Edmonton Oilers vs. Columbus Blue Jackets Prediction, NHL Odds
This is the second time this week these teams will face off, wrapping up the season series quickly. Edmonton took the 5-4 overtime win on home ice on Monday, on the back of Connor McDavid’s pair of goals in the third period.
The NHL Odds have this one as a pick ‘em, with the total sitting at an even six goals. Puck drop from Nationwide Arena is set for 7:00 PM EST.
Oilers vs. Blue Jackets NHL Betting Odds
It tends to be a high-scoring game when these teams meet, having a total of at least five in their past 12 head-to-heads, playing the OVER in each of their past three. Their two-game series has been split the past two seasons, and each team has won five of their past 10 meetings. The Oilers have not been great on the road this season, winning just three of their 10 road games. Columbus has only played six games at home so far and are 3-3.
Edmonton’s mediocre start has been bad for Oilers bettors, as they have only covered the spread in four of their 18 games so far. Their offence sits right in the middle of the pack at three goals per game, but their defensive game is really what is concerning. They have given up 3.33 goals per game, which is 26th in the league.
The Jackets have been in high-scoring games of late, hitting the UNDER just three times in their past 10, putting their record on the OVER/UNDER to 6-7-3. Where CBJ bettors are making bank is on the spread, where the team is 11-5 and has covered in three games in a row. After a good run and barely missing the playoffs last season, they have a challenge ahead of them to make it this season. Sitting in last in the Metropolitan Division, they are a +200 on the NHL Futures board to squeeze in this time.
Edmonton Oilers
The Oilers opened their seven-game Eastern Conference on Wednesday night in Philadelphia, where they needed overtime for the second straight game, to take down the Flyers 2-1. Jack Roslovic was the hero again for the Oilers, scoring his fifth of the season and back-to-back overtime winners.
There is no rest for the wicked, as the Oilers head straight for Columbus to face the Blue Jackets on Thursday. Edmonton is 0-3 in the second half of a back-to-back this season, all of which were games on the road.
Connor McDavid had another assist on Wednesday, extending his point streak to six games, which is every outing so far this month. Over the course of this streak, he has picked up 11 points (4G, 7A), putting his season total at 25 points, fifth overall in the league.
With Stuart Skinner in goal for the Oil’s past four games, they are playing backup Calvin Pickard on Thursday. Pickard has gotten off to a rotten start this season, going 2-2-1, but is rolling with a 4.00 goals against average and a .836 save percentage.
Columbus Blue Jackets
After ending their five-game road trip with a 2-1 shootout win in Seattle on Tuesday, snapping a four-game skid, the Blue Jackets return to home ice on Thursday. Adam Fantilli (4th) scored the lone goal in the Jackets’ win, and Jet Greaves stopped 22 of 23 for his fourth victory.
Kirill Marchenko picked up the primary assist on the power play to extend his point streak to a career-high nine games. He leads Columbus with 18 points through 16 games and, at this rate, will surpass his career high of 74 set last season. The Blue Jackets’ recent struggles are mostly due to a lack of scoring behind Marchenko. Fantilli has points in three straight and seems to be turning his season around, but the team’s second leading scorer, Dmitri Voronkov, has just one goal this month through six games.
Notching a power-play goal was huge for the Jackets on Tuesday, as their 30th-ranked power-play (15 percent) had not scored in the previous four games, in which they lost all.
EDM
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