In their first of three head-to-head meetings this season, the Edmonton Oilers and the St. Louis Blues clash at the Enterprise Center. NBC Sports Network will showcase this Western Conference matchup, which gets going at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, December 5.
Edmonton Oilers vs. St. Louis Blues Odds
Edmonton is 13-14 straight up (SU) and has lost 0.3 units for moneyline bettors this year. 14 of its outings have gone under the total, while 11 have gone over and just two have pushed. The Oilers are 6-9 SU as the away team in 2018-19.
Edmonton has converted on 21.2 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s right around league average. Its penalty kill is ranked 27th overall, and the team’s successfully killed off only 75.6 percent of all penalties.
For the team as a whole, Edmonton has been penalized 4.0 times per game overall during the 2018-19 season, and 5.4 per game over its last five road outings. The team’s had to stave off opponent power plays 16.8 minutes per game over their last five road outings.
With a .889 save percentage and 25.1 saves per game, Cam Talbot (5-10-1) has been the top option in goal for Edmonton this season. If it decides to rest him, however, Edmonton may turn to Mikko Koskinen (8-5-1), who has a .925 save percentage and 2.23 goals against average this year.
Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl will both be offensive focal points for the visiting Oilers. McDavid has 35 points on 14 goals and 21 assists, and has recorded two or more points nine times. Draisaitl has 13 goals and 17 assists to his name, and has registered at least one point in 19 games.
On the other side of the ice, St. Louis is 9-16 straight up (SU) and has lost 8.9 units for moneyline bettors this year. 12 of its outings have gone over the total, while another 12 have gone under and just one has pushed. This year, the team is 6-8 SU at home.
St. Louis has converted on 24.1 percent of its power play chances this season, a figure that places it in the top-10 among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked ninth overall, and it’s successfully killed off 81.9 percent of all penalties.
St. Louis players have been penalized 4.1 times per game this season, and 6.0 per game over their last five match ups. The team has been forced to kill penalties a whopping 16.4 minutes per game over their last five outings.
Jake Allen has stopped 25.9 shots per game as the primary selection in goal for St. Louis. Allen has seven wins, 12 losses, and three OT losses to his credit and has maintained a subpar .896 save percentage and 3.24 goals against average this year.
The home team will be led on offense by Ryan O’Reilly (12 goals, 16 assists).
Edmonton Oilers at St. Louis Blues Free Picks
Free Prediction: SU Winner – Blues, O/U – Over
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Notes
Betting Trends
For both of these clubs, the over has hit in four of their past five games.
Edmonton has attempted 31.2 shots per contest overall this season (ranked 20th in the NHL), and 31.4 in its last 10 games.
The Oilers are 5-6 SU when they serve more penalty minutes than their opponent while the Blues are 1-6 SU in games where they serve more minutes than their opponent.
St. Louis is ranked 15th in the league with 7.6 takeaways per game. That figure has trended higher, as the team has forced 8.3 takeaways over its last 10 games and 8.6 takeaways over its last five.
Edmonton has averaged 3.8 takeaways per game over its last five road games, a drop-off from its season average of 8.6 takeaways per game (ranked 10th).
Edmonton may hold the upper hand if it’s a tight one late. The team’s an impressive 9-3 in games decided by one goal, while St. Louis is only 1-8 in such games.
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