Edmonton Oilers vs. Utah Hockey Club Prediction, NHL Odds
Utah returns home after closing out a four-game road trip with a 3-2 win in Montreal on Tuesday night that marks just their sixth victory in 19 games since opening their campaign on a 3-0-0 run. The Oilers kick off a three-game road trip looking to build on last Saturday’s 6-2 win over the visiting New York Rangers and have also claimed victory in four of six road dates since Halloween.
The Oilers make their first ever visit to Utah perched as -165 favourites on the Friday NHL odds. Utah lags as +140 home underdog and the total is pegged at 6.0.
Oilers vs. Hockey Club NHL Betting Odds
The Oilers arrive in Salt Lake City looking to overcome struggles from last season, when they lost two of three to the team previously known as the Arizona Coyotes. Last April’s back-to-back losses in head-to-head action snapped Edmonton’s seven-game win streak against the Yotes, which feature four straight road wins, three by multi-goal margins. The Oilers attack has struggled to produce consistently, scoring more than three goals just twice during their current 5-4-1 run. However, the OVER has paid out in totals betting four times during their current 3-1-1 run on the road. Since filling the net with 5.33 goals per game during an impressive 3-0-0 debut, Utah HC have struggled to generate offence. The club has averaged a meagre 2.16 goals per game during their current 6-10-3 run that has featured seven defeats by multi-goal margins and have scored two or fewer goals in five of eight home dates.
Edmonton Oilers
The Oilers closed out their recent two-game home stand with an impressive performance, scoring early and often in a decisive 6-2 win over the Rangers last weekend. Connor McDavid led the attack, scoring twice and adding a helper in his sixth multi-point performance over an eight-game span during which he has racked up eight goals and 10 assists. Leon Draisaitl has also been red-hot. The big German has also tallied multiple points six times in eight games and continues to lead the club with 16 goals and 30 points. However, the Oilers will be missing a pair of veteran forwards on Friday, as both Zach Hyman and Viktor Arvidsson remain on the shelf with injuries that are expected to sideline them until at least next week.
Utah Hockey Club
Utah HC return home heartened by a big overtime win in Montreal and an all-round solid performance during their recent four-game road trip. In addition to their victory over the Canadiens, the Hockey Club also rolled to a decisive 6-1 rout in Pittsburgh while coming up just short in narrow, low-scoring losses in Boston and Toronto. However, maintaining that momentum could be a challenge on home ice at Delta Center, where Utah has lost two straight by a combined 10-4 margin. Dylan Guenther has set the scoring pace for Utah in what is quickly developing into a breakthrough campaign for the 21-year-old. The ninth overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft has recorded three goals and three assists over the past three games. Guenther now leads the club with 10 goals and is knotted atop the team stats with Clayton Keller at 20 points. Utah remains without injured netminder Conor Ingram, who has missed the past four games with an upper body injury. That sets the stage for a fifth straight start by Karel Vejmelka, who sports an impressive .933 save percentage and 1.98 goals against average after allowing just seven total goals over his past four outings.
