The Edmonton Oilers, led by Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, are ready to take the ice against Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser, and the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena for a divisional tilt. Sportsnet West will broadcast the action, which gets going at 10 p.m. ET on Monday, December 23.
Edmonton Oilers vs. Vancouver Canucks Odds
Edmonton is 20-19 straight up (SU) and has earned 0.7 units for moneyline bettors this year. 19 of its contests have gone over the total, while another 19 have gone under and just one has pushed. This 2019-20 Oilers team is 11-9 SU on the road.
Edmonton currently touts the third-strongest power-play unit in the NHL, as it’s converted on 29.4 percent of its extra-man opportunities this year. On the other hand, it has the eighth-best penalty kill in the league, and the team’s successfully killed off 83.6 percent of all penalties..
Boasting a .918 save percentage and 28.3 saves per game, Mikko Koskinen (13-10-2) has been the best option in goal for Edmonton this season. If head coach Dave Tippett decides to rest him, however, the team might turn to Mike Smith (7-12-2), who has a .893 save percentage and 3.14 goals against average this year.
On the other side of the ice, Vancouver is 18-19 straight up (SU) and has lost 1.8 units for moneyline bettors this year. 19 of its games have gone over the total, while 16 have gone under and just two have pushed. It’s 10-8 SU at home this year.
The Canucks have converted on 24.8 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a mark that’s good enough for fourth-best in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 18th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 80.3 percent of all penalties.
Jacob Markstrom (29.3 saves per game) has been the primary selection in the crease for the Canucks. Markstrom has 11 wins, 14 losses, and three overtime losses to his credit and has maintained a .916 save percentage and 2.68 goals against average this year.
Edmonton Oilers at Vancouver Canucks Free Picks
Pick: SU Winner – Canucks, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
- Over Vancouver’s last ten outings, six of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 2-4 in those games).
- The Oilers are 7-8 SU in games where they serve more penalty minutes than their opponent while the Canucks are 5-4 SU when they serve more minutes than their opponent.
- Edmonton is 2-1 in games decided by a shootout this season while Vancouver is 3-1 in shootouts.
- Edmonton may hold an advantage if this one comes down to the wire. The team’s 11-6 in games decided by one goal, while Vancouver is 7-9 in such games.
- Edmonton is ranked 26th this season with 11.9 giveaways per game. That figure has trended upward lately, as it’s averaged 14.2 giveaways over its last 10 games and 14.6 giveaways over its last five.
- Vancouver is ranked 6th this season with 8.5 giveaways per game. That figure has improved lately, however, as the team’s averaged 7.1 giveaways over its last 10 games and 6.8 giveaways over its last five.
- Edmonton skaters have given out the league’s 12th-most hits per game (21.6), but the team’s averaged just 15.6 hits over their last five away games.
