The Oilers saw their recent scoring woes continue in a lopsided 5-1 loss to Toronto on Tuesday, and have now averaged just 1.50 goals per game during their current slide. The Blue Jackets look to tally just their third win in 10 games after dropping a 4-3 decision to the resurgent Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday.

Edmonton is a -204 favourite to win on the NHL odds, with a total of 6.0.

Blue Jackets vs. Oilers NHL Betting Odds

Despite their recent struggles, the Oilers have enjoyed the backing of 88 per cent of sports bettors, and now look to Thursday’s clash as lofty -204 favourites, while Columbus lags as a +171 underdog. The total has also been unaffected by Edmonton’s slump, holding steady at 6.0, with 61 per cent of the betting action backing the OVER.

Thursday night’s matchup at Rogers Place marks the first meeting between these teams since March 2020. The Oilers have dominated in head-to-head action, outscoring Columbus by a wide 16-3 margin while tallying four straight wins. Accordingly, the UNDER has been a steady producer in totals betting, paying out in each of those contests, and going 6-2 over their past eight meetings.

Not surprisingly, the UNDER has also been a reliable bet during Edmonton’s current slide, going 4-1 over the past five after failing to pay out in consecutive games through the team’s first 22 games of the season. Conversely, high scoring has been commonplace of late when the Blue Jackets hit the road, going 9-3 in their past 12. However, that has been of little help to Columbus, which has mustered just one win in its past seven away dates.

Columbus Blue Jackets

The Blue Jackets have looked close to snapping out of their current funk in recent outings, but have been unable to close the deal. The club marched to an early 3-0 lead in Vancouver on Tuesday, but were subsequently outshot by a wide 31-11 margin over the final two frames on their way to a 4-3 loss. The Blue Jackets also blew an early lead in Seattle this past weekend, allowing three third-period goals before eking out a 5-4 overtime win.

Overall, the team has surrendered over four goals per game during their current 2-6-1 run, and now ranks a distant 13th in the Eastern Conference with just five road wins. The team has received a boost from the return of Patrik Laine, who has been absent since the recent death of his father. Laine returned to practice this week, but was unavailable for Tuesday’s clash with the Canucks.

Edmonton Oilers

The Edmonton faithful are getting a taste of what life would be like without prolific scoring from Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. The superstar duo have been effectively shut down during the club’s six-game swoon, going pointless in the club’s past two losses, to Toronto and Carolina. In addition, they have combined to generate just one of the five total even-strength goals scored by Edmonton over the past six games. Complicating matters is the Oilers’ brutal performance on special teams. The club has surrendered seven power play goals and one shorthanded marker over the past five games.

NHL Prediction: Who Will Win Blue Jackets vs. Oilers?

• Regular Season
• Playoffs

Blue Jackets Team Leaders

CLB

Points	Jakub Voracek 62
+ / -	Gabriel Carlsson 6
Shots	Zach Werenski 216
Penalty Mins	Vladislav Gavrikov 68
Wins	Elvis Merzlikins 27
GAA	Daniil Tarasov 2.4

EDM

Points	Connor McDavid 123
+ / -	Connor McDavid 28
Shots	Connor McDavid 314
Penalty Mins	Zack Kassian 63
Wins	Mikko Koskinen 27
GAA	Stuart Skinner 2.62

CLB

Points
+ / -
Shots	Did not qualify
Penalty Mins
Wins
GAA

EDM

Points	Connor McDavid 18
+ / -	Connor McDavid 9
Shots	Evander Kane 34
Penalty Mins	Evander Kane 18
Wins	Mike Smith 4
GAA	Mike Smith 2.68

• Regular Season
• Playoffs

Oilers Team Leaders

CLB

Points	Jakub Voracek 62
+ / -	Gabriel Carlsson 6
Shots	Zach Werenski 216
Penalty Mins	Vladislav Gavrikov 68
Wins	Elvis Merzlikins 27
GAA	Daniil Tarasov 2.4

EDM

Points	Connor McDavid 123
+ / -	Connor McDavid 28
Shots	Connor McDavid 314
Penalty Mins	Zack Kassian 63
Wins	Mikko Koskinen 27
GAA	Stuart Skinner 2.62

CLB

Points
+ / -
Shots	Did not qualify
Penalty Mins
Wins
GAA

EDM

Points	Connor McDavid 18
+ / -	Connor McDavid 9
Shots	Evander Kane 34
Penalty Mins	Evander Kane 18
Wins	Mike Smith 4
GAA	Mike Smith 2.68

Injuries

Columbus

Nick Blankenburg (D)

out for season Upper Body - 28 / 04 / 22

Sean Kuraly (C)

out for season Foot - 26 / 04 / 22

Adam Boqvist (D)

Ques Fri Lower Body - 22 / 04 / 22

Alex Chiasson (RW)

Prob Thurs Illness - 19 / 04 / 22

Patrik Laine (LW)

Out indefinitely Upper Body - 17 / 04 / 22

Sean Kuraly (C)

Out indefinitely Illness - 09 / 04 / 22

Yegor Chinakhov (RW)

Prob Sun Upper Body - 04 / 04 / 22

Joonas Korpisalo (G)

out for season Hip - 24 / 03 / 22

Elvis Merzlikins (G)

Prob Fri Back - 19 / 03 / 22

Boone Jenner (C)

out for season Back - 12 / 03 / 22

Edmonton

Kyle Turris (C)

