NHL Game of the Night: April 9, 2026

Wednesday was a light night on the NHL docket with just three games. Meanwhile, Thursday is jam-packed. There are 14 games on the schedule ahead of a league-wide idle night on Friday. We will have a second straight “Super Saturday” on April 11 with 30 of the league’s 32 teams taking the ice.

Here are the leaguewide playoff odds entering Thursday per Moneypuck.com.

NHL Game of the Night: Columbus @ Buffalo

Coming into Thursday’s action, the Sabres (104 points, 40 regulation wins) hold a two-point edge atop the Atlantic Division over the Tampa Bay Lightning (102 points, 39 RW) and Montreal Canadiens (102 points, 32 RW). The Bolts and have have one game in hand apiece.

The Blue Jackets (90 points, 27 RW) still have two avenues open to the playoffs although they are not currently in a playoff position. Avenue No. 1: overtake the Philadelphia Flyers (92 points, 25 RW) for third play in the Metropolitan Division. The other possible way in: overtake the Ottawa Senators (92 points, 35 RW) for the final wildcard spot in the East.

The former is preferable for two reason. Ottawa has already clinched the RW tiebreaker over Columbus, while the Blue Jackets hold (but have not clinched) the tiebreaker vs. Philadelphia. Secondly, the prospect of a first-round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins (96 points, 33 RW) is less daunting than running immediately into the Carolina Hurricanes (106 points, 36 RW).

Projected goalie matchup: Ellis (7-4-1, 3.13 GAA, .895 SV%) vs. Greaves (25-16-9, 2.58 GAA, .910 SV%)

Playoff implications: The Sabres have more control over their destiny than the Blue Jackets. However, if Columbus wins by any means (regulation, OT, shootout) on Thursday and Philadelphia loses in regulation to Detroit, the Blue Jackets will take over third place in the Metro via RW tiebreaker. A Philly loss in overtime or by shootout keeps the Flyers ahead by one point at the end of the night.

It’s a similar but not identical situation for the Blue Jackets in the wildcard race. A Columbus win plus a Senators regulation home loss to the eliminated Florida Panthers would put the Blue Jacket in a points tie with Ottawa. The Senators will still be in a wildcard position by tiebreaker. An Ottawa overtime or shootout loss equals a de facto two-point deficit (one standings point plus tiebreaker).

The Blue Jackets dodged a bullet on Tuesday with their late comeback against Detroit. However, the reprieve was only temporary if Columbus loses on Thursday, especially in regulation. A regulation loss gives Philly either a four-point lead, a three-point edge or, at absolute worst, a mulligan with only three additional games remaining.

Moneypuck.com odds: Money Puck has the Sabres (51.5% winning odds) as the very narrow favorite over Columbus (48.5%). Meanwhile, in the night’s other marquee game, the Lightning (50.3%) and host Canadiens (49.7%) are essentially a toss-up.