NHL Odds, Preview, Prediction: Oilers vs. Blackhawks (November 30)

Oilers vs. Blackhawks Odds

Winless in their last seven games, the Chicago Blackhawks will wrap up a three-game homestand when the Edmonton Oilers stop by the United Center on Wednesday night.

The Oilers will be hitting the Midwest for a quick two-game spin after staging comeback wins over the New YorkRangers and FloridaPanthers in their last two games. The Blackhawks are on an 0-6-1 run and haven't registered a win since Nov. 12.

Here's a look at the latest on both teams, and some betting options for the game.

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Edmonton Oilers

The Edmonton Oilers came into this season looking to build off their run to last spring's Western Conference Final. But as it happens so often, the road has had more twists and turns than expected.

They'll head into Chicago on Wednesday clinging to a wild-card spot in the West, with a record of 12-10-0 for 24 points in 22 games.

As usual, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl sit among the league's scoring leaders, and a defiant Draisaitl potted the recent comeback winners against both the Rangers and the Panthers. But McDavid has now ceded the league's goal-scoring lead to Jason Robertson, and seems to be missing linemate Evander Kane.

Since Kane suffered that skate cut to his wrist on Nov. 8, McDavid has two goals and 10 points in Edmonton's last eight games — a bit pedestrian by his standards, although he did go 1-2-3 against Florida on Monday.

With the talent they have up front, the Oilers have a strong power play. But their expected goals share at 5-on-5 is in the middle of the pack, their penalty killing isn't great, and goaltending is an issue.

Rookie Stuart Skinner has been fine, with a .919 save percentage and 1.4 goals saved above expected. But Jack Campbell's adjustment to Edmonton has been rocky so far. He's at an .875 save percentage and minus-8.9 goals saved above expected, but was decent in his last two starts.

He gave up three goals against both the New York Islanders and the Rangers, backstopping the comeback win at Madison Square Garden last Saturday.

The Oilers will be starting a back-to-back set on Wednesday in Chicago, with a followup game on Thursday in Minnesota. Campbell and Skinner will likely split those starts, but there's no word as of Tuesday evening on which stopper will play which game.

In addition to Kane, the Oilers have been missing three other regular forwards. Warren Foegele was listed as day-to-day against Florida on Monday with an undisclosed issue, while Ryan MacLeