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American Thanksgiving is always an important date marked on the calendar for the NHL. Although the league won't be playing any games on Thursday, there are plenty of games on Wednesday and Friday. In the history of the NHL, if you are not in a playoff spot on Thanksgiving, the odds aren't in your favor to reach the postseason.
Heading into Thanksgiving Showdown on Wednesday, there are 14 games set to be played, and here are the best five.
Top 5 games on NHL Thanksgiving Showdown
#5, Boston Bruins vs. Florida Panthers
The Boston Bruins are the best team in the NHL right now and atop the Atlantic Division while the Florida Panthers are second in the Atlantic Division.
Boston and Florida have been a surprise this season, as both were expected to take a step back. However, that hasn't been the case and this game will be shown on TNT.
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#4, Vegas Golden Knights vs. Dallas Stars
The NHL has an incredible doubleheader for fans on Wednesday night. Right after the Florida Panthers play the Boston Bruins, TNT will go straight to the Dallas Stars hosting the Vegas Golden Knights at 9:30 p.m. ET.
Dallas is currently atop the Central Division while Vegas is atop the Pacific Division and this could very well be a Western Conference Finals preview.
#3, Vancouver Canucks vs. Colorado Avalanche
A great game to watch on Wednesday starts at 10 p.m. ET as the Vancouver Canucks go on the road to play the Colorado Avalanche.
Both the Canucks and Avalanche are firmly in a playoff spot, while Vancouver has three of the top point-getters in the NHL right now with Quinn Hughes, Elias Pettersson, and J.T. Miller.
This should be a great and competitive game as both teams are playing great hockey and look like legit Stanley Cup contenders.
#2, New York Rangers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
New York goes on the road to play Pittsburgh on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET and it's a battle of division rivals.
The Rangers are atop the Metro division while the Penguins are fifth and will need to go on a run to make the playoffs. However, these two teams do not like one another, and usually when these two teams play it ends up exciting.
#1, Edmonton Oilers vs. Carolina Hurricanes
The Edmonton Oilers and Carolina Hurricanes were both popular picks to win the Stanley Cup this year. However, the Oilers are off to a terrible 5-11-1 start, but their games are very exciting.
Edmonton is led by the best player in the world Connor McDavid and anytime you can watch him play is a must-watch. It's also against a very solid Hurricanes team who also have played below expectations.
The game is set for 7 p.m. ET and should be a high-scoring game between two exciting offenses, what a time to be alive.