Out indefinitely Upper Body - 18 / 05 / 22

Darnell Nurse (D)

Elig Sat Suspension - 11 / 05 / 22

Derek Ryan (C)

Ques Tues Undisclosed - 09 / 05 / 22

Darnell Nurse (D)

Prob Mon Lower Body - 23 / 04 / 22

Jesse Puljujarvi (RW)

Prob Thurs Illness - 22 / 04 / 22

Evander Kane (LW)

Prob Wed Personal - 18 / 04 / 22

Jesse Puljujarvi (RW)

Ques Tues Illness - 11 / 04 / 22

Josh Archibald (RW)

Out indefinitely Illness - 04 / 04 / 22

Mikko Koskinen (G)

Prob Tues Illness - 03 / 04 / 22

Kris Russell (D)

Out indefinitely Illness - 28 / 03 / 22

Injuries

Columbus

player (position)	status		ats*current	o/u*	notes
Nick Blankenburg (D)	out for season	Upper Body - 28 / 04 / 22	1-1	1-1	+ -
Blankenburg is expected to miss the rest of the season due to an upper-body ailment.
Sean Kuraly (C)	out for season	Foot - 26 / 04 / 22	2-1	2-1	+ -
Kuraly will be sidelined for the remainder of the season due to a foot injury.
Adam Boqvist (D)	Ques Fri	Lower Body - 22 / 04 / 22	3-2	2-3	+ -
Boqvist has sat out the last four games with a lower-body injury, and it is unclear if he will be in Friday's lineup against the Penguins.
Alex Chiasson (RW)	Prob Thurs	Illness - 19 / 04 / 22	3-3	3-3	+ -
Chiasson has sat out the previous two games with a non-COVID illness, but it is projected that he will be active for Thursday's clash with the Wild.
Patrik Laine (LW)	Out indefinitely	Upper Body - 17 / 04 / 22	5-3	3-5	+ -
Laine is idle with an upper-body injury, and team officials have yet to provide an exact return date.
Sean Kuraly (C)	Out indefinitely	Illness - 09 / 04 / 22	5-5	4-6	+ -
Kuraly has been placed in the league's COVID-19 protocol, and it is undetermined how long he will be debilitated.
Yegor Chinakhov (RW)	Prob Sun	Upper Body - 04 / 04 / 22	7-6	5-8	+ -
Chinakhov has been sidelined with an upper-body injury, but it is projected that he will return for Sunday's contest against the Oilers.
Joonas Korpisalo (G)	out for season	Hip - 24 / 03 / 22	10-8	8-10	+ -
Korpisalo will sit out the rest of the 2021-22 season due to a hip injury.
Elvis Merzlikins (G)	Prob Fri	Back - 19 / 03 / 22	11-9	10-10	+ -
Merzlikins was absent from the previous contest with back tightness, but it will not affect his availability for Friday's clash with the Jets.
Boone Jenner (C)	out for season	Back - 12 / 03 / 22	14-9	11-12	+ -
Jenner has landed on the injured reserve list with a lower-back injury, and he is expected to sit out the rest of the 2021-22 season.

Edmonton

player (position)	status		ats*current	o/u*	notes
Kyle Turris (C)	Out indefinitely	Upper Body - 18 / 05 / 22	1-1	1-1	+ -
Turris is on the injured reserve list with an upper-body injury, and it is unclear when he will be activated.
Darnell Nurse (D)	Elig Sat	Suspension - 11 / 05 / 22	2-3	2-3	+ -
Nurse is serving a one-game suspension for headbutting, and he is eligible to return against the Kings in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference first round.
Derek Ryan (C)	Ques Tues	Undisclosed - 09 / 05 / 22	3-3	3-3	+ -
Ryan is managing an unknown injury, and it has yet to be established if he will be available for Game 5 of the Western Conference first round versus the Kings.
Darnell Nurse (D)	Prob Mon	Lower Body - 23 / 04 / 22	7-7	8-6	+ -
Nurse is hampered by a lower-body injury, but it is anticipated that he will suit up for Game 1 of the Western Conference first round against the Kings.
Jesse Puljujarvi (RW)	Prob Thurs	Illness - 22 / 04 / 22	7-7	8-6	+ -
Puljujarvi has sat out the last three games with a non-COVID-19 illness, but it is likely that he will he will suit up against the Sharks on Thursday.
Evander Kane (LW)	Prob Wed	Personal - 18 / 04 / 22	8-7	8-7	+ -
Kane is tending to a personal matter, but he is expected to be active for Wednesday's matchup with the Stars.
Jesse Puljujarvi (RW)	Ques Tues	Illness - 11 / 04 / 22	10-8	8-10	+ -
Puljujarvi is hindered by a stomach issue, and it has yet to be established if he will be available for Tuesday's clash versus the Wild.
Josh Archibald (RW)	Out indefinitely	Illness - 04 / 04 / 22	11-10	9-12	+ -
Archibald has been entered in the league's COVID-19 protocol, and he will miss an undetermined length of time.
Mikko Koskinen (G)	Prob Tues	Illness - 03 / 04 / 22	11-11	10-12	+ -
Koskinen sat out the previous game with an illness, but it is projected that he will lace up for Tuesday's tilt versus the Sharks.
Kris Russell (D)	Out indefinitely	Illness - 28 / 03 / 22	12-13	13-12	+ -
Russell has been assigned to the league's COVID-19 list, and it is undecided when he will return to the ice.