It’s yet another beautiful weekend for National Hockey League action, and you know what that means – another edition of HNIC Coast to Coast, where we look at all of the Canadian action on Saturday and Sunday – particularly the games featured on Hockey Night in Canada. This week, we have a healthy nine-game lineup across Saturday and Sunday!
7:00 p.m. ET HNIC Matchup: Montreal Canadiens @ Tampa Bay Lightning
The bleu, blanc, et rouge take centre stage on CBC on Saturday night as they hope to turn around an awful losing run against the Tampa Bay Lightning. In the first contest of their four-game road trip, the Montreal Canadiens headed into Sunrise to take on the Florida Panthers on Thursday night, hoping to win their second in a row and just their third in their last 10.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t in the cards. While the Habs pulled ahead early in the third period, Sam Reinhart tied the game with a shorthanded tally with seven minutes to go, and ultimately gave Montreal their defeat in a shootout. They’ll be looking now for revenge against the Lightning, who have also been in a rut of late, losing five of seven.
Bet on Canadiens @ Lightning
MTL +210
TB -260
10:00 p.m. ET HNIC Headliner: Pittsburgh Penguins @ Calgary Flames
The Flames made their biggest news this week not on the ice, but in the transaction sheets – which is pretty impressive given their four-game win streak took pieces off of the Oilers and Kings over the last seven days. The big story is their move of Chris Tanev to the Dallas Stars, in exchange for a second-round pick, a conditional third-round pick, and prospect Artem Grushnikov. The move is yet another shedding of an unrestricted free agent ahead of the March 8th trade deadline, having previously moved Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov.
It’ll be interesting to see if they have more in them – does Noah Hanifin go next? Do they change their mind about not moving Jacob Markstrom? But for now, the focus is moving to five in a row. On the other side, the Penguins had a quick three-game win streak disrupted by the Seattle Kraken on Thursday, outshooting their opponents 33-28 but failing to find the back of the net. They’ll be hungry to break through that wall in this one.
Bet on Penguins vs. Flames
PIT +105
CGY -125
Other Canadian NHL Games On Saturday
There are four other games in Canadian NHL action on Saturday:
Winnipeg Jets @ Carolina Hurricanes, 12:30 p.m. ET – The Jets are the true openers of this weekend’s festivities, and they’re coming in hoping that a Thursday loss doesn’t disrupt what’s been a great run. Winners in seven of their previous eight, the Jets suffered a 4-1 loss to Dallas that threatens to shake their momentum.
Edmonton Oilers @ Seattle Kraken, 4:00 p.m. ET – Two Pacific Division teams come together for what should be a pretty hot battle, as both are carrying in short winning streaks. Connor McDavid ended his 10-game goal drought with an OT winner against the Blues on Wednesday, and the Kraken shut out the Penguins on Thursday.
Ottawa Senators @ Philadelphia Flyers, 4:00 p.m. ET – The Senators suffered a blow to their recent turnaround, with news that Josh Norris will be out for an “extended period of time” with an upper-body injury. It’s insult to injury after two consecutive losses over the past week to Washington and Nashville. They’ll be playing their second game of a back-to-back, taking on Arizona tonight.
New York Rangers @ Toronto Maple Leafs, 7:00 p.m. ET – The Maple Leafs look to win their ninth game in 10 as they take on the Metropolitan-leading Rangers. Head back to CSB on Saturday for our extended preview of this game!
| Away Team |  | | Home Team | Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winnipeg Jets | +125 | -150 | Carolina Hurricanes | 12:30 PM |
| Edmonton Oilers | -155 | +130 | Seattle Kraken | 4:00 PM |
| Ottawa Senators | TBD | TBD | Philadelphia Flyers | 7:00 PM |
| New York Rangers | +100 | -120 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 7:00 PM |
| Montreal Canadiens | +210 | -260 | Tampa Bay Lightning | 7:00 PM |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | +105 | -125 | Calgary Flames | 10:00 PM |
Sunday Canadian NHL Action
There are three games on Sunday’s tap involving Canadian teams.
Winnipeg Jets @ Buffalo Sabres, 7:00 p.m. ET – This will be Winnipeg’s second game in as many nights, and third in four. Buffalo will also be playing a back-to-back here, and their result against Vegas will decide whether they enter as winners of five in six, or losers of one.
Vancouver Canucks @ Anaheim Ducks, 8:00 p.m. ET – The Canucks skip on Saturday, but return to our TVs on the latter day. The rest is probably to their benefit, as things have not been good of late. In their last seven games, Vancouver has lost six times – easily their worst stretch of the year.
Pittsburgh Penguins @ Edmonton Oilers, 9:00 p.m. ET – This game is another double back-to-back, so it’s hard to know what kind of form either team will be in coming in. But hey, it’s another McDavid vs. Crosby battle, so it’s automatic appointment viewing either way!
