In today’s NHL betting, the Edmonton Oilers host the Colorado Avalanche in another highly-anticipated matchup, while the Washington Capitals look to gain in the playoff race against an abysmal Arizona Coyotes team.
Edmonton Oilers (+100) vs Colorado Avalanche (-120)
The Oilers and Avalanche play for the third and final time in the regular season. The first two matchups went in favour of the Avalanche in overtime and shootout, one in Colorado and one in Edmonton. The Avalanche actually broke up the franchise-tying home win streak, but the Oilers have bounced back in their arena with consecutive wins against two teams fighting for their seasons in the Vegas Golden Knights and Dallas Stars.
These previous two games played between the Oilers and Avalanche have been some of the best hockey seen all season. This game lines up to be the same. The Oilers are at home where they’ve been absolutely dominant, and the Avalanche will be looking to break a two-game losing streak. They haven’t lost three in a row in any fashion since the first four games of the season. After coming out flat against the lowly Seattle Kraken, expect a better effort out of the gates.
The Oilers may very well continue to roll with Mike Smith in net since he is 9-0-1 in his last 10 starts and has posted two shutouts in his past three games. With the Oilers 11-0-1 in their past 12 home games and the Avalanche worse on the road, take the Oilers for the better value and to finally win a game in the season series while also taking the under (U6.5, +100) for very good value as well. I would also recommend sprinkling a little money on the game to go past regulation (+310) since these teams play a highly competitive and tight game.
Arizona Coyotes (+300) vs Washington Capitals (-400)
The Capitals are the clear favourites in this game and for good reason. They have been playing well and trying to pull themselves into a divisional spot to not have to play the Florida Panthers in the first round. Any playoff matchup in the East will be tough either way, though. The Capitals are 6-1-1 over their past eight games, losing only to the Toronto Maple Leafs, who are playing very well, and the Golden Knights.
The Coyotes on the other hand have seemingly given up this season, losing eight games in a row and 15 of 17, 13 of which were in regulation. They have scored 13 goals during their eight-game losing streak, but at the same time have been allowing goals at a very high rate to anybody. They have allowed five-plus goals against in seven of those previous eight losses. The puck line is listed as -2.5, but it is still worth the gamble due to the huge skill gap between these teams. Take the Capitals, either money line or puck line, and the over (O6.5, -105).
Odds via Yahoo and BetMGM.
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