The Vancouver Canucks are coming off of a large victory, but will that success spil over into tonight's matchup against the Edmonton Oilers? See why we think that a play on this game's total is the best way to look with your NHL picks.
The Vancouver Canucks are rolling with a 9-0-3 stretch
and they appear to be gearing up for another Stanley Cup run. Meanwhile, the
Edmonton Oilers are in the midst of another downward spiral and are on a
collision course with another high draft pick.
There’s no question that this a battle of two teams from
different tiers in the NHL ranks, so the question is whether or not the sports betting odds
and extraneous factors dangle enough of a carrot to take a shot on the upset.
Sunday, February
19th
NHL odds boards opened with the Canucks at -160, and after the show they put on last night, is there any good reason not to take them to the sportsbooks? The total remains steady at 5.5. Lets break down this matchup and decide where we should place our NHL picks.
The Vancouver Canucks can win because…
They simply don’t do much losing these days. The Canucks
have now won nine of their last 12 games and haven’t even lost in regulation in
that span.
On Saturday night, they beat the crap out of the Toronto
Maple Leafs by a count of 6-2 and it just so happens that those very same Leafs
have beaten the Oilers twice in the last two weeks. If the math is that simple,
the Oilers won’t stand much of a chance.
A big hurdle for the Oilers in this contest figures to be
their goaltending. They’ve coughed up 28 goals in their last seven games and
now they’ll be up against the team that averages more goals per game than any
other team in the Western Conference.
Edmonton has lost four of five and unless they can
tighten things up defensively, this will be child’s play for Vancouver.
The Edmonton Oilers can win because…
This is an easy spot for the Canucks to overlook a team
like the Oilers.
The Vancouver Canucks are in good spirits, riding another wave of
momentum, and they’ll be starting a six-game road trip in Edmonton on Sunday.
They’re in a back-to-back situation and have upcoming contests with Nashville
and Detroit on Tuesday and Thursday. Forgive them if they happen to look past
the Oilers.
Surprisingly, Vancouver is just 20-14 against teams with
a losing record this season, which means that they’re much better against
winning teams (17-7). Betting them against losing outfits has cost bettors 4.6
units this year.
The Oilers don’t have a lot going for them but touts
should note that they have a 4-4 record in their last eight against winning
teams is a good start and the fact that they’re 3-1 on Sundays is a positive.
They’re 3-3 in their last six against Vancouver, so anything is possible.
Outlook & NHL Betting Prediction:
There’s no question that this is a complete mismatch. The
second-best team in the Western Conference is going up against the second-worst
team: what do you think is going to happen?
The only question is whether you believe the Canucks
might take their foot off the gas a little bit or whether they might overlook
Edmonton. Given the odds, it might be worth a shot.
Overall, the better play seems to be the over. The
Canucks are letting it rip these days and the Oilers are giving up goals to
everyone. The over is 6-1 in their last seven, so look for more of the same.
NHL Picks: Over