Toronto and the Rangers picked up huge results in their respective playoff races on Wednesday.

The Maple Leafs moved three points clear of Tampa Bay in the Atlantic with their home win over the Panthers.

Toronto has one game left with both the Lightning and Panthers. If it wins both, or even splits those games, it should be in good shape to win the Atlantic and set up a first-round meeting with a wild-card foe.

The wild-card race will be congested until the end of the regular season. The Rangers moved back level with the Canadiens on Wednesday.

Montreal should beat Boston on Thursday to give itself a small cushion going into the weekend.

Columbus hosts a Colorado team that struggled to beat Chicago on Wednesday night. The Avalanche might come into Ohio ticked off at how poorly they played against the Blackhawks, or they could suffer a let down after putting so much energy into a comeback.

The Blue Jackets hope the latter is the case so they can continue pushing toward the second wild-card spot.

Columbus has played the fewest games of any East wild-card contender, but its next four games come against Colorado, Toronto and Ottawa twice. The Blue Jackets must emerge from those games with at least five or six points to get past Montreal and the Rangers.