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An Original Six rivalry highlights this weekend's slate as the Boston Bruins head north of the border aiming to continue their dominance over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Of course, that's just one of 22 games scheduled over the next three days, as the NHL season starts to kick into high gear. Here's your guide to making the weekend a profitable one:

Game betting

Dallas Stars at Pittsburgh Penguins (Friday)

With one win in their first eight games, the Stars are simply trying to stop the bleeding. Winning hockey starts with defense, which is one thing Dallas has managed to do well over the first two weeks - the goals have just dried up. Injuries have left the Penguins shorthanded up front, and Pittsburgh's last six home games against Western Conference teams are 5-0-1 to the under. Dallas' last 11 away contests against Eastern Conference clubs are 7-2-2 to the under. With the total set at six in this game, look for a tight, low-scoring affair.

Carolina Hurricanes at Anaheim Ducks (Friday)

This is a really tough spot for the Hurricanes, who face their fifth game in eight nights and their third in four, including a pair of back-to-backs. Anaheim has been a juggernaut early in the season, thanks in large part to stellar goaltender John Gibson. Teams are still looking to get their legs under them this early in the campaign, and fatigue will definitely play a part for Carolina against a stingy Ducks team. The hosts are small underdogs here and are well worth a bet to kick-start the weekend.

Boston Bruins at Toronto Maple Leafs (Saturday)

News that Leafs captain John Tavares will miss at least two weeks with a broken finger is poorly timed as the team welcomes the Bruins to town Saturday night. Boston has played well early in the year and should rebound here after losing to the Lightning in a shootout Thursday. The Leafs lack the depth to absorb the loss of their captain, have struggled against good teams, and are typically owned by the Bruins.

Buffalo Sabres at San Jose Sharks (Saturday)

Don't look now, but the Sharks have turned things around after a poor start, winning three in a row as they head into Saturday's contest on two days rest while in the midst of a homestand. The Sabres, and Carter Hutton, have been on a tear, but this is a tough spot as they conclude their California road trip with a third game in four nights.

Edmonton Oilers at Winnipeg Jets (Sunday)

Credit the Jets for avoiding a miserable start despite trotting out a depleted defense, but they've still been vulnerable shorthanded. Winnipeg owns the league's worst penalty kill (56.3%) heading into the weekend and will welcome the Oilers, who own the league's best power play (45.5%), to town. Those numbers really don't bode well for the Jets. Look for the Oilers to keep their hot start alive, courtesy of their special teams.

Calgary Flames at Anaheim Ducks (Sunday)

Not sure exactly who in the league offices the Flames pissed off, but it was someone. Calgary wraps up a brutal opening stretch - six games in nine days - in Anaheim, following an unenviable travel schedule that saw the team head from Dallas to Vegas to San Jose to Calgary to Los Angeles. This game concludes the Flames' second back-to-back in a week and it comes against the white-hot Ducks. It also doesn't help that Calgary has lost 32 of its last 33 games in Anaheim. That's not a typo. This is one of those empty-the-bankroll type of plays.

Game props

New York Rangers at Washington Capitals (Friday)

With the Rangers on a back-to-back, Henrik Lundqvist gets the start for them in Washington. He's a shell of the goalie he once was and is in for a long night as he plays behind a tired team against the free-scoring Capitals. You should be jumping at Washington -1 in regulation at +125.

Montreal Canadiens at St. Louis Blues (Saturday)

After beating the Blues 6-3 in Montreal last week, the Canadiens travel to St. Louis for a return date with the Stanley Cup champions. The Habs don't typically excel in matinees, and with the Blues out for revenge, this should be a much tighter, lower-scoring game than what we saw Saturday at the Bell Centre. Playing Montreal's team total under 2.5 should be profitable in this spot.

Calgary Flames at Anaheim Ducks (Sunday)

As mentioned above, this really is the perfect storm. The Flames, who already suck in Anaheim, will be playing the Ducks under brutal conditions. John Gibson might be in line for a shutout. Play Calgary's team total under 2.5, as well as 1.5, the latter of which should be priced around +350.

