Hockey Night In Canada
Edmonton Oilers at Toronto Maple Leafs (-205, 5.5)
The basics
Betting on this game will be the only way to make it interesting as the 29th-place Toronto Maple Leafs host the 30th-place Edmonton Oilers.
The Oilers are 8-21-3 on the road and have won one game away from Rexall Place since December 11.
The Leafs are seven points ahead of the Oilers and have won three of their last four games.
Power outage
The Oilers are 1-16 with the man advantage over their last six games while the Maple Leafs are on an 0-for-30 stretch.
?We?ve got to set it up [the power play] and establish a point shot right away and maybe move the puck a little bit quicker,? Toronto forward Tyler Bozak told the Toronto Star.
Both teams will have their chances. Edmonton has committed 16 penalties over its last two games and Toronto has a league-worst penalty kill at 72.1 percent.
Already spoiled
?You know you're not going to make the playoffs so these are your playoffs and try to be a spoiler," Oilers defenseman Ryan Whitney told reporters.
The only thing that can be spoiled between these teams is whether the Oilers or Bruins will draft top prospect Taylor Hall.
"We're much younger, guys are auditioning for next year,? Toronto coach Ron Wilson told the Toronto Star.
Net minding the under
Jeff Deslauriers has played well lately but has had an inconsistent season overall.
"We've seen high levels out of him, but he's got to keep working at it to find that," coach Pat Quinn told reporters.
Jean-Sebastien Giguere has made the most of his time in Toronto, with a 2.47 goals against average, .916 save percentage and two shutouts in eight games.
The under is 3-0 in Edmonton?s last three games started by Deslauriers and 6-2 in games started by Giguere.
Ottawa Senators at Vancouver Canucks (-175, 5.5)
The basics
Canada?s top two teams face off in the late HNIC game.
The Senators have all but secured a playoff spot and are fighting for the Northeast division title. Ottawa has struggled since the Olympic break, winning only one of its five games (1-3-1).
Vancouver leads the Northwest division with 85 points and is firmly entrenched in a playoff spot. The Canucks are 6-2-1 in their last nine games.
Olympic hangover
Ottawa has been flat offensively since the break, averaging just 1.4 goals a game. Brian Elliot continues his solid play with a 2.31 goals against average and has a save percentage of .932 in his last three games.
Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo has a 4.20 goals against average since the Olympics and described his performance against Colorado Tuesday as, ?probably the worst I?ve ever played in my career?.
Trend setters
Elliot?s strong play and Ottawa?s inability to score has led to the Senators going under the total in all five games since the break. The under is 13-3-2 in Ottawa?s last 18 games.
Vancouver is tied with San Jose as the highest scoring team in the Western conference, averaging 3.24 goals a game. They have gone over the total in eight consecutive games.
The Canucks are led offensively by Henrik and Daniel Sedin, who trail only Washington?s Alex Ovechkin for the highest points per game average in the NHL.
Where are we?
Ottawa is on a quick tour of Western Canada, playing Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver on a three-game, five-day trip. Ottawa closes out the season by playing 11 of 16 games away from home.
The Canucks will play their first game at home since January 27 and have won five straight games at GM Place. Vancouver went 8-5-1 on its league-record, 14-game road trip and open a five-game homestand Saturday night.
Edmonton Oilers at Toronto Maple Leafs (-205, 5.5)
The basics
Betting on this game will be the only way to make it interesting as the 29th-place Toronto Maple Leafs host the 30th-place Edmonton Oilers.
The Oilers are 8-21-3 on the road and have won one game away from Rexall Place since December 11.
The Leafs are seven points ahead of the Oilers and have won three of their last four games.
Power outage
The Oilers are 1-16 with the man advantage over their last six games while the Maple Leafs are on an 0-for-30 stretch.
?We?ve got to set it up [the power play] and establish a point shot right away and maybe move the puck a little bit quicker,? Toronto forward Tyler Bozak told the Toronto Star.
Both teams will have their chances. Edmonton has committed 16 penalties over its last two games and Toronto has a league-worst penalty kill at 72.1 percent.
Already spoiled
?You know you're not going to make the playoffs so these are your playoffs and try to be a spoiler," Oilers defenseman Ryan Whitney told reporters.
The only thing that can be spoiled between these teams is whether the Oilers or Bruins will draft top prospect Taylor Hall.
"We're much younger, guys are auditioning for next year,? Toronto coach Ron Wilson told the Toronto Star.
Net minding the under
Jeff Deslauriers has played well lately but has had an inconsistent season overall.
"We've seen high levels out of him, but he's got to keep working at it to find that," coach Pat Quinn told reporters.
Jean-Sebastien Giguere has made the most of his time in Toronto, with a 2.47 goals against average, .916 save percentage and two shutouts in eight games.
The under is 3-0 in Edmonton?s last three games started by Deslauriers and 6-2 in games started by Giguere.
Ottawa Senators at Vancouver Canucks (-175, 5.5)
The basics
Canada?s top two teams face off in the late HNIC game.
The Senators have all but secured a playoff spot and are fighting for the Northeast division title. Ottawa has struggled since the Olympic break, winning only one of its five games (1-3-1).
Vancouver leads the Northwest division with 85 points and is firmly entrenched in a playoff spot. The Canucks are 6-2-1 in their last nine games.
Olympic hangover
Ottawa has been flat offensively since the break, averaging just 1.4 goals a game. Brian Elliot continues his solid play with a 2.31 goals against average and has a save percentage of .932 in his last three games.
Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo has a 4.20 goals against average since the Olympics and described his performance against Colorado Tuesday as, ?probably the worst I?ve ever played in my career?.
Trend setters
Elliot?s strong play and Ottawa?s inability to score has led to the Senators going under the total in all five games since the break. The under is 13-3-2 in Ottawa?s last 18 games.
Vancouver is tied with San Jose as the highest scoring team in the Western conference, averaging 3.24 goals a game. They have gone over the total in eight consecutive games.
The Canucks are led offensively by Henrik and Daniel Sedin, who trail only Washington?s Alex Ovechkin for the highest points per game average in the NHL.
Where are we?
Ottawa is on a quick tour of Western Canada, playing Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver on a three-game, five-day trip. Ottawa closes out the season by playing 11 of 16 games away from home.
The Canucks will play their first game at home since January 27 and have won five straight games at GM Place. Vancouver went 8-5-1 on its league-record, 14-game road trip and open a five-game homestand Saturday night.
