Vancouver Canucks vs. Edmonton Oilers Prediction, NHL Odds
Fireworks could be in store as the Oilers and Canucks just played a heated game in Vancouver on Saturday. Oilers captain Connor McDavid and Canucks defenceman Tyler Myers were each suspended three games for separate crosschecking incidents in Vancouver’s 3-2 win and won’t be available on Thursday.
Both teams are looking to get back in the win column after they each suffered 3-2 home losses on Tuesday, with the Canucks falling to Buffalo and the Oilers losing against Washington.
Edmonton is a -175 favourite to win on the NHL odds, with the total set at 5.5.
Canucks vs. Oilers NHL Betting Odds
This is the third and final regular season meeting between the teams this year. Before the Saturday head-to-head, the teams met in Vancouver on Nov. 9, with the Oilers winning 7-3. Of course, the teams also met in a hotly contested second round playoff series last year, which Edmonton won in seven games.
These teams enter Thursday in very different spots. The Oilers have won eight of their last 11 games and comfortably occupy second place in the Pacific Division. Meanwhile, the Canucks have dropped seven of their last nine games and sit one point outside of the playoff picture in the Western Conference.
One trend these teams share is lower scoring games. In fact, the total has gone Under in seven straight home games for Edmonton, while five of Vancouver’s last seven overall have finished below the number.
Both teams are bottom-10 in the NHL as cover options this season. The Canucks are 20-26 against the spread, although they are an even 11-11 ATS on the road. The Oilers have the third-worst cover mark in the NHL at 18-29 ATS and they’ve covered in just seven of 24 home dates.
Vancouver Canucks
After such a high intensity win on Saturday, it has to be even more disappointing for Vancouver players after they dropped a decision against a Buffalo team that sits dead last in the Eastern Conference and just flew across the continent. Elias Pettersson and Phillip Di Giuseppe had the Canucks’ goals, while Thatcher Demko stopped 23 of 26 shots faced.
The elephant in the room for Vancouver is the very public falling out between Pettersson and fellow star forward J.T. Miller and it seems like only a matter of time before one player is moved. Miller, who is the Canucks’ second-leading scorer, is reportedly the odd man out and was apparently very close to being dealt to the Rangers over the weekend before the trade fell through.
Demko is the likely starter on Thursday. It’s been a tough season for the 29-year-old, who didn’t play until December because of a knee injury. Demko has lost three of his last four starts, giving up 12 total goals in that span. Overall, he is 3-4-3 with a 3.23 goals-against average and .873 save percentage. His GAA and SV are both career-lows.
Edmonton Oilers
The Oilers certainly missed having the NHL’s best player in the lineup against the league-leading Capitals on Tuesday. Luckily, Edmonton still had Leon Draisaitl, who notched his NHL-leading 34th goal of the year, while Corey Perry chipped in his eighth. Stuart Skinner wasn’t tested much, but still managed to give up three goals on just 14 shots.
It was a little bit surprising the Oilers didn’t at least appeal the McDavid suspension and try to get it reduced a game. There were plenty of comparisons made to the Auston Matthews suspension from the 2022 Heritage Classic. Matthews, another superstar player, only got two games for a crosscheck that arguably looked worse.
Skinner hasn’t started more than three games in a row all year and he’s given up three goals in each of his last three starts, so it could be Calvin Pickard in net on Thursday. Pickard has been the hotter hand lately, winning three of his last four starts. He turned aside 31 of 34 shots faced in his last start, a 5-3 win over Minnesota last Wednesday.
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