Player props

Boston Bruins at Toronto Maple Leafs (Saturday)

Is there anyone Leafs fans are more tired of seeing than David Pastrnak? He owns the Leafs like the Yankees owned Pedro Martinez. In fact, Boston's whole top line does. The Bruins should have even more success with Tavares missing from Toronto's top line. The man they call Pasta torched the Leafs for six goals in four games last season and he should be celebrating another at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday night.

Edmonton Oilers at Winnipeg Jets (Sunday)

By now you know about the mismatch between the Oilers' powerplay and the Jets' penalty kill. James Neal has been one of the catalysts of Edmonton's powerplay, with six of his eight goals coming on the man advantage. He's got a great chance to add to that tally against the league's worst penalty kill Sunday.

Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.

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Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon is considered a game-time decision for Friday's tilt against the Florida Panthers due to a sore leg, head coach Jared Bednar told assembled media, including Mike Chambers of the Denver Post.

The Avs superstar suffered a deep bruise to his leg/hip on a check from Patric Hornqvist during Wednesday night's game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

MacKinnon stayed in the contest and scored a third-period marker that forced overtime and helped the Avalanche get a point.

"His leg’s pretty sore. He got hit there the other night by Hornqvist," Bednar said. "I give him a lot of credit - I know he was hurting on the bench the whole game and he battled through it and ends up getting us a big goal in the third period and has a really good third period for us. But he’s questionable (tonight)."

If MacKinnon can't go, Nazem Kadri will center the club's top line and J.T. Compher will take his spot on the No. 1 power-play unit.

MacKinnon is off to a hot start this season with nine points in his first six games.

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Carter Hutton had a night to remember as the Buffalo Sabres knocked off the Los Angeles Kings 3-0 on Thursday.

The 33-year-old turned aside all 47 shots he faced, including 19 in the third period, to set a new franchise record for saves in a regular-season shutout.

Hutton has recorded back-to-back shutouts after blanking the Dallas Stars on Monday. The 6-foot-1 puck-stopper is now 5-0 this season with a 1.39 goals against average and a .950 save percentage.

The Sabres record for saves in a shutout, including playoffs, belongs to Dominik Hasek who made 70 stops in a win over the New Jersey Devils during the 1994 postseason.

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Detroit Red Wings forward Darren Helm was tossed from Thursday's game against the Calgary Flames after slashing Elias Lindholm.

Helm caught Lindholm from behind just over five minutes into the third period.

The Red Wings center was assessed a five-minute slashing major and game misconduct, while the Flames winger was simultaneously handed an interference minor.

Lindholm hit Helm up high beforehand.

Lindholm, who scored his fifth goal of the season in the second period, left the game and didn't return. Helm potted his third marker of the campaign less than 30 seconds after Lindholm's goal.

The Flames defeated the Red Wings 5-1.

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The Carolina Hurricanes may be looking to add to their forward depth.

"They've made inquiries, and one of them is Josh Ho-Sang," TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported on Thursday's edition of "Insider Trading." "Jesse Puljujarvi ... that's another player that I'm told the Hurricanes have kicked tires on."

The New York Islanders selected Ho-Sang 28th overall in 2014, but the forward has struggled to crack their NHL roster. He's appeared in just 53 games since being drafted.

Puljujarvi, who was taken fourth overall in the 2016 draft by the Edmonton Oilers, has also failed to produce with his club, registering 37 points in 139 games. He began this season playing in the Finnish Elite League, where he's put up 12 points in 12 games.

"At some point in time, I think the Hurricanes, who are off to a good start, feel they need to add one more top-nine forward in their lineup," LeBrun added.

The Hurricanes sit atop the Metropolitan Division with a 6-2-0 record.

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The Toronto Maple Leafs suffered a devastating blow Thursday, as captain John Tavares will miss a minimum of two weeks with a broken finger.

For the top-heavy Maple Leafs, losing one of their elite centers stings a little more than it might for any other club. The 29-year-old scored a career-high 47 goals last season and was riding a four-game point streak in the early stages of this campaign.

