Another miserable season is about to come to a close for the Edmonton Oilers while a tenuous second season is about to begin for the Vancouver Canucks. Find out where we are placing our NHL picks as these two teams matchup.
Sure, the Canucks are heading back to the playoffs and at
worst, they’ll be the No. 2 seed in the West. Even so, they’ve still got major
question marks in net and nobody is really certain about how far they can go
with Roberto Luongo handling the duties.
But first thing is first: the Canucks can claim the top
seed in the West with a single point in Saturday’s matchup with the Oilers.
Seems to look straightforward, doesn’t it?
Saturday, April 7th
NHL odds makers had opened with the Canucks at -250, but early NHL betting action has already lowered the number to -240. The matchup's total has held firm at 5.5, and that is exactally where I want to look tonight with my NHL picks.
The Edmonton Oilers can win because…
The Canucks are a bad sports pick as a big favorite. Anybody
who’s followed the Canucks this season knows as much.
To the naked eye, the Canucks 26-19 record against teams
with a losing record looks decent. In real terms of NHL wins and losses, it’s
perfectly fine. The problem is for bettors as they have lost a whopping 8.9
units in those contests even though the Canucks have posted seven more wins
than losses.
The Canucks lost as a -150 favorite in Calgary on
Thursday and prior to their seven-game winning streak, cost bettors -220
against Minnesota and -200 against Phoenix. It’s been a common, consistent
theme.
For Vancouver, they just need one point in Saturday’s
game; they don’t necessarily need the win. That could mean the Canucks play a
little more conservatively and hope for overtime rather than over-exerting
themselves in a win.
There’s definitely an opening for Edmonton here.
The Vancouver Canucks can win because…
The Oilers don’t play well in Vancouver. The Canucks
dominate this series overall with 12 wins in the last 17 meetings but they’ve
been even more intimidating at home where they’ve won seven of the last eight
meetings.
Edmonton has been one of the worst teams in the NHL all
season long and as we head to the finish line, they’re slumping again. While
the Canucks have won seven of eight, the Oilers have dropped four of their last
five games. Edmonton has scored just six goals in their last five, failing to
top two goals each time. They’re not going to win in Vancouver if that’s the
case.
The Canucks still have plenty to play for as they need at
least a point to secure the top seed in the West and maybe more if they hope to
win the Presidents’ Trophy. With the playoffs upcoming, they’d love to go in
winners in eight of their last nine versus losers of two straight.
Outlook & NHL Betting Prediction:
There’s no real conceivable way you can take the Oilers
in this spot until you simply want to take a shot in the dark. They really
don’t have anything to play for and they’re playing in Vancouver, which is a
city where they really struggle to generate wins.
If you feel like risking the puck line, that play makes
more sense than laying this kind of juice. Otherwise, we’ll look to the under
as the Oilers simply aren’t scoring much these days.
NHL Picks: Under