Oilers, Leafs Enjoying Life at the Top

Two Canadian teams are red hot right now and they’re not necessarily who you expect. Frank Doyle reports from the ice.

The young men of Edmonton are growing up quickly. For two years the Oilers have languished in hockey’s basement. Now they are on top of the Western Division and lords of all they survey.

Who knows how long it’ll last but it’s beautiful while it does. Having dominated October, the Oilers must now step up a level as they begin a long road trip that starts tonight at the LA Kings.

The Kings are warm home favorites even though the Oilers have won five straight, but it’s interesting that Edmonton and Los Angeles are first and second in the League in goals against this year – 1.45 conceded per game by the Oilers and 1.91 by the Kings. The NHL betting over/under is set at five for this game and under could be a clever play.

The other impressive team from north of the 49th is Toronto of course. No hockey giant has slept as soundly as Toronto – the once mighty Maple Leafs haven’t been to the playoffs in six years and haven’t contested the Stanley Cup since 1967. But that was then and this is now – Phil Kessel is lighting them up and the Leafs are following where Kessel leads.

Tonight the Leafs are at Columbus. Toronto is the favorite, but not overwhelmingly so. Toronto played at New Jersey last night (and won, 5-3) but with James Reimer back between the pipes and Phil Kessel leading the League in points scored all the signs suggest Leafs.

In the ante-post Stanley Cup odds, the Canucks remain the best team in Canada – Vancouver is easily the shortest priced Canadian team to end the long wait for Lord Stanley’s exile to come to an end.

The Canucks have started slowly this year but they’re still favorites tonight at Minnesota. The Canucks goaltending remains leaky but the Wild are dead last in goals scored. A night off for Roberto Luongo at last.

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