The Edmonton Oilers (39-29-9) and Utah Mammoth (40-30-6) meet in the NHL tonight. Puck drop is set for 9:30 p.m. EDT at Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN.
The Mammoth are favored by -1.5 on the puck line, with the over/under set at 6.5 (-112o / -108u). The Mammoth are a -128 favorite to win outright, while the Oilers are +108 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Oilers vs. Mammoth predictions and NHL picks.
Oilers vs. Mammoth Odds, Pick
| Oilers Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -245 | 6.5 -112o / -108u | +106 |
| Mammoth Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +194 | 6.5 -112o / -108u | -128 |
- Oilers vs. Mammoth Spread: Mammoth -1.5 (+194), Oilers +1.5 (-245)
- Oilers vs. Mammoth Over/Under: 6.5 (-112o / -108u)
- Oilers vs. Mammoth Moneyline: Oilers +106, Mammoth -128
Oilers vs. Mammoth Preview
Edmonton Oilers
The Oilers have been playing some of their best defensive hockey of the season, which has become something of a necessity given the injury situation up front. Over their last 10 games, Edmonton ranks fifth in xGA, a development that will need to continue with some significant absences on the roster.
Leon Draisaitl has been sidelined for three weeks, and Zach Hyman is now out as well for at least this four-game road trip. The weight of those two absences was felt immediately, as the Oilers dropped a 5-1 decision to Vegas in the first game without both of them in the lineup.
Matt Savoie has stepped into the void reasonably well, posting five goals over his last 10 games while skating alongside Connor McDavid on the top line. The production is welcome, though it is asking a lot of a young player to shoulder that kind of responsibility while the team chases first place in the division.
On that front, Edmonton now leads the Pacific by virtue of a tiebreaker over Anaheim, which speaks to how well the team has managed to hold things together. Its xGoals % over the last 10 games sits at 55.05%, ranking sixth in the league, even as the offense has cooled to 2.59 GF/60, 21st overall.
The bigger concern is Draisaitl's timeline. He has not yet resumed skating, but head coach Kris Knoblauch has declined to rule him out for Game 1 of the playoffs. Whether he makes it back remains genuinely uncertain, which is not a comfortable place to be for a team that leans on its offense as much as Edmonton does.
In net, Connor Ingram has been the preferred option, with Tristan Jarry working his way into two of the last six starts during a stretch in which Edmonton has gone 5-1.
Ingram allowed five goals against Vegas but otherwise carries a .917 SV% and a 2.47 GAA over those six games. Jarry has an identical save percentage across his two appearances while posting a 1.50 GAA.
Given recent patterns and the fact that Jarry drew in just two games ago, Ingram appears to be the more likely starter, though nothing has been officially confirmed.
Utah Mammoth
If you have not tuned into a Mammoth game lately, you have been missing out. The team leads the league in GF/60 over its last 10 games at 4.29 and has piled up 19 goals over its last three games.
To be fair, six of those came against a struggling Seattle side and another seven at Vancouver's expense in the last game, but the offense has been a genuine joy to watch regardless.
Utah does not lack talent up front. Logan Cooley, Dylan Guenther, Nick Schmaltz, and Clayton Keller give Utah a dangerous top-six.
Cooley has missed 38 games this season, but the speed he brings when in the lineup is immediately obvious. Over his last four games, he has posted eight points (five goals and three assists). Guenther has been equally impressive in that span with four goals and four assists, while Keller is coming off a hat trick and has racked up 10 points in his last four outings (three goals and seven assists).
The defensive end has been a bit more of a mixed bag, with Utah ranking 17th in xGA and surrendering 3.39 G/60 over the last 10 games. When you are scoring at the rate this team is, however, that becomes much easier to live with.
In net, Karel Vejmelka leads all goaltenders in games played this season with 59 and has started each of the last three. There is no reason to expect anything different here.
Vejmelka has gone through a bit of a rough patch over his last 10 games, posting a -3.2 GSAx and an .886 SV%, though it is worth noting he looked sharp in two of his last three outings against Los Angeles and Seattle.
Oilers vs. Mammoth Prediction
These two teams met two weeks ago, a game Edmonton won 5-2. The Oilers have taken both matchups in the season series and outscored Utah 11-5 in the process.
But I expect this one to go differently.
Edmonton looked outmatched against Vegas on Saturday and went 0-for-3 on the power play, with all three opportunities coming in the second period. That is a problem for a team that leans heavily on the man advantage, and it offered an early glimpse of what this unit looks like without Draisaitl and Hyman in the fold.
The Oilers rank 13th in 5-on-5 GF this season, despite being sixth in total GF, and have papered over that with a league-leading 29.7% power play percentage that averages 11.04 GF/60 with the extra skater.
Without Draisaitl and now Hyman, that unit takes a significant hit, and Utah should be able to neutralize the matchup enough.
On the other side, Utah's speed and scoring should give Edmonton trouble. The Oilers' defense has shown improvement over the last 10 games, but it has been bad for much of the season.
I think the Mammoth can beat the Oilers at their own game here.
Pick: Mammoth Moneyline (-128, FanDuel)
