NHL Wednesday best bets: Oilers to stay hot at home
We don't have quantity on the ice Wednesday, but there is plenty of quality.
This four-game slate features several of the league's hottest teams, with the Hurricanes (8-0-0), Oilers (7-1-0), and Blues (6-1-0) among those in action.
Let's get into our best bets.
Predators (+175) @ Oilers (-210)The Predators enter play on a four-game winning streak. I don't like their chances of making it five in this spot. Wednesday will mark Nashville's third game in four nights, and the first two were taxing contests that went to overtime.
Now, with a quick turnaround, they take on a high-powered Oilers team that is built on fast-pace, high-event hockey. Not ideal.
Making matters worse is the Predators won't have their star goaltender, Juuse Saros, between the pipes to try and bail them out. Heck, they won't even have their veteran backup in David Rittich.
Instead, 24-year-old Connor Ingram will be tasked with slowing down Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and arguably the NHL's most potent offense.
Ingram did show well in his lone NHL game; however, he posted a sub-.900 save percentage in the AHL and SHL a year ago. This is not some highly touted, can't-miss prospect.
The Oilers should be able to control the run of play at five-on-five. They're a better team in that game state and have fresh legs.
If, for some reason, they still can't win the five-on-five battle, they're in good hands with the power play. They are the most prolific team, by far, on the man advantage, and Nashville is among the most undisciplined squads. I doubt the Preds will magically clean up their act with tired legs. If anything, they'll be more prone to reaching in and taking lazy penalties.
On top of all that, Filip Forsberg's status is in question after leaving last night's game with an injury. The Predators aren't going to control play so will rely on opportunistic scoring to hang around. Losing Forsberg would be a big blow for their ability to do that.
I like the Oilers to snap Nashville's winning streak in this one, and I think it happens with relative ease.
Bet: Oilers inside regulation (-130)
Setting the tableThe Blackhawks (+140) could be a worthy 'dog if they start Marc-Andre Fleury in goal. His play is trending upward and Chicago is at home. The Hurricanes have been fantastic this season but are due for some regression. Their expected goal differential at five-on-five is +2. Their actual goal differential is +13. Oh, and Frederik Andersen isn't going to give them a .955 save percentage forever.
The Blue Jackets (+155) have been bet down quite a bit, but I still see some value on this line. The Avalanche are severely undermanned, playing without the likes of Mikko Rantanen, Cale Makar, Devon Toews, and Andre Burakovsky. They're also expected to start one of the league's worst netminders in Jonas Johansson.
Lastly, the Kings (+120) and under 5.5 goals (-110) are my leans should Cal Petersen start in goal. The Blues have overperformed thus far and are without arguably their most important player in Ryan O'Reilly. I don't see many goals in this game with the likes of O'Reilly, Viktor Arvidsson, and Drew Doughty out of the lineup - if Petersen starts, that is.
Official plays: Oilers in regulation (-130), Blue Jackets (+155)
Wait and see: Blackhawks (+140), Kings (+120) and/or under 5.5 (-110)
Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.
Copyright (C) 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.