Canucks vs. Oilers Odds
| Canucks Odds | +190 |
| Oilers Odds | -230 |
| Over/Under | 6.5 (-122/-102) |
| Time | 9 p.m. ET |
| TV | SN |
| Odds via FanDuel. Get up-to-the-minute NHL Odds here. | |
After a great comeback win Thursday night, the Vancouver Canucks head to Alberta to take on the Edmonton Oilers. While this season hasn’t been ideal for Vancouver, they’ve played about .500 hockey since the start and have gone 5-5 in their last 10 games.
Edmonton has had an up and down season, and has managed to stay alive in the playoff hunt. Coming off a solid win in Dallas, the Oilers are 5-3-2 in their last 10, and look to continue their success.
Which team comes out on top in this Canadian showdown?
Vancouver Canucks
There always seems to be a story with the Canucks, and this year it’s regarding captain Bo Horvat. It seems as if this will be his last year in Vancouver as he and the Canucks work on a trade to a team that’s willing to pay him.
Regardless, he’s had a great year, averaging a point per game, as well as Elias Pettersson who had an astounding five point night last night against Seattle. Beyond that, they’ve gotten exceptional production as well from usual suspects JT Miller and Quinn Hughes who are thought to be the future of the Canucks along with Pettersson.
To the surprise of no one, but the charts don’t seem to favor the Canucks all that much. Their even strength game is below average with a 44.77 xGF%, and generate about eight and a half high danger chances per game. While their even strength game lacks, they have a dynamite power play scoring 25.9% of the time.
Vancouver has had a rough time defensively through 31 games, and that’s putting it nicely. It allows a fifth worst 2.93 xGA/60 and owns the league’s worst penalty kill at 67%.
Thatcher Demko was placed on IR so it’s been Spencer Martin’s net until further notice. But since Martin played last night, I expect Collin Delia to take the crease. Delia has only played one game this year and it wasn’t terrible. He played to a +0.8 goals saved above expected (GSAx) and stopped 15 out of the 17 shots he faced.
Edmonton Oilers
When you think about the Edmonton Oilers, you have to start with the two best players in the league. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are having yet again a historic season, with 65 and 55 points respectively in 34 games. Along with them Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is crushing his goal totals from last year already and Zach Hyman’s also averaging over a point per game.
After the season they had last year, one would think that the Oilers would be dominating in the even strength portion. Obviously missing Evander Kane hurts, but I was still expecting better than a 50.51 xGF%. They do generate a good amount of high danger chances (9.8 per game) and their power play is the best by a mile, scoring at a 32.8% pace.
Defensively, they’re pretty subpar, which probably amounts to where they are in the standings. They allow 2.72 xGA/60 with a 72.6% success rate on the penalty kill. For a team that doesn’t take many penalties, that statistic is concerning.
Signing Jack Campbell has proven to be a total dud for the Oilers. In 15 starts, he’s played to a pitiful -10.8 GSAx and an .876 SV%. Stuart Skinner has managed to be the more reliable netminder starting most of the games. He’s playing to a solid +0.7 GSAx and a .913 SV%. It’s hard to tell who takes the crease, since both nearly have split starts, but it seems as if coach Jay Woodcroft favors Skinner.
Canucks vs. Oilers Pick
Vancouver just played through a grueling matchup where they came back from two down in the last five minutes last night. I’d have to think that the Canucks would at least be slightly tired with the Oilers coming in for some home cooking.
Another aspect to be on the lookout for: special teams. The Canucks find themselves in the penalty box more often than not, and own the league’s worst penalty kill while the Oilers have the best power play. Should Vancouver find itself in the penalty box, be on the lookout, because McDavid & Co. will be licking their chops.
While Edmonton isn’t far and away better than the Canucks, Edmonton has the coaching advantage in my opinion. If Skinner plays, then they’ll also have a drastic goaltending advantage as well. Either way, I’ll take the Oilers in regulation here.
Pick: Edmonton Oilers 60 Min Line (-148)
