Chicago and Vancouver have both probably been playing better than their bare form suggests of late and a close encounter could be on the cards. They have already won one head-to-head clash each this term and it was just 1-0 to the Blackhawks in the last meeting in November.
Anaheim beat Ottawa 4-0 at Honda Center a couple of months ago and are playing well enough to confirm that superiority at Canadian Tire Centre. To be fair, the Senators have improved since that drubbing themselves but preference is still for the Ducks to shade a closer contest.
Montreal ran out of steam when hammered at Minnesota on Monday but have had time to recover and previously impressed on a tough road trip. Anaheim are coming off a stamina-sapping shootout loss at Toronto last night, so the Canadiens have everything in their favour.
Vancouver have twice shaded Winnipeg in tight tussles on home ice this term and another close contest is on the cards at Canada Life Centre. A change in venue and some notable absentees for the Canucks due to Covid issues will give the Jets hope of coming out on top this time.
Toronto have put together a solid run of results on the road and should now enjoy a successful return to home ice when hosting Anaheim. The Ducks will travel to Scotiabank Arena in good heart following a couple of victories but the Maple Leafs are just a level above in our book.
We’re about halfway through the NHL season and the battle for the Stanley Cup is set to intensify in the second half of the campaign. Here we look at the format of the competition, its recent history and the chances of the Canadian teams.
Winnipeg finish off a tough four-match road trip with their most daunting task yet and hosts Pittsburgh are hard to oppose at PPG Paints Arena. The Penguins are 8-2-0 since the turn of the year and have won 15 of their last 17 games overall, making them the NHL’s form team.
Montreal have been much improved this week but may just regret showing their hand before visiting Stanley Cup favourites Colorado. Most punters will have felt only complacency could have stopped the Avalanche from prevailing here, but that should not now be an issue.
Florida have made a Jekyll and Hyde start to their five-match road trip and it will be interesting to see which version of this talented team turns up in Vancouver. However, the Panthers did beat the Canucks comfortably at FLA Live Arena last week, so they are still hard to oppose.
Montreal had the bookies laughing all the way to the bank when winning at Dallas on Tuesday but we’re looking to recoup those losses. Vegas prevailed 5-2 when these teams met in Canada earlier this season and will be fired up for the rematch after a sticky run of results.
New York Rangers and Toronto have already been involved in a couple of close encounters this season and another looks on the cards. The action switches from Scotiabank Arena to Madison Square Garden but more of the same is expected between two evenly-matched outfits.
Florida Panthers kick off a seven-day, five-game road trip through Canada and North West America after scoring 16 goals in their last two games. Calgary Flames will be looking to bring an end to a worrying slump after losing four straight, with 20 goals conceded in those defeats.
Winnipeg have won four of their last five games but we haven’t forgotten how Washington brushed them aside 5-2 in Canada a month ago. Admittedly, that match took place hours after Paul Maurice had resigned, but the Capitals were still convincing victors due to superior speed.
Vancouver will be hoping to get back to winning ways after a disastrous swing through Florida but Carolina are also on a recovery mission. The Hurricanes will be looking for a bounceback game of their own after they were thrashed 6-0 on home ice by Columbus.