In their first of three head-to-head meetings this season, the Edmonton Oilers and the Chicago Blackhawks clash at the United Center. This Western Conference matchup will get started at 8:30 p.m. ET on Monday, October 14 and it’s being televised live on Sportsnet ONE.
Edmonton Oilers at Chicago Blackhawks Odds
The money line for each team is currently set at an identical -110 and oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 7 goals. If gamblers want to put some action on this game’s total, they’ll be looking at odds of -115 money on the over and -105 on the under.
Edmonton is 5-0 straight up (SU) and has netted 5.5 units for moneyline bettors this season. That win percentage, ranked first in the NHL so far in this young season, is a welcomed improvement over the 35-47 record from the 2018-19 season campaign. Through five regular season outings, Three of its games have gone over the total, while two have gone under. As a road team in 2019-20, the Oilers are 3-0 SU.
Edmonton has impressively converted on 41.2 percent of its power play chances thus far. That’s a nice step forward from last season, when it was ranked eighth in the NHL by converting on 21.2 percent of its extra-man advantages. Its penalty kill has also gotten stronger, as the team has gone from successfully defending 74.8 percent of all opponent power plays (ranked 30th overall last season) to 94.1 percent this year.
Edmonton, as a collective unit, has been penalized 3.4 times per game this season. Last year, that figure 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 been forced to stave off opponent power plays for only 6.8 minutes per outing this year.
Averaging 26.0 saves per game with a .907 save percentage, Mike Smith (3-0) has been the primary option in goal for Edmonton this year. If Edmonton decides to rest him, however, head coach Dave Tippett might turn to Mikko Koskinen (2-0), who has a .914 save percentage and 2.41 goals against average this year.
Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl will both spearhead the attack for the visiting Oilers. McDavid (12 points) has tallied four goals and eight assists this season while Draisaitl has four goals and seven assists to his name through the early stages of the regular season.
Over on the other bench, Chicago is 0-3 straight up (SU) and has lost 3.4 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through three regular season matches, two of its games have gone over the total, while one has gone under and none have pushed. This season, the team’s 0-2 SU at home.
Chicago has scored on 33.3 percent of its power plays this year after converting on 20.0 percent (ranked 14th in league) last season. It’s killed off a remarkable 60.0 percent of its penalties, a few points lower than the 73.0 percent the team recorded a year ago (when it was ranked 31st overall).
The Blackhawks have been penalized 3.3 times per game this season. Last year, that number was at 3.1, the third-best mark in the NHL. After serving an average of 7.3 penalty minutes per game a year ago, the team’s been forced to stave off opponent power plays for 6.7 minutes per outing this season.
The winless Corey Crawford has stopped 31.5 shots per game as the top choice in goal for Chicago. Crawford has zero wins and two losses and has maintained a mediocre 4.63 goals against average and a fairly-weak .875 save percentage this year.
The Hawks offense will be led by Patrick Kane (one goal, three assists).
Edmonton Oilers vs. Chicago Blackhawks Betting Picks
NHL Prediction: SU Winner – Blackhawks, O/U – Under
Betting Notes
- Edmonton has managed 25.3 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Chicago is averaging 29.5 shots per game over its last five at home.
- The Oilers are 3-0 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 4-0 when they’re in the penalty box for fewer than 10 total minutes.
- After posting a 3-3 record in games decided by a shootout last year, Edmonton is off to a 1-0 start in shootouts this season. Chicago went 3-1 in shootouts last year and has yet to participate in one this time around.
- Chicago’s skaters registered 7.5 takeaways per game and allowed 9.7 giveaways per contest.
- Edmonton has allowed just 4.4 goals per game (while scoring 2.6 per contest) over their five-game winning streak.
- Edmonton might hold an advantage if this one comes down to the wire. The team’s 3-0 in one-goal games, while Chicago is 0-3 in such games.
