NFL football betting players know all about rivalries, and there are a couple of matchups on Saturday night in the NHL that fulfill all aspects of a full-blooded rivalry. Here is a look at the two games to keep an eye on.

Maple Leafs Canadiens Betting – Saturday, 7:00 PM ET

The Canadiens should be favored at home in the NHL’s best rivalry, but the Maple Leafs always seem to get up when they go to Montreal, coming away with the win in four of their last five trips to the Bell Center. Four of those games have gone over the posted total, and two of the last three have been one-goal games.

Blackhawks Canucks Betting – Saturday, 10:00 PM ET

The Canucks should be favored at home after a trip through the East, and revenge will be on their minds as the Blackhawks eliminated them in the playoffs for the second straight season last year. But again, the road team could have the edge as the Blackhawks have won four of their last five trips to GM Place, scoring 17 goals in three games there during last year’s postseason meeting. Three of those games went over the posted total. But the Canucks may have a small edge as the Blackhawks will be in Calgary on Saturday night, so they’ll be hoping that the Flames can soften them up. Even still, this is going to be a great game, and it’ll be a tough call in your sports book.

1. Blackhawks

• Turco has been rock-solid and Chicago is starting to roll.

2. Bruins

• Power-play success leads to statement win over the Caps in home opener.

3. Red Wings

• Detroit is proving it can score with the best of them, and is eighth in the league in goals per game (3).

4. Penguins

• Pittsburgh flexed its experience in their latest gritty win against Nashville.

5. Islanders

• Another surprisingly effective team in tight games; New York has gone to four extra sessions already this season.

6. Capitals

• After four-game streak, Washington isn’t looking as aggressive, letting Boston put them on the wrong side of the NHL scores twice in a row.

7. Stars

• Talk about a high-scoring squad: the Stars are averaging nearly four goals per game.

8. Predators

• Head Coach Barry Trotz has his team playing with great chemistry and intensity.

9. Kings

• Despite their recent loss, LA is still undefeated at home, and looks great in goal.

10. Maple Leafs

• Could it be back to reality for the Leafs, who have dropped two straight?

11. Lightning

• With Washington lagging, Tampa Bay could take an early lead in the division.

12. Avalanche

• Vancouver is bound to get better, but for now, Colorado is enjoying division supremacy.

13. Hurricanes

• Their offence is a little stagnant, but the Hurricanes proved in Europe they are much-improved.

14. Canucks

• What’s up with the Canucks? Vancouver’s penalty kill is suspect, and they’ve struggled to score goals.

15. Canadiens

• Defence is the only thing keeping the Habs hovering around the middle of the NHL standings.

16. Wild

• The Wild have been fun to watch-can they translate entertainment over to the win column?

17. Sharks

• San Jose has been efficient on the man advantage, but otherwise is struggling on offence.

18. Blues

• The Blues have been taking tough opponents down to the wire; they just need to start finishing.

19. Thrashers

• All the good feelings evaporated in a hurry after a 4-1 beatdown at the hands of Buffalo.

20. Blue Jackets

• Columbus has done well so far for a team predicted to be one of the NHL’s worst.

21. Flyers

• After a decent start, Philly has been increasingly underwhelming.

22. Ducks

• Anaheim’s lack of offence or defence is making it hard to believe they’re a good team, even when they win.

23. Coyotes

• Inconsistency could be the biggest challenge for Phoenix this season.

24. Rangers

• Injuries are already taking a toll on New York.

25. Devils

• Jersey needs to right the ship ASAP, or else this season could turn ugly in a hurry.

26. Sabres

• Buffalo picked up a good win over Atlanta, but this team is all Ryan Miller at the moment.

27. Flames

• Calgary is dead last in scoring with 1.8 goals per game.

28. Panthers

• Florida is playing the right way, which is what matters for this young squad.

29. Oilers

• After their 2-0 start, the Oilers are where everyone expected them to be.

30. Senators

• In contrast, no one expected Ottawa to be this bad this season.

After having my heart and sportsbook account broken by the UCLA Bruins and their inability to cover a 20.5 point spread against Prairie View A&M in the first half, I needed to vent my anger. So, I turned to my first love for solace–hockey fights.

Here we have two of my favorite players, and people in the NHL going at it in what might be the fight of the year up to this point–with all due respect to Antonio Margarito and Miguel Cotto.

Voters on hockeyfights.com are awarding the victory to Koci, thanks to his unorthodox style.

As for the Blues, they will travel to Chicago to face their division rivals on Friday. This is bad news for St. Louis who, after a torrid start, have been struggling to put the puck in the net in even-strength situations. Instead of offering to pay fans’ rent if they attend home games, perhaps that money would be better spent by insituting a goal scoring bonus for scrubs such as Dan Hinote to strive for.

The Blackhawks remain undefeated at home after losing to the Bruins in a shootout, and will be favorites on NHL betting lines to keep the streak alive. Ride this out until they cool off!