Welcome back to HNIC Coast to Coast! Every week, Canada Sports Betting looks at all of the National Hockey League action involving the league’s seven Canadian teams. This week, fans are in for a treat, with five games on Saturday, six games on Sunday, multiple Canada-on-Canada matchups, and several teams playing back-to-backs. If there was a week to get your fix of Canadian NHL action, it’s this one! Let’s dive into the action.
7:00 p.m. ET HNIC Matchup: Edmonton Oilers @ Toronto Maple Leafs
There’s a lot at stake in this battle between ninth-overall Edmonton and 10th-overall Toronto, but a major focus in this one is on two goal milestones that could be hit in a relatively fitting environment.
For Toronto, Auston Matthews is three goals away from 60 on the season. That would make him the first player to hit the mark twice in the salary cap era and make him the second player in Leafs history to hit the mark, with the other being himself, two years ago. After a relatively quiet spell in the past two weeks, Matthews lit the lamp just 16 seconds into Toronto’s win over the Capitals on Wednesday and added another goal and three assists along the way. His ability to heat up at any given moment makes him a threat any time he plays, and he already has one goal against the Oilers this year.
On the other side of the ice, Connor McDavid would typically get the attention on a night like this, but this time, it’s Zach Hyman attracting eyeballs. The winger seems to be operating on a reverse aging curve, having the best finishing year of his career at 31, after setting career highs in the two years prior as well. The six-year Maple Leaf, who never eclipsed 21 goals in Toronto but scored at paces of 33 and 26 in his final two years with the team, has a whopping 48 tallies in 66 games with the Oilers this year and has averaged 40 goals per 82 games since joining the team. Hitting the 50-goal mark against his former team, in his hometown, would be an extremely sweet storyline.
Needless to say, multi-goal games for #34 and #18 are going to be on a lot of betting slips. Check back here on Saturday morning for a full game preview.
Bet on Oilers vs. Maple Leafs
EDM -120
TOR +100
10:00 p.m. ET HNIC Headliner: Calgary Flames @ Vancouver Canucks
Many have been circling the Vancouver Canucks waiting for their shocking, above-expectations run to end, but it seems like they don’t plan on giving up the Pacific throne anytime soon. A decisive 4-1 victory against the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday put them two points closer to securing the top seed in their division, and Saturday’s battle allows them to push that even further. The Canucks currently sit eight points ahead of second-place Edmonton, but with the Oilers having three games in hand, it’s important for these last dozen games to go well for the Canucks.
The Calgary Flames technically also have Pacific Division implications to concern themselves with in this game, though the hopes of that mattering are rapidly fading. Calgary allowed themselves to stay in the mix with a hot streak just before the trade deadline, but regulation losses in five of their last eight are likely the nail in the coffin here. The Flames sit 10 points out of the second Western Conference wild-card and 12 out of the final guaranteed spot in the Pacific Division with 14 games to go, which would be ambitious territory, to say the least. For them, performing the rest of the way is more about players securing individual spots and the team setting an overall tone for next season. Leading the charge for Calgary of late is Yegor Sharangovich, who was acquired from New Jersey in the offseason and has eight goals and 12 points in his last 10 games.
Bet on Canucks vs. Flames
CGY +150
VAN -180
Other Canadian NHL Games On Saturday
There are two other games in Canadian NHL action on Saturday:
Winnipeg Jets @ New York Islanders, 1:00 p.m. ET – The Jets are in the midst of a five-game road tour of the Metropolitan Division, and while they started off great against Columbus and the Rangers, they hit a wall on Friday against the New Jersey Devils. They’ll try to reverse course against the Islanders, who strung together a six-game win streak to end February and begin March but have since squandered it with six consecutive losses.
Ottawa Senators @ New Jersey Devils, 7:00 p.m. ET – The Senators’ shot at the playoff picture is long gone, but at a certain point, you’d like them to get in a consistent rhythm instead of trading streaks. Ottawa have lost 10 of their last 13, with a three-game win streak two weeks ago creating false hope in between. New Jersey is another team who have had a tough year, sitting just two games above .500 after being considered an early Stanley Cup favourite. It’s going to take a heck of a run for them to even get back into the playoff push.
| Away Team |  | | Home Team | Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winnipeg Jets | -130 | +110 | New York Islanders | 1:00 PM |
| Ottawa Senators | +135 | -160 | New Jersey Devils | 7:00 PM |
| Edmonton Oilers | -120 | +100 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 7:00 PM |
| Calgary Flames | +150 | -180 | Vancouver Canucks | 10:00 PM |
Sunday Canadian NHL Action
There are five games in Canadian NHL action on Sunday, which is a pretty unusual change of pace!
Winnipeg Jets @ Washington Capitals, 12:30 p.m. ET – The Jets wrap up the aforementioned road trip with one last stop in the American Capital, hoping to get the best of a team that’s desperate to make a last-gasp push for a playoff spot. Depending on how the game against the Islanders on Saturday goes, this could have serious implications for the top of the Central Division – as tight a race as any right now with Winnipeg, Colorado, and Dallas all
Toronto Maple Leafs @ Carolina Hurricanes, 6:00 p.m. ET – The Leafs seek revenge for a shootout defeat to the Canes a week and change prior, but find themselves at a disadvantage on the rest front, having faced Edmonton in Toronto the night before. The Canes aren’t exactly rested and relaxed either though, playing their third game in four. Carolina is 16-4-1 in their last 21 and could add another win against the Capitals on Friday before they even get to this game.
Edmonton Oilers @ Ottawa Senators, 6:00 p.m. ET – Both of these teams are playing back-to-backs, but both are travelling, with Edmonton coming in from Toronto and Ottawa coming in from New Jersey. Those disadvantages cancel each other out, but Edmonton is still the distinct favourite here.
Buffalo Sabres @ Calgary Flames, 9:00 p.m. ET – The Flames’ vibes going into this game will likely depend heavily on how things go against the Canucks the night before – wins in three of four and losses in five of seven are two distinctly different vantage points. Buffalo has had an exciting late-season run but suffered two big blows this week with losses to Vancouver and Edmonton.
Montreal Canadiens @ Seattle Kraken, 9:00 p.m. ET – In a lot of ways, both of these teams are playing for pride at this point, with Montreal well out of the playoff picture and Seattle clinging to life, but realistically all but wrapped up. Losses in six consecutive games have not helped the Kraken. Montreal hasn’t exactly been better, but have at least found a way to keep four of their last seven losses to within a goal.
