Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and the Edmonton Oilers will face off against Eric Staal, Jason Zucker, and the Minnesota Wild at the Xcel Energy Center in a Western Conference showdown. The match will get started at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, December 12 and it can be viewed live on Sportsnet Oilers.
Edmonton Oilers at Minnesota Wild Odds
Minnesota (-145) is currently favored over Edmonton (+125), and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 6 goals. The line for betting the total stands at -120 for the under and +100 for the over.
Edmonton is 18-15 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 2.1 units this year. Through 33 regular season outings, 16 of its games have gone over the total, while another 16 have gone under and just one has pushed. The Oilers are 10-7 SU on the road in 2019-20.
Edmonton currently has the second-strongest power-play unit in the NHL, as it’s scored on 31.6 percent of its extra-man chances this season. Additionally, it has the ninth-strongest penalty kill in the league, and it has successfully killed off 84.6 percent of its penalties..
Averaging 27.6 saves per game with a .914 save percentage, Mikko Koskinen (11-8-2) has been the primary option in goal for Edmonton this year. If Edmonton chooses to rest him, however, the team might turn to Mike Smith (7-10-2 record, .903 save percentage, 2.88 goals against average).
On the other bench, Minnesota is 14-17 straight up (SU) and has lost 3.2 units for moneyline bettors this year. 15 of its outings have gone over the total, while 12 have gone under and just four have pushed. It’s 7-4 SU at home this year.
The Wild have converted on just 18.3 percent of their power play chances this season, 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 78.3 percent of all penalties.
Alex Stalock (25.6 saves per game) has been the top option in goal for the Wild. Stalock has nine wins, eight losses, and two OT losses to his credit and has maintained a mediocre 2.91 goals against average and a fairly-weak .906 save percentage this year.
Edmonton Oilers at Minnesota Wild Free Picks
Prediction: SU Winner – Wild, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
- The Oilers are 2-1 in games decided by a shootout this season while the Wild are 1-1 in shootouts.
- The under has hit in three of Edmonton’s last five outings.
- Over Edmonton’s last ten games, six of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 1-5 in those games).
- Edmonton skaters notched 26.7 hits per game last season, while the Wild forced 19.5 hits per matchup.
