Edmonton Oilers at Chicago Blackhawks Free Pick - Betting Lines

Edmonton Oilers at Chicago Blackhawks Free Pick - Betting Lines

David Schwab
Date: February 18, 7:25 am
Location: United Center
TV: TSN

Betting Odds

Moneyline: Edmonton +130 Chicago -150
Total: 5

<p>
The United Center is the first stop on the Edmonton Oilers’ upcoming six-game road trip for a Western Conference tilt against the Chicago Blackhawks this Saturday night. The puck is set to drop in this one at 7 p.m. (ET).
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Edmonton at Chicago Game Overview<br />
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Edmonton will start this road trip on a strong note with three victories in its last four games after doubling up Philadelphia 6-3 on Thursday night as a -156 home favorite. The total has gone OVER in the Oilers’ last three games overall, but it has stayed UNDER in their last five road games. They come into this contest with 70 points on the year behind a record of 32-29-8 that includes a solid 16-9-5 mark on the road.
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Center Connor McDavid came up big in Thursday’s victory with a goal and two assists, while goalie Cam Talbot stopped 33 of the 36 shots he faced to help secure the win. McDavid leads the team in points this season with 66 (19 goals, 47 assists) and center Leon Draisanti is the leader in goals with 22 after tallying one against Philadelphia. Edmonton is ranked 11th in the NHL in scoring with 2.8 goals a game and it has a goals-against average of 2.5.
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<p>
The Blackhawks come into Saturday’s contest well rested after beating Edmonton 5-1 on the road last Saturday in the first game of this home-and-home series. They closed as +116 underdogs and the total went OVER the 5.5-goal line. This was Chicago’s fifth win in a row and the total has gone OVER in each of those games after scoring a combined 23 goals. Despite this run, the Blackhawks are still seven points behind Minnesota in the Central Division race with a record of 35-17-5. They are 18-7-4 on their home ice this season.
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Chicago fell behind 1-0 in last week’s meeting on an early first period goal. With the first of two goals by right winger Richard Panik less than two minutes later, the Blackhawks tied the score and took control from there. Both Panik and Patrick Kane added power play goals later in the game and goalie Scott Darling posted a stellar .968 save percentage. Chicago is the eighth-highest scoring team in the NHL with 2.9 goals a game and its GAA stands at 2.6.
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Edmonton at Chicago Game Betting Trends<br />
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The Oilers have won four of their last six road games and they have won 10 of their last 15 games overall. The total has gone OVER in three of their last four conference games.
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The Blackhawks are 1-3 in their last four home games and the total has gone OVER or ended as a PUSH in their last six games played at home.
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Head-to-head in this series, Chicago has won the last five meetings on its home ice and the total has gone OVER in eight of the last 11 meetings overall.
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Edmonton Oilers at Chicago Blackhawks Prediction

The Oilers have played well since Saturday’s loss with 11 goals in their last two games, but the well-rested Blackhawks went into their extended break about as hot a team as any in the league. Chicago also knows just how important a series sweep would be with a tough stretch of four games in six nights following the week off.

I would take the Blackhawks to pull off the sweep at home given their current winning streak. However, with the total line for Saturday’s matchup set at 5, I am going with the OVER in the backend of this home-and-home conference clash as my “best bet” pick.

Free Pick: Take the Over 5
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