In a game between two squads riding winning streaks, the Vancouver Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers take the ice at Rogers Place in a divisional tilt. The opening face-off is at 10 p.m. ET on Saturday, January 20, and you can catch it live on CBC Sports.
Vancouver Canucks at Edmonton Oilers Odds
With a -175 moneyline, Edmonton heads into the matchup as the noticeable favorite. The line for Vancouver sits at +155, and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals (-120 money on the under, +100 on the over).
Edmonton is 20-26 straight up (SU) and has recorded -11.3 units for moneyline bettors this year. That early-season winning percentage is a noticeable slide from what the team recorded during last years regular season (47-35). Of its 46 regular season contests, 24 have gone under the total, while 21 have gone over and just one has pushed. The team is 9-13 SU at home this year.
The Oilers have converted on just 15.4 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a figure that puts them in the bottom-5 overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, their penalty kill is ranked 31st overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 72.8 percent of all penalties.
As a team, the Oilers have been penalized 3.8 times per game overall this season, and 2.6 per game over their last five matchups at home. The teams had to kill penalties for just 8.0 minutes per game over their last 10 matchups, overall.
Sporting a .902 save percentage and 26.0 saves per game, Cam Talbot (17 wins, 19 losses, and two OT losses) has been the best option in goal for Edmonton this season. If Edmonton chooses to give him a breather, however, head coach Todd Mclellan might go with Laurent Brossoit (3-10-10 record, .886 save percentage, 3.22 goals against average).
Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl will both lead the charge for the Oilers. McDavid (52 points) has tallied 15 goals and 37 assists and has recorded two or more points in 13 different games this year. Draisaitl has 11 goals and 25 assists to his credit and has notched a point in 24 games.
On the other side of the rink, Vancouver is 18-27 straight up (SU) and has lost 3.3 units for bettors taking the moneyline this year. A total of 25 of its contests have gone over the total, while 20 have gone under and none have pushed. As the visiting team, the Canucks are 11-12 SU so far.
The Canucks have scored on 21.5 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a mark that places it in the top-10 among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 28th overall and it’s successfully killed off 77.1 percent of all penalties.
Vancouver’s skaters have been penalized 3.8 times per game in total this season, and 2.6 per game over their last five on the road. The teams been forced to defend opponent power plays just 7.3 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Jacob Markstrom (.909 save percentage and 2.72 goals against average) has been the main option in goal for Vancouver. Markstrom is averaging 26.2 saves per game and has 12 wins, 21 losses, and five OT losses to his credit.
Brock Boeser (22 goals, 18 assists) will pace the offensive attack for the visiting Canucks.
Vancouver Canucks vs. Edmonton Oilers Betting Picks
Predictions: SU Winner – Oilers, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
- Vancouver is 0-3 in games decided by a shootout this season while Edmonton is 1-1 in shootouts.
- The under has hit in three of Edmonton’s last five games.
- Over Vancouver’s last ten games, six of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 2-4 in those games).
- The Oilers this season have tallied the second-most hits per game (26.4).
