After a 14-game slate Thursday and ahead of a 14-game slate Saturday, there is only one game on the NHL calendar Friday: Columbus at Pittsburgh (7 p.m. ET, NHL Network).
The host Penguins have gone 5-4-1 in their past 10 games, but the playoffs look like a remote possibility at best as they look to refuel in the summer for another go next season.
For the Blue Jackets, this game could be the first victory on the way to reclaiming a spot in the playoff field; on March 8 (the day after the trade deadline), they held the East's first wild-card position.