Saturday night's slate of NHL action throws up what could be a preview of the Stanley Cup final as the Edmonton Oilers host the Toronto Maple Leafs in an all-Canadian battle with both teams challenging for top spot in their conferences.
The Oilers lead the Pacific Division and rank second in the West behind only the Winnipeg Jets, while the Maple Leafs are a point behind the Florida Panthers in the Atlantic Division to currently hold fifth spot in the East.
Edmonton is listed as the second favorite to lift the Stanley Cup at +600, while Toronto is fifth in the betting at +1100 and although Saturday's game will hardly be definitive to either team's chances of overall glory, it offers the chance for either to at least lay down a marker.
While this isn't the most heated rivalry in Canada, there will be no love lost between the two teams, particularly after a cheap hit from Toronto's Ryan Reaves in the previous meeting this season knocked Darnell Nurse out of multiple games.
That will surely add fuel to the fire of Edmonton's revenge mission, having lost that game 4-3 in overtime, but they are in a better place on the ice than the Leafs and can cover the -1.5 goal spread.
That November defeat came at the Scotiabank Arena where Toronto has a much better record than it does on the road (19-11-0 compared to 11-8-2) and the Oilers were not helped by a disappointing night from goaltender Stuart Skinner, having outshot their hosts 30-22.
The Oilers are back on home ice on Saturday and are 18-8-2 at Rogers Place this season, while this is the last in a six-game homestand and they will want to sign off in style.
The Oilers have the edge on both sides of the puck, averaging more goals per game (3.29 to 3.04) and allowing fewer (2.69 to 2.88) and although they are perhaps not quite at the top of their game, the Leafs have bombed in losing their last three games by a combined 10-3, failing to score more than one goal in any of those games.
Of course, it is dangerous to write off the Leafs given the talent on their roster but Edmonton is in better form and has home-ice advantage, having won the last two meetings between the two at Rogers Place 4-2 and 5-2.
Again, risky with the star-studded offensive talent on both teams but the recent form of these two teams is pointing to an under bet on the total, with 6.5 goals looking a touch on the high side.
The Leafs have lost their last three games by scores of 5-1, 2-1 and 3-1, and although Edmonton's recent form reads a whole lot better, only one of their last six games has featured more than six goals.
The Oilers triumphed 4-2 in the sole meeting at Rogers Place last season and a similar result could easily play out with Toronto's offense struggling.
Corey Perry is in the twilight of his career but has endeared himself to the Oilers' faithful and can make his mark in Saturday's big game.
The 2011 Hart Memorial and Rocket Richard Trophy winner doesn't get the minutes he once did but he is set to get top-line icetime alongside Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl against the Leafs and can contribute at big odds.
Perry has scored nine goals this season to tie for fifth in the team's scoring stats with two of those goals coming in his last five games. Although that stat doesn't necessarily jump off the page, playing with two of the best players in the game is surely going to offer him plenty of opportunities and he looks big odds to find the net.
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Toronto Maple Leafs | +140 ML |
Edmonton Oilers | -165 ML |
Puck Line | EDM Oilers -1.5 |
Total Goals | O/U 6.5 |
Auston Matthews (TOR Maple Leafs) | +100 |
Leon Draisaitl (EDM Oilers) | +110 |
Connor McDavid (EDM Oilers) | +140 |
Zach Hyman (EDM Oilers) | +150 |
William Nylander (TOR Maple Leafs) | +155 |
Mitchell Marner (TOR Maple Leafs) | +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.