The Edmonton Oilers take on the league’s best Colorado Avalanche on a win streak, while the Nashville Predators visit the shorthanded Anaheim Ducks after selling at the trade deadline.
Colorado Avalanche (-200) vs Edmonton Oilers (+165)
The Oilers and Avalanche come into this game on two of the three longest active win streaks in the NHL. The Oilers have five and the Avalanche are on a three-game streak. The Oilers have been playing well, and for the fourth time in their history, they swept a five-game homestand. The problem is they are back on the road to play the team with the second-best home record in the NHL.
The Avalanche have been on the road a lot and haven’t played back-to-back at home since the beginning of February. They have their captain Gabriel Landeskog out as well as Sam Girard, while the Oilers just have Ryan Nugent-Hopkins left on injured reserve.
The Avalanche have gotten harder to play against after adding Josh Manson and Nico Sturm who should both be in the lineup. The Oilers also welcomed back Zack Kassian and Josh Archibald recently, so the battle should be tight between these high octane offences.
A number of Oilers have really stepped up their game under Jay Woodcroft, including Connor McDavid who is back to his normal self scoring two points a game, while Kailer Yamamoto has scored in four of the past five outings. There is great value in Edmonton seeing as Mikko Koskinen is 10-1-2 in his past 13 and should get the start. Also, take the over in this one as both offences have been hot (O6.5, -115).
Anaheim Ducks (+135) vs Nashville Predators (-160)
The Ducks have sold off their two largest trade pieces at the deadline and look to continue to rebuild for a little longer. The Predators on the other hand added Jeremy Lauzon at the deadline to shore up their defence. They are within one point of the second and third place teams in their division, the St. Louis Blues and Minnesota Wild. It’s another big game for them after defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Predators have won three of four, all against playoff teams, while the Ducks have dropped six games in a row and nine of 11. Shorthanded even further after losing their tough guy and penalty killer Nic Deslauriers, they are in for a tough one and expect the Predators to stay hot and walk all over the Ducks. The over is set low for how these teams have been scoring and allowing goals of late, so jump on that as well (O5.5, -120).
Odds via Yahoo and BetMGM.
