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The Battle of Ontario is back Saturday night as the Ottawa Senators visit the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena. Puck drop is set for 7:00 PM ET on Sportsnet, and it’s the first meeting of the season between two teams sitting outside the playoff line but playing like they still expect to get there. Ottawa comes in with a five-game points streak (4-0-1) and a lot of the underlying stuff you want to see: better 200-foot play, more time in the offensive zone, and Tim Stutzle driving offense night after night. Toronto finally got a win before the break, beating Pittsburgh 6-3, but the Leafs have still been inconsistent over the last couple weeks and the power play has

The Chicago Blackhawks head to Dallas on Saturday night to face the Stars at American Airlines Center, with puck drop set for 8:00 PM ET on ESPN+. Dallas comes out of the holiday break in strong shape in the Central race at 25-7-6, and the timing helps after a brutal stretch where they still banked points almost every night. Chicago is going the other direction. The Blackhawks are 13-17-6 and have dropped six straight in regulation, with the last five coming without Connor Bedard. That absence has shown up on the scoreboard, and it changes how you price their moneyline upside and their ability to threaten a total. Dallas is a heavy favorite here, and the real betting question is

The rivalry renews Saturday in Elmont as both teams return from the holiday break. The last time the Rangers visited UBS Arena, their fans filled the building during a 9-2 rout that pushed the Islanders toward a difficult offseason. Much has changed since then. The Islanders sit third in the Metropolitan Division and continue progressing despite injuries that shaped their early season. New York earned a gritty 2-1 win over New Jersey on Tuesday. Adam Pelech scored with 1:15 left, another example of their resourceful play. Their lineup leaned heavily on structure through a stretch without Kyle Palmieri, Alexander Romanov and Bo Horvat. Horvat and Ilya Sorokin are expected to return Saturday, lifting their scoring depth and stability in goal.

The Anaheim Ducks head up I-5 on Saturday night to face the Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena, with puck drop set for 9:00 PM ET on ESPN+. It’s the second half of the season approaching fast, and both teams badly need a reset after limping into the holiday break. Anaheim is 21-14-2 and sitting ahead of Los Angeles in the Pacific picture, but the Ducks didn’t exactly skate into the break feeling great either. They dropped five of their last seven, and their power play has gone quiet at the wrong time. The Kings are 15-12-9 and stuck in a low-scoring rut, going 1-4-2 in their last seven and failing to score more than two goals in any of