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It has been a profitable week on the ice thus far, so let's keep the momentum going into a busy weekend on the schedule.

One of hockey's oldest rivalries headlines the weekend slate as the Montreal Canadiens host the Toronto Maple Leafs, while a Stanley Cup rematch graces TD Garden.

Game betting

San Jose Sharks at Toronto Maple Leafs (Friday)

It's the chalk play, but how do you stay away from the over 6.5 in this game? Both teams can score at will, while they each struggle to keep the puck out of their own net. The Sharks are on a 9-1 run to the over when playing their second game in as many nights, and until the Leafs prove they're capable of playing sound defense, there's no reason to think this game should be any different.

Washington Capitals at Vancouver Canucks (Friday)

The Capitals have three well-deserved days off to reset after this one. It's been a busy start to the season for them with 13 games in 25 nights, including a ton of travel. Washington is also on the second game of a back-to-back and fatigue will be an issue for it. The Canucks have been idle since Tuesday and are a strong bet at even money.

St. Louis Blues at Boston Bruins (Saturday)

If this isn't the best revenge spot on the calendar, I don't know what is. The Bruins spent the summer watching videos of Blues players bathing in beer and eating food out of the Stanley Cup, after they came so close to winning it themselves. Nothing that happens on Saturday will take that away from St. Louis, but Boston can put a small band-aid over its heart-sized wound with a win. You know how bad the Bruins want this.

Toronto Maple Leafs at Montreal Canadiens (Saturday)

Once more, the schedule makers have taken away from the allure of a Habs-Leafs game this season, with Toronto again playing it as the second game of a back-to-back. As a result, Michael Hutchinson will get the nod in goal. He's posted a save percentage below .900 this season, with the Leafs 0-3 in his starts. Carey Price will steal the show again as the Canadiens make it two for two over the Leafs this season.

San Jose Sharks at Ottawa Senators (Sunday)

The Sharks have performed reasonably well in the second half of back-to-backs under Peter DeBoer, though they typically struggle in the game that follows - especially when it's on the road. San Jose is 5-12 in this spot over the past two seasons, so consider backing the Senators here at what will certainly be an attractive price.

Game props

Colorado Avalanche at Vegas Golden Knights (Friday)

The best team in the Western Conference was dealt a blow this week with the news that star winger Mikko Rantanen will miss at least a couple weeks with a lower-body injury. His absence will be sorely missed in a game in that could be a Conference Final preview against the Golden Knights. The Avalanche have had three days off in advance of this contest, which can be problematic with all the distractions Vegas has to offer. It's possible they spent Thursday night celebrating their hot start and will come out sluggish as a result. With the price on Vegas a bit high (-165), take them -0.5 in the first period at +150.

Calgary Flames at Winnipeg Jets (Saturday)

A Heritage Classic, this game will be played at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Saskatchewan. Since Heritage Classics were instituted as yearly occurrences in 2008, outdoor games are 14-7-5 to the under, assuming a six-goal total for each contest. The under is worth a look here as well, but the Jets' team total is our focus. They've scored three or less goals in each of their last 12 games against the Flames, and two or less in nine of those contests. Under 3.5 and under 2.5 are both worth a look here. Goals have become an issue for Winnipeg, with just eight in its last five games.

Los Angeles Kings at Chicago Blackhawks (Sunday)

Only twice in the last nine meetings between the Blackhawks and Kings have there been two or more goals in the opening 20 minutes. With neither team scoring much these days, the first-period under looks like a strong bet here.

Player props

Washington Capitals at Vancouver Canucks (Friday)

Vancouver's power play has been humming along nicely this season, especially at home where it has converted on 44.4% of its opportunities. Bo Horvat is the team leader in that regard, with four goals on the man advantage. Look for him to add to that total against the Capitals, who can't seem to stay out of the penalty box - their 41 minor penalties are third-most in the NHL this season.

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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If Patrick Marleau has his way, he'll pass Gordie Howe and become hockey's new king of longevity.

"His goal is to break Gordie's record," Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock told reporters, including the Mercury News' Curtis Pashelka, on Friday. "I wish him luck with that."

Howe retired as the NHL's all-time games played leader at 1,767, having also suited up for 419 WHA contests.

Marleau, who rejoined the San Jose Sharks earlier this month after two seasons with the Maple Leafs, entered Friday's game against Toronto having played 1,663 NHL games.

The 40-year-old hasn't missed a regular season game since 2008-09 and the Sharks have 72 contests left in 2019-20. If Marleau were to play in all of them, that would put him at 1,735 games played, vaulting him from fifth to third on the all-time list, while passing Ron Francis and Jaromir Jagr.

He would then need to appear in 33 games during the 2020-21 campaign to move past Howe for top spot on the list. Mark Messier sits second with 1,756.

Marleau's next game will be his 1,500th for the Sharks, with whom he spent his first 19 campaigns before signing with the Leafs as a free agent in the summer of 2017.

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Brendan Perlini's representative, Darren Ferris, and the Chicago Blackhawks reportedly concur that the forward needs a change of scenery.

The club and the player's agent "have agreed that they’re going to try and find a new home for him," TSN's Bob McKenzie reported on "Insider Trading" on Thursday.

Perlini has played just one game this season, logging 7:49 in ice time. The Blackhawks acquired him and Dylan Strome from the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for Nick Schmaltz in November 2018.

In 47 games with Chicago over parts of the last two seasons, Perlini has 12 goals and three assists. He produced 33 markers and 24 helpers across 153 contests in parts of three campaigns with the Coyotes.

Arizona selected him 12th overall in 2014.

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It was a rough night to be a goaltender in Calgary.

The Flames defeated the Florida Panthers 6-5 in a shootout on Thursday night. The result came even though the two teams combined for less than 50 shots. For reference, the league average for shots per game entering Thursday was 63, but the average for goals per game sat at 6.06.

Between the Panthers' Sergei Bobrovsky and the Flames' David Rittich, neither netminder brought their A-game.

It was a shooters paradise, as skaters scored on 21.3% of their shots - better than one goal on every five attempts.

The game started out tame. The Flames went into the first intermission with a 1-0 lead before the Panthers tied it up at 2-2 after the second period. The two sides erupted in the final frame, combining for six goals, with Sean Monahan scoring the shootout winner.

Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It was a rough night to be a goaltender in Calgary.

The Flames defeated the Florida Panthers 6-5 in a shootout on Thursday night. The result came even though the two teams combined for less than 50 shots. For reference, the league average for shots per game entering Thursday was 63, but the average for goals per game sat at 6.06.

Between the Panthers' Sergei Bobrovsky and the Flames' David Rittich, neither netminder brought their A-game.

It was a shooters paradise, as skaters scored on 21.3% of their shots - better than one goal on every five attempts.

The game started out tame. The Flames went into the first intermission with a 1-0 lead before the Panthers tied it up at 2-2 after the second period. The two sides erupted in the final frame, combining for six goals, with Sean Monahan scoring the shootout winner.

Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

St. Louis Blues star winger Vladimir Tarasenko suffered an upper-body injury versus the Los Angeles Kings in the first period of Thursday's contest and was subsequently ruled out for the remainder of the game, the team announced.

There's no immediate word on the specifics of the injury, but it's worth noting Tarasenko suffered a separated shoulder in June's Stanley Cup Final, and also had surgery to repair a dislocated shoulder in the previous offseason.

The 27-year-old only logged 4:37 of ice time before being forced to leave the game.

Tarasenko entered Thursday's tilt leading the Blues with 10 points through nine games this season.

Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.