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Edmonton Oilers vs. Columbus Blue Jackets Matchup 12/12/17

The Edmonton Oilers and the Columbus Blue Jackets face off at Nationwide Arena for an East-versus-West matchup. The puck drops at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, December 12, and it can be viewed live on Sportsnet Oilers.

Edmonton Oilers at Columbus Blue Jackets Odds

With a moneyline of -170, Columbus heads into the matchup as the noticeable favorite. The line for Edmonton sits at +150 and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals. The line for betting the total stands at -110 money on the over and -110 for the under.

Netting 4.9 units for moneyline bettors, the Blue Jackets are 19-11 straight up (SU) overall thus far. That winning percentage, the best in the Metropolitan Division in this young season, is right in line with the 50-32 record the team managed during last year’s regular season campaign. 16 of the team’s 30 contests have gone under the total, while 13 have gone over and just one has pushed. This season, the team is 11-5 SU at home.

Columbus has converted on just 9.3 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a figure that’s ranked 32nd overall in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked third overall, and it’s successfully killed off 85.7 percent of all penalties.

As a team, Columbus has been whistled for penalties just 2.8 times per game overall this season, 2.8 per game over its past five contests total, and 2.6 per game over its last five home outings. The team’s had to kill penalties for just 5.4 minutes per game over its last 10 matchups, in total.

Boasting a .930 save percentage and 27.9 saves per game, Sergei Bobrovsky (16-8-1) has been the best option in goal for the Blue Jackets this season. If they choose to give him the evening off, however, Columbus might go with Joonas Korpisalo (3-3-3 record, .907 save percentage, 2.81 goals against average).

Artemi Panarin and Josh Anderson will both lead the charge for the Blue Jackets. Panarin (26 points) has tallied seven goals and 19 assists and has recorded two or more points four times this year. Anderson has 11 goals and seven assists to his credit and has recorded at least one point in 14 games.

Over on the other bench, Edmonton is 12-18 straight up (SU) and has lost 10.2 units for bettors taking the moneyline this year. Through 30 regular season contests, 15 of its games have gone over the total, while 14 have gone under and just one has pushed. As an away team, Edmonton is 7-9 SU so far.

Edmonton has converted on just 17.5 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a figure that places it in the bottom-10 overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 31st overall and it’s successfully killed off 72.7 percent of all opponent power plays.

Edmonton’s players have been penalized 4.2 times per game this season, and 3.2 per game over their last five road outings. The team has had to defend opponent power plays just 7.5 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.

Cam Talbot (3.00 goals against average and .903 save percentage) has been the main option in goal for Edmonton. Talbot is averaging 25.8 saves per game and has 10 wins, 12 losses, and one overtime loss to his credit.

For the visiting Oilers, the offense will be coordinated by Connor McDavid, who has 24 assists and 11 goals this season.

Edmonton Oilers at Columbus Blue Jackets Betting Predictions

Predictions: SU Winner – Blue Jackets, O/U – Over

Notes

Betting Trends

The total has gone over in three of Columbus’ last five games.

Two teams that put the puck on net a lot, Edmonton has registered the league’s sixth-most shots on goal (34.5) and Columbus’s attempted the fifth-most (34.8).

Power-play opportunities could play a critical role tonight. The Oilers are 4-4 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 7-10 in games where they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes. The Blue Jackets are 8-6 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 15-9 when their penalty minutes are in the single digits.

Columbus has averaged 6.4 takeaways per game over its last five home games, a drop-off from its season average of 7.5 takeaways per game (ranked 17th in the NHL).

Edmonton has averaged 6.0 takeaways per game over its last five road games, a drop-off from its season average of 8.3 takeaways per game (ranked 10th in the league).

Written by GMS Previews

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