NHL Regular Season is here - Saturday Night's Best Matchups

The hockey season is here and NHL betting has never been better with the first weekend of action from the ice. Check out Saturday's top NHL showdowns . . .

Calgary Flames at Edmonton Oilers

The Battle of Alberta is one way to start the season with a bang. The Oilers come into this season hoping to turn over a new leaf. Edmonton fired coach Craig MacTavish at the end of last season, hiring Pat Quinn to turn the team back into a contender. The Oilers may be without Ales Hemsky for the opener; the right winger led the team in points last season with 23 goals and 43 assists but is nursing an injured groin.

The Flames are also welcoming a new head coach in Brent Sutter. His hard-nosed philosophies, along with adding defenseman Jay Bouwmeester, should make Calgary a better team than last year's squad, which allowed an average of three goals per night. The Flames’ offense let them down in the postseason, scoring under three goals a game against Chicago. Calgary returns offensive stars Jarome Iginla and Daymond Langkow but lost second-leading scorer Mike Cammalleri to free agency.

San Jose Sharks at Anaheim Ducks

Revenge is on the menu when the Sharks come to Anaheim. San Jose had its dream season spoiled by the upstart Ducks, who knocked off the Presidents’ Trophy winners in six games last March. The Sharks have added goal scorer Dany Heatley to play alongside Joe Thornton and sniper Patrick Marleau. San Jose should pick up where it left off last season, scoring over three goals per game and ranking third in power-play efficiency.

Anaheim underwent a facelift this offseason, giving up the size and strength of players like Chris Pronger and Francois Beauchemin for a sleeker design behind additions Saku Koivu and Joffrey Lupul. Last year the Ducks scored an average of just 2.9 goals while leaning on its blueline to keep opponents off the scoreboard. Teemu Selanne is still kicking around, and goaltender Jonas Hiller made a name for himself in the postseason. Anaheim, while a different team on paper, should see similar results in 2009-10.

Toronto Maple Leafs at Washington Capitals

Maple Leafs faithful have a new savior – or scapegoat – in hot-shot acquisition Phil Kessel. The team grabbed the forward from the Boston Bruins in mid-September. Kessel could be the offensive spark Toronto needs after failing to keep pace in the Northeast. Kessel is coming off a breakout year, scoring 60 points for Boston, but is recovering from shoulder surgery and is expected to be out until November. The Leafs also added some size on the blueline over the summer, and they’re hoping bodies like Mike Komisarek and Francois Beauchemin can help them avoid finishing dead last in goals against.

The Capitals were crushed in the playoffs, failing to meet the lofty expectations set by many experts. Washington returns its top three scorers, including superstar winger Alex Ovechkin. The Capitals will be coming off a massive Eastern Conference matchup with the Bruins on Friday night, while Toronto also comes off a rivalry clash with Montreal before Saturday's home game.