They don't really make plays; they just rim the puck and sit back all game. I mean, it's their goal to (not) play hockey and (not) let the other team play hockey, pretty much. Yeah, it's hard to come back, especially when you're down two goals. They had one extra bounce than we did today, so that was the difference out there.”

Kings head coach Jim Hiller defended the system on Wednesday, pointing out that it gets results.

“Everybody plays the game to win and that’s what we do," Hiller said, according to Hockey Royalty's Russell Morgan.

Edmonton Oilers superstar Leon Draisaitl had a tongue-in-cheek response when asked Thursday if a little piece of him dies inside when he has to dump the puck in against the 1-3-1.

"Yeah, it's just unfortunate. It’s quite sad," he said jokingly, according to Sportsnet's Mark Spector.

The Kings entered Thursday occupying third place in the Pacific Division at 38-22-11.

Los Angeles drew similar criticism during its most recent Stanley Cup championship runs. The defensive-minded Kings became the first No. 8 seed to ever win the Stanley Cup in 2012 before winning it again two years later.

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We have a huge slate of games ahead of us on Thursday night, including several with playoff implications.

Let's take a closer look at a couple with our best bets.

Flames (+115) @ Blues (-135)

The Blues are a flawed team that is largely propped up by excellent goaltending. But I don't think they're getting enough respect on Thursday night.

The Flames traded the likes of Elias Lindholm, Noah Hanifin, and Chris Tanev before the deadline. They completely gutted their roster, and it has shown, as the team owns a 2-7 record since deadline day and has been outscored 37-20.

Conversely, the Blues are 6-2-1 over the same period. Jordan Binnington and Joel Hofer give the team top-tier netminding. Meanwhile, Robert Thomas, Pavel Buchnevich, and Jordan Kyrou are providing their goaltenders with enough support at the other end.

Look for the in-form Blues - who also have home ice - to take care of business and pick up another much-needed two points as they try and hang around in the wild-card race.

Bet: Blues (-135)

Kings (+130) @ Oilers (-150)

The Oilers are back home on Thursday after a somewhat rocky road trip. They dropped the first two games in ugly fashion and blew a 3-1 lead in the third, needing overtime to see their win through.

A home game against the Kings could be just what the doctor ordered to get the Oilers back on track. They've been borderline unstoppable at home this calendar year, owning a 14-2-2 and plus-34 goal differential.

They've also had their way with the Kings over the last few years. The Oilers won seven of the past 10 regular-season meetings and bounced them from the playoffs in back-to-back runs.

The Kings are grinding out plenty of wins right now, but a lot of that stems from their ability to limit shots and insulate their goaltenders. I don't think they'll be able to protect Cam Talbot nearly as well against this Oilers team.

Edmonton leads the NHL in expected goals and scoring chances in 2024. It will be very difficult - if not impossible - for the Kings to hold the Oilers to the ballpark of 25 shots they've routinely given up of late.

Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Zach Hyman will also be taking a healthy chunk of said shots - a very tall order for Talbot.

Look for the Oilers to take care of business inside 60 minutes and gain some separation from the Kings in their quest to lock up home ice.

Bet: Oilers in regulation (-105)

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X at @ToddCordell.

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