Getting their final head-to-head meeting of the season out of the way early in the year, the St. Louis Blues and the Edmonton Oilers meet at Rogers Place for a Western Conference matchup. Sportsnet West will air the matchup, which gets going at 9 p.m. ET on Thursday, December 21.
St. Louis Blues vs. Edmonton Oilers Odds
With a moneyline of -135, Edmonton heads into the contest as the favorite. The line for St. Louis sits at +115 and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals (-105 for the over, -115 for the under).
St. Louis is 22-14 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 4.7 units this season. Through 36 regular season matches, 20 of its games have gone under the total, while 15 have gone over and none have pushed. As a road team this season, the Blue Notes are 10-7 SU.
St. Louis has converted on just 16.8 percent of its power play chances this season, a figure that’s ranked 24th in the NHL. Its penalty kill is ranked 17th overall, and the teams successfully killed off 81.1 percent of all penalties.
For the team as a whole, St. Louis has been whistled for penalties just 3.6 times per game overall this season, 4.0 per game over its last five outings total, and 3.8 per game over its last five on the road. The team has had to kill penalties just 7.2 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
With a .911 save percentage and 25.4 saves per game, Jake Allen (17-12-2) has been the best option in goal for St. Louis this year. If head coach Mike Yeo chooses to rest him, however, St. Louis could turn to Carter Hutton (6-4 record, .948 save percentage, 1.67 goals against average).
Brayden Schenn and Vladimir Tarasenko will both be relied on to produce for the visiting Blues. Schenn (39 points) has tallied 17 goals and 22 assists, and has recorded multiple points in 10 different games. Tarasenko has 15 goals and 20 assists to his name, and has notched at least one point in 21 games.
On the other side of the ice, Edmonton is 15-19 straight up (SU) and has lost 7.8 units for moneyline bettors this year. 17 of its contests have gone over the total, while 16 have gone under and just one has pushed. This season, the team is 6-10 SU at home.
Edmonton has converted on just 16.8 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a figure that’s ranked 24th in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 32nd overall, and it’s successfully killed off 73.0 percent of all opponent power plays.
Edmonton players have been penalized 4.1 times per game in total this season, and 3.4 per game over their last five home outings. The team has had to kill penalties just 8.6 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Cam Talbot has stopped 25.6 shots per game as the primary option in goal for Edmonton. Talbot has 12 wins, 12 losses, and one OT loss and has registered a subpar .903 save percentage and 2.96 goals against average this season.
The Oilers offense will be led by Connor McDavid (12 goals, 28 assists).
St. Louis Blues at Edmonton Oilers Free Picks
Predictions: SU Winner – Blues, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
- The total has gone under in three of Edmonton’s last five outings.
- This game features two offenses that force a heavy amount of shots on goal. St. Louis has registered the leagues ninth-most shots on goal (33.3) while Edmonton has attempted the fourth-most (34.6).
- The Blues are 11-7 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 14-10 when they’re in the penalty box for fewer than 10 total minutes.
- Edmonton skaters have averaged 8.8 takeaways per game over its last five home games, a slight drop from its season average of 8.2 takeaways per game (ranked 10th in the league).
- St. Louis skaters have created 4.0 takeaways per game over its last five road games, a drop-off from its season average of 8.1 takeaways per game (ranked 10th in the NHL).
