In their third head-to-head meeting of the regular season, the Edmonton Oilers and the Vancouver Canucks meet at Rogers Arena for a divisional tilt. The action gets started at 10 p.m. ET on Thursday, March 29, and it will be shown live on Sportsnet ONE.
Edmonton Oilers vs. Vancouver Canucks Odds
Vancouver (+115) is entering this one as the underdog to Edmonton (-135), and the oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at an even 6 goals. The odds for betting that total stand at -120 for the under and +100 for the over.
Edmonton is 34-43 straight up (SU) and has lost 15.3 units for moneyline bettors thus far. Through 77 regular season matches, 37 of its games have gone over the total, while 36 have gone under and just four have pushed. The Oilers are 17-21 SU on the road in 2017-18.
Edmonton has converted on just 14.8 percent of its power play chances this season, a figure that places them in the bottom- overall among NHL teams. Its penalty kill is ranked 29th overall, and it’s successfully killed off only 75.5 percent of all penalties.
Edmonton, as a collective unit, has been penalized 3.6 times per game this season, and 2.0 per game over its last five match ups. The team has been forced to kill penalties just 7.2 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Averaging 27.6 saves per game with a .907 save percentage, Cam Talbot (30-32-3) has been the top option in goal for Edmonton this season. If Edmonton chooses to rest him, however, they may roll with Laurent Brossoit (3-11-1 record, .883 save percentage, 3.24 goals against average).
Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl will both lead the way for the visiting Oilers. McDavid has 102 points on 40 goals and 62 assists, and has recorded two or more points 29 times. Draisaitl has 24 goals and 44 assists to his credit (and has notched a point in 43 games).
Over on the other bench, Vancouver is 28-49 straight up (SU) and has lost 11.6 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 77 regular season outings, 42 of its games have gone over the total, while 35 have gone under and none have pushed. The team is 13-24 SU at home this year.
Vancouver has converted on 21.6 percent of its power play chances this year, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 21st overall, and it’s successfully killed off 79.1 percent of all opponent power plays.
Vancouver players have been penalized 3.8 times per game in total this season, and 3.0 per game over their last five at home. The team’s been forced to kill penalties just 6.0 minutes per contest over their last five home games.
Jacob Markstrom has denied 26.4 shots per game as the primary netminder in goal for Vancouver. Markstrom has 21 wins, 36 losses, and seven overtime losses to his name and has maintained a pedestrian 2.72 goals against average and a .912 save percentage this season.
The home team will be led on offense by Brock Boeser (29 goals, 26 assists).
Edmonton Oilers at Vancouver Canucks Free Picks
NHL Prediction: SU Winner – Oilers, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes
Vancouver is 0-3 in games decided by a shootout this season while Edmonton is 4-1 in shootouts.
The under has hit in four of Vancouver’s last five games.
Over Edmonton’s last ten games, six of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 4-2 in those games).
Edmonton skaters have accounted for the league’s most hits per game (26.7), but that number’s down to just 16.6 hits over their last five away games.
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