Chicago Blackhawks Travels to Edmonton to Face the Oilers

The Edmonton Oilers will be on the road and taking on the Chicago Blackhawks in a Western Conference matchup. This will be their third and final matchup against one another as they split the first two games. The Oilers are fourth in the Pacific Division (29-21-3, 61 points), while the Blackhawks are seventh in the Central Division (19-27-8, 46 points). 

We should be in for an exciting match with stars like center Connor McDavid, center Leon Draisaitl, and right winger Patrick Kane on the ice. So, let’s take a closer look at these franchises. 

Can the Chicago Blackhawks Upset the Edmonton Oilers in the United Center?

Center Connor McDavid is tied for the league-lead in points and second in assists. He has posted 75 points (28 goals, 47 assists) and has produced four points in his previous three games.

McDavid is a big reason why Edmonton is scoring 3.26 goals on 33.4 shot attempts. The Oilers are third in the NHL with a 26.5 power play percentage. 

The Oilers are tied for 25th in the NHL with a 76.4 penalty kill percentage thus far. That is a huge source of issues as they are allowing 3.23 goals on 31.7 shots against per game.

Goaltender Mikko Koskinen has been struggling in the net outside of his record as he is 18-8-2 with 3.13 goals allowed per game while he is saving 90.1 percent of all shots against him.

Chicago is average on the power play as they are scoring on 20.4 percent of all power play opportunities. They need to improve overall offensively as they are scoring 2.43 goals on 28.7 shot attempts per game. Veteran right winger Patrick Kane has been doing well as he has recorded 53 points (16 goals, 37 assists) and finished with six points in their previous three games.   

Marc-Andre Fleury has been struggling this season inside of the net as he is 16-19-4 with a .911 save percentage and 2.83 goals per game against him. They need to be better defensively as he is allowing 3.39 goals on 32.1 shot attempts per game. Chicago is the fourth-worst team at killing penalties as they are giving up 75.3 percent of all penalties against them.

Edmonton Oilers at Chicago Blackhawks Betting Predictions

Defensively, the Edmonton Oilers are on average giving up 3.33 goals in their last three games, while the Chicago Blackhawks are allowing 3.75 goals in their previous four games.

They are very similar at stopping the puck and should be able to keep this game close. Chicago is 26-28 ATS this season, while Edmonton is 24-29 ATS so far.

We should be in for a close and exciting bout. All in all, go with the Chicago Blackhawks as a home underdog to cover the puck line in this game.

* All odds provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.