Rogers Place will be the site for a divisional showdown as the Edmonton Oilers square off against the visiting Anaheim Ducks. It’s the fourth and last time that the two clubs will go at it in the regular season. The opening face-off is at 9:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 25, and it will be shown live on Sportsnet ONE.
Anaheim Ducks vs. Edmonton Oilers Odds
Anaheim is 38-37 straight up (SU) and has lost 1.3 units for moneyline bettors this year. 45 of its matches have gone under the total, while 29 have gone over and just one has pushed. As the away team this season, the Ducks are 16-22 SU.
Anaheim has converted on 17.7 percent of its power play chances this season, a mark that’s right around league average. Having said that, it has the fourth-best penalty kill in the league, and it has successfully killed off 83.2 percent of its penalties.
Anaheim, as a collective unit, has been whistled for penalties 4.3 times per game overall during the 2017-18 season, and 2.8 per game over its last five on the road. The team has had to defend opponent power plays just 8.1 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Sporting a .927 save percentage and 29.3 saves per game, John Gibson (30-26-8) has been the top option in goal for Anaheim this season. If head coach Randy Carlyle chooses to rest him, however, the team could turn to Ryan Miller (10-14-6 record, .926 save percentage, 2.49 goals against average).
Rickard Rakell and Ryan Getzlaf will both lead the way for the visiting Ducks. Rakell (63 points) has tallied 31 goals and 32 assists, and has recorded multiple points in 19 different games. Getzlaf has 11 goals and 45 assists to his credit, and has notched at least one point in 30 games.
On the other side of the ice, Edmonton is 34-41 straight up (SU) and has lost 14.3 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 75 regular season matches, 35 of its games have gone over the total, while another 35 have gone under and just four have pushed. It’s 17-20 SU as the home team this year.
Edmonton has converted on just 14.3 percent of its power play chances this year, a figure that’s ranked 32nd in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 29th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 75.0 percent of all opponent power plays.
Edmonton skaters have been penalized 3.7 times per game in total this season, and 2.8 per game over their last five home outings. The team’s had to defend opponent power plays just 7.9 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Cam Talbot (27.8 saves per game) has been the primary selection in goal for Edmonton. Talbot has 30 wins, 30 losses, and two overtime losses to his name and has recorded a pedestrian 2.94 goals against average and a fairly-weak .909 save percentage this season.
The home team offense will be led by Connor McDavid (38 goals, 58 assists).
Anaheim Ducks vs. Edmonton Oilers Betting Predictions
Free NHL Pick: SU Winner – Ducks, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Trends
The over has hit in three of Edmonton’s last five outings.
Anaheim has managed 24.0 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Edmonton is averaging 31.0 shots per game over its last five at home.
The Ducks are 26-16 SU when they serve more penalty minutes than their opponent while the Oilers are 15-25 SU in games where they spend more time in the box than the opposition.
Edmonton is 4-1 in games decided by a shootout this season while Anaheim is 4-7 in shootouts.
Edmonton skaters have forced 14.6 takeaways per game over its last five home games, an improvement over its season average of 8.2 takeaways per game (ranked 8th overall).
Anaheim is ranked 27th in the NHL this season with 5.9 takeaways per game. That figure has trended upward lately, as it’s managed 6.6 takeaways over its last 10 games and 7.0 takeaways over its last five.
—–
