Two of the least-penalized clubs in the NHL, the Edmonton Oilers and the Columbus Blue Jackets collide at Nationwide Arena. Sportsnet ONE will air this East-West matchup, and the opening face-off takes place at 7:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, October 30.
Edmonton Oilers at Columbus Blue Jackets Odds
Columbus (-130) is currently the favorite over Edmonton (+110), and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 6 goals (-125 for the under, +105 for the over).
Edmonton is 8-5 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 4.5 units this year. Through 13 regular season contests, six of its games have gone over the total, while another six have gone under and none have pushed. The Oilers are 3-4 SU on the road in 2019-20.
Edmonton has impressively converted on 30.6 percent of its power play chances so far. That’s a good improvement from last season, when it was ranked eighth in the league by scoring on 21.2 percent of its extra-man chances. Its penalty kill has also gotten stronger, as the team’s gone from successfully defending 74.8 percent of all opponent power plays (ranked 30th overall last year) to 85.0 percent this year.
Edmonton, as a collective unit, has been penalized 3.4 times per game this season. Last year, that number was the mark in the league at 3.7 penalties per game. After serving an average of 9.2 penalty minutes per game a season ago the team’s had to kill penalties for just 6.8 minutes per matchup this year.
Averaging 27.1 saves per game with a .922 save percentage, Mikko Koskinen (5-2) has been the best option in goal for Edmonton this year. Koskinen did just play last night, however, so the team may choose to rest him and turn to Mike Smith instead (3-4-1 record, .914 save percentage, 2.49 goals against average).
The visiting Oilers will be led by Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. McDavid has 22 points on six goals and 16 assists, and has recorded multiple points in six different games. Draisaitl has 10 goals and 12 assists to his name, and has logged at least one point in 10 games.
On the other side of the rink, Columbus is 5-6 straight up (SU) and has netted moneyline bettors 0.1 units this season. Six of its games have gone under the total, while five have gone over and none have pushed. So far this year, the team is 3-3 SU as the home team.
Columbus has converted on just 11.4 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a figure that places it in the bottom 10 overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 25th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 75.0 percent of all opponent power plays.
Columbus players have been penalized only 3.3 times per game this season. Last year, that number was at 2.8, the best mark in the NHL. After serving an average of 6.5 penalty minutes per game a year ago, the team has been forced to stave off opponent power plays for 6.8 minutes per outing this season.
Joonas Korpisalo has denied 26.7 shots per game as the top option in goal for Columbus. Korpisalo has five wins, four losses, and one overtime loss to his name and has recorded a subpar .896 save percentage and 3.08 goals against average this year.
The home team will be led on offense by Pierre-Luc Dubois (five goals, two assists) and Seth Jones (one goals, six assists).
Edmonton Oilers at Columbus Blue Jackets Betting Predictions
Pick: SU Winner – Blue Jackets, O/U – Over
Betting Notes
- After earning a 3-3 record in games decided by a shootout last year, Edmonton is off to a 1-1 start in shootouts this season. Columbus was 2-1 in shootouts last year and has yet to participate in one this time around.
- For both of these clubs, the over has hit in three of their last five outings.
- Edmonton has managed 28.0 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Columbus has been attempting 34.6 shots per game over its last five home outings.
- Columbus has yet to win a game by two more more goals this season.
- Edmonton skaters notched 26.7 hits per game last season, while the Jackets accounted for 23.0 hits per contest.