There is now a gaping hole down the middle of Toronto's lineup. It appears unlikely the Maple Leafs will recall a forward, so let's take a look at the players who are already on the roster and determine the team's best options moving forward, in no particular order:

Option 1: Spezza gets bigger role

The Maple Leafs' best line of Johnsson, Matthews, and Nylander stays intact in this shuffle. Kerfoot has played well in his first season with the club and gets rewarded with a promotion to the top six and a chance to play with Marner.

Spezza has been in head coach Mike Babcock's dog house since his arrival this summer, but he'd get to play in a more offensive role on the team's third line. The 36-year-old doesn't move around the ice as quickly as he used to but would be flanked by two speedy, hard-working wingers in Moore and Kapanen. Moore and Mikheyev could also easily be flipped in any of these scenarios.

Option 2: Goat gets rewarded

The top six from Option 1 remain the same here. The big difference is that Gauthier gets a chance to center the team's third line. "The Goat" has played surprisingly well this season and seemed to earn the trust of Babcock, as he's played in all eight of the team's games while the other fourth-liners rotate.

Gauthier's offensive ceiling is severely limited, though, and he's probably better in a fourth-line role despite his strong play in the early going.

We've also inserted Petan into the lineup as there's no longer a need for Shore's right-handed faceoff abilities with Spezza back on the fourth line.

Option 3: Nylander moves to center

Option 3 makes for the biggest shake-up. We've moved Nylander to his natural position of center and split up the top line. Though he's probably better suited for the wing, Nylander has performed adequately here in the past. This gives the team its best possible center depth, as it moves Kerfoot back down to the third line.

This also gives Matthews and Marner a rare chance to play together at five-on-five. Babcock has been reluctant to do so since the pair entered the league in 2016, but this could be the best time to see if it works for an extended period.

Like Option 1, Spezza gets a top-nine role in this scenario, though he's handed far less responsibility playing on the wing.

Who goes to the top power play?

With new assistant coaches, Toronto's power play has featured a new look this year. Defenseman Morgan Rielly remains at the point, but Marner and Matthews flipped sides to be in better shooting positions. Tavares moved from in front of the net to the slot/bumper position, and Johnsson is in front of the net.

Tavares' absence changes things. The most logical solution is to promote Nylander to the No. 1 power play. He's the team's most skilled - and perhaps deserving - player who's not on the top unit, and could easily slide into Tavares' spot.

Blue-liner Tyson Barrie also provides an intriguing option after racking up 25 power-play points with the Colorado Avalanche last season. He could give the top unit a right-handed one-timer from the left half-wall, which would force Marner to move into the middle where Tavares was. This would require Jake Muzzin to play the point on the second power-play unit.

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Vegas Golden Knights forward Valentin Zykov has been suspended 20 games without pay for violating the NHL/NHLPA performance-enhancing substances program, the league announced Thursday.

The team issued the following statement, agreeing with the league's ruling:

"We were notified by the NHL and NHLPA that Valentin has violated the terms of the NHL/NHLPA performance-enhancing substances program. We monitor the nutrition, supplement intake, and overall diet of our athletes on a continual basis throughout our entire season. Valentin knowingly used a banned substance without the consent, recommendation, or knowledge of our team. We support the NHL/NHLPA performance-enhancing substances program and respect the decision here."

This is the second time in as many years that a Golden Knights player has been booked for PEDs, as defenseman Nate Schmidt received a 20-game ban to begin last season.

The team took a vastly different stance with Schmidt's suspension, though, stating at the time that it "strongly disagreed" with the ruling. During the appeal, it was revealed that only seven-billionths of a milligram of the substance was found in Schmidt's system - equivalent to a pinch of salt in an Olympic swimming pool. An expert concluded that there was no evidence of intentional use.

Zykov says he isn't sure how the banned substance got into his body.

"While I haven't been able to discover how I tested positive, I understand that I am responsible for what is in my body and will accept this penalty," he said in a statement. "I want to apologize to my family, my teammates, and the Golden Knights organization and fans. I will work hard during my suspension to ensure that I put myself in the best possible position to contribute to my team when my suspension is over."

The 24-year-old winger had two assists in seven games this season while playing in a bottom-six role.

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