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There is simply no better rivalry in hockey then the Leafs and the Senators. The Battle of Ontario is one of the most anticipated match-ups in hockey, only because these teams love to beat the living piss out of each other. With a Saturday night game on tap this weekend, expect nothing less then an NHL slobber-knocker.

Toronto Maple Leafs (25-21-6) vs. Ottawa Senators (30-21-2)
Saturday, February 3rd --- Scotiabank Place, Ottawa ---7:00pm EST

The Leafs have been making a major push as of late, winning five of their last six. Much of that success has been accredited to Mats Sundin who has played well all year with Ian White. The pair connected late in the third period to squeak past the New York Rangers on Wednesday night.

An even larger reason for Toronto’s success is their efficiency on the power play. They rank fifth in the league, scoring on 19.6% of their power play opportunities. This is important since emotions will be running high against the Senators, who have been known to rack up penalties while playing the Leafs.

The Senators remain a powerhouse in the Eastern Conference despite questions surrounding the team’s chemistry. With forward Jason Spezza back in the lineup, the Sens are as dangerous as ever. Couple this with the fact that the Senators typically own the Leafs in the regular season (the playoffs usually cause themto reverse roles), and hope looks dim for Toronto on Saturday night.

That slight glimmer you might see is that Toronto has the best road offense, while Ottawa ranks 26th in home defense. Toronto must continue to pepper the net with shots if they have hopes of winning. Also, they must play mistake-free hockey since they are the worst penalty killing team in the league at 78.7%.

Look for the Senators to take this one in a high scoring affair, despite the best efforts of the Leafs to keep pace. The Senators simply bring more guns to the fight.

Buffalo Sabres (35-14-4) vs. New Jersey Devils (31-15-6)
Saturday, February 3rd --- Continental Airlines Arena, New Jersey --- 7:30pm EST

The top two teams in the Eastern Conference clash on Saturday night when the Sabres’ high-flying offense takes on the grounded defense of the Devils. The Sabres stole the last game in a 3-2 victory in December. Can the Devils rebound and push for a win against the reigning Beast in the East?

The Sabres are the highest scoring team in the league, boasting a 3.77 goals for average. Lately, the offense has been revolving around the solid play of forward Chris Drury, who has six points in his last four games (5 G, 1 A). A well-rested Ryan Miller will man the pipes for the Sabres. He may not have a busy night as the Devils are one of the worst scoring teams in the league (24th in the league).

The saving grace for the Devils is that they allow the fewest amount of goals in the league as well. The team revolves around the outstanding net minding of Martin Brodeur, the best in the business. The main problem is that the Sabres have the 9th ranked road defense.

Look for the Sabres to come out flying and try and put a couple past Brodeur in the first period. When the Devils are playing from behind, they run in to the most trouble. Once the Sabres are up, they will sit on the lead and play defensive hockey.

Anaheim Ducks (32-12-8) vs. Nashville Predators (36-13-3)
Saturday, February 3rd --- Gaylord Entertainment Center, Nashville --- 8:00pm EST

Predators’ coach Barry Trotz, is pissed. The Predators are getting no respect whatsoever, despite being the best team in the Western Conference. Nothing would vindicate the Preds more then a win over the second place Ducks.

The Ducks are hurting. Defenseman Chris Pronger returned to bolster the blue-line and add that ridiculous slap-shot to help with the scoring. Goalie J.S Giguere also returned to action and has been solid in net for the Ducks. But they are without Pronger’s linemate, Scott Niedermayer, who has a fractured foot and is currently sidelined.

The Ducks have been finding ways to win, winning their last two games against Dallas and Phoenix, respectively. The top line has been on fire, with Teemu and Pronger leading the way. The Ducks have the 7th best road scoring offense with 3.0 goals per game on the road.

The Predators, meanwhile, have stumbled as of late. They have lost their past two games to Phoenix and Colorado by a single point in each contest. The main reason is that their defense and penalty killing has been atrocious. They have the league’s 8th best overall defense, but are ranked 30th on defense when playing at home.

The penalty killing may end up murdering the Predators at home, as the Ducks have the third best power play in the league at 22.0%. Still, the Predators have a fighting chance with Tomas Vokoun back from injury and their aggressively fast-paced offense still on the ice.

With the Ducks on a bit of a hot streak right now, and the Predators on the ropes, look for the Ducks to take this one on the road. The poor penalty killing by the Predators, and their inability to play defense at home, will end up hurting them since Anaheim’s top line is playing so well. Do not underestimate what having Chris Pronger on the blue-line can do for a team.

Tune in to this game. The two major stars, Anaheim’s Teemu Selanne and Nashville’s Paul Kariya, are close friends and always play well against each other. Anaheim has won the last five contests between the two teams.

Vancouver Canucks (29-20-3) vs. Calgary Flames (27-17-6)
Saturday, February 3rd – Pengrowth Saddledome, Calgary --- 10:00pm EST

The Canucks have been on a roll as of late and currently nest at third overall in the Western Conference. The Flames has constantly given this team fits, and will look to gain ground on the Canucks in the standings. A win for the Flames would tie them with Vancouver atop the Northwest Division.

Vancouver’s penalty killing stats are a strange brew. They are the NHL’s best penalty killer with 88.8%, but they allow the third most power plays in the league. Opposing teams get 5.7 power plays a game, but the Canucks have been solid in only allowing 33 power play goals this season.

The steady play of the Canucks can be attributed to the goaltending of Roberto Luongo and Markus Naslund starting to play like his old self. Vancouver has defeated Calgary in their last four meetings.

Calgary is showcasing some new lineups, with Craig Conroy coming in from the LA Kings to help strengthen the team’s top line. He has been paired with Tony Amonte and Alexander Tanguay, and the trio went off on Tuesday scoring two goals. Jarome Iginla remains out of the lineup with a sprained knee.

The past four meetings have shown a steady improvement on the Canucks part in playing their Canadian rivals. The Flames are playing far too inconsistent to deal with the hottest team in the league right now. Look for the Canucks to finally prove the league that they are capable of putting some points up as they beat up on the Flames and gain some distance in the tight race of the Northwest.