HNIC Coast To Coast: Superstars Out On Opening Saturday

We’re back! Every Friday for the past two seasons, we at Canada Sports Betting have taken a trip around the Great White North to get you set for every weekend NHL game involving a Canadian team, particularly the top games on Hockey Night in Canada. Today, we’re here to continue that trend, and we get started with two headliner games involving generational talents of the past, present, and future.

7:00 p.m. ET HNIC Matchup: Pittsburgh Penguins @ Toronto Maple Leafs

Kicking us off, it’s Sidney Crosby versus Auston Matthews, each with teams looking to get above the .500 mark and both looking for their first goals of the year. Both come in on somewhat similar paths – Pittsburgh opened their season with a loss to the Rangers before responding with an offensive surge against the Red Wings, while the Leafs were shut out on opening night in Montreal before responding with a pretty complete effort against the New Jersey Devils.

Crosby found himself a key contributor to Pittsburgh’s win, notching two assists, while Toronto looks for more from its top forwards. John Tavares scored against the Devils, but Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander all remain pointless through a pair. Look to them to try to make a strong impression in front of the home crowd.

10:00 p.m. ET HNIC Headliner: Chicago Blackhawks @ Edmonton Oilers

Over in the Western Conference, it’s the King of the Present versus the Heir Apparent, as Connor McDavid and the Oilers take on Connor Bedard and the Blackhawks.

Edmonton comes in winless after a thoroughly disappointing season opener on Wednesday against the Winnipeg Jets. Before the game could hit its halfway point, the Oilers found themselves behind by four goals, and despite a 30-20 shot count, they left licking their wounds following a 6-0 final score. Chicago, much like every other team we’ve mentioned so far, lost their season debut, becoming the first victim of the Utah Hockey Club in a 5-2 result. Bedard still dazzled with two assists, and he’ll have an opportunity to build on that this weekend. Chicago will be a little tired going into this one, as they’ll face the Jets Friday in Winnipeg, but it could be an opportunity to build some confidence with the right result.

Even with that potential confidence booster, though, expect the Oilers to be heavy favourites to bounce back.

Other Canadian NHL Games On Saturday

There are two other games in Canadian NHL action on Saturday:

Ottawa Senators @ Montreal Canadiens, 7:00 p.m. ET – Two Atlantic Division Canadian foes collide, with one feeling pretty great, and one feeling a mixed bag. The Senators claimed skin off of the Stanley Cup champions on Thursday, winning Round 1 of the Tkachuk Bowl not on the efforts of Brady or Matthew, but led by two goals from Tim Stutzle, who hopes to bounce back from a 20-point drop in scoring in 2023/24. On the other side, the Canadiens offset their season debut win against the Leafs with a loss against the Bruins, staying in the fight for the first 12 minutes of the game before giving up four unanswered goals. Keep an eye out for Lane Hutson, who made a piece of his early Calder Trophy case with two assists on Thursday.

Philadelphia Flyers @ Calgary Flames, 10:00 p.m. ET – Speaking of Calder candidates, many Canadian fans will get their first glance at Matvei Michkov of the Flyers on Saturday night. The Flyers have yet to play their regular season debut as of the time of writing (they’ll face the Canucks Friday), but the 2023 seventh-overall pick has already impressed in the preseason, and John Tortorella’s team hopes to see him blossom into their offensive cornerstone. On Calgary’s end, they’ll be hoping for a game that shows the same level of heart and resistance as their season opener against Vancouver. Despite being outplayed and heavily outscored in the first period, quickly falling behind 4-1, the Flames rallied back with four unanswered goals, ultimately securing the game once and for all in overtime. Those hoping for another strong year from Nazem Kadri must have liked what they saw, as the veteran centre picked up three assists in the rallying effort.

Away Team			Home Team	Time (ET)
Ottawa Senators	-139	+116	Montreal Canadiens	7:00 PM
Pittsburgh Penguins	+135	-165	Toronto Maple Leafs	7:00 PM
Philadelphia Flyers	-104	-117	Calgary Flames	10:00 PM
Chicago Blackhawks	+270	-345	Edmonton Oilers	10:00 PM

Sunday Canadian NHL Action

There are two games in Canadian NHL action on Sunday:

Minnesota Wild @ Winnipeg Jets 6:00 p.m. ET – Few things are more familiar to this column than a Sunday evening Jets game, and it’s fitting that their first one of the season comes against their most Canadian-coded opponent from across the border. The Minnesota Wild always provide a little bit of regional flair to this matchup, though last year’s rendition was all Winnipeg, as they went 4-0 with all of their wins coming in regulation. Kyle Connor appeared in two of those games and scored in both – can he do it again on Sunday?

Calgary Flames @ Edmonton Oilers, 8:00 p.m. ET – The weekend wraps up with the first edition of the Battle of Alberta for 2024/25. Both teams are going to be a little tired following games the previous night, which could lead to some sloppiness and additional frustrations. Given the talent level and home ice, this likely favours the Oilers more than the Flames. Edmonton won the season series 3-1 last year, keeping the Flames to two goals or fewer in every win.

Away Team			Home Team	Time (ET)
Minnesota Wild	TBD	TBD	Minnesota Wild	6:00 PM
Calgary Flames	TBD	TBD	Edmonton Oilers	8:00 PM