There is a stacked schedule on Thursday night with plenty at stake as regards to the postseason, not least in an inter-conference matchup when the Edmonton Oilers host the Buffalo Sabres at Rogers Place.
The Oilers - second in the Pacific Division and fifth in the Western Conference - may still have some catching up to do in the race for top spot, but they have the games in hand to do it, having played the fewest of any team so far.
Edmonton is eight points behind the conference-leading Vancouver Canucks, having played three games fewer and the number one seeding is not yet beyond them.
Buffalo needs the points for different reasons as it is currently five points outside the second Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference and can ill-afford many more slip ups as no team has played more than its 70 games so far.
Games are running out and the Sabres need to win as many as possible to make the playoffs. Their mission to do just that continues tonight, with opening faceoff set for 9 PM ET/7 PM MT.
In spite of their terrible start to the season, the Oilers have re-assumed the title of favourites to win the Stanley Cup, after they went on a tear heading into the All Star break with 16 consecutive wins.
They endured a sticky spell coming out of the All Star game, but there have been signs that they are getting back to their best as they make a last surge for the No. 1 seeding in the West, going 8-1-2 in their last 11 games.
A loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets was of course surprising, but they are otherwise in a good run of form and are more than a match for any team on their day.
The Oilers are stacked on the offensive side of things, led by Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in their top six, and the good news for Edmonton fans is that those two have been lighting it up of late. Edmonton have also tightened up without the puck in recent games conceding just two in regulation in their last three, which came on the back of a shutout of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Sabres themselves have enjoyed some good wins of late, beating the likes of the Vegas Golden Knights and shutting out the New York Islanders, but they have been inconsistent, going 5-4-1 in their last 10 games.
They do have the upper hand on the Oilers this season though, having come out on top 3-2 after a shootout earlier this month, although that was on home ice at the KeyBank Center on March 9.
Although there is little difference between their home and away records, Edmonton are much better on home ice and are expected to exact their revenge on Thursday night. At home, the Oilers score more goals and allow fewer and, with their top guns firing plus a 22-8-3 home ice record, they can beat the Sabres with something to spare.
With the firepower on show, it may surprise a few to be going Under the total goals line of 6.0, but the offensive threat is a little lopsided and the Sabres are unlikely to go toe-to-toe with the Oilers.
The meeting between these two sides just 12 days ago finished 2-2 after regulation while seven of Edmonton's last 10 games have seen fewer than six goals, with one game reaching exactly six goals and only two going over that mark.
Buffalo have enjoyed big wins over the Detroit Red Wings (7-3) and the Seattle Kraken (6-2) within its last six games but the other four have gone under six goals, which includes Detroit's revenge 4-1 win at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
Five of the last seven games between Edmonton and Buffalo have also gone under six goals, and at +100, a similar result is well worth considering.
As mentioned, McDavid and Draisaitl have been the driving forces behind the Oilers' latest hot spell, both amassing 14 points in nine games this month so far.
Those two have shared the Art Ross Trophy for the NHL's points leader between themselves for the last four years and it is not beyond the realms of possibility that McDavid makes it his fourth in a row.
He is only 10 points behind Nikita Kucherov and has two games in hand over the current leader.
Time is of course running out, but it is likely to still be a target for arguably the best player in the league and he will be desperate to continue his scoring run, particularly with playoff seedings also to sort out.
The superstar centre has again been the assist king as he leads the league with 82, adding 26 goals for a points tally of 108 points to lie third behind Kucherov and Nathan MacKinnon. McDavid's +110 odds to find the net against Buffalo, for a player of his talents, certainly look appealing.
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BUF Sabres | +185 ML |
EDM Oilers | -225 ML |
Puck Line | EDM -1.5 |
Total | O/U 6.0 |
Connor McDavid (EDM Oilers) | +110 |
Leon Draisaitl (EDM Oilers) | +120 |
Zach Hyman (EDM Oilers) | +120 |
Tage Thompson (BUF Sabres) | +200 |
Jeff Skinner (BUF Sabres) | +225 |
Alex Tuch (BUF Sabres) | +225 |
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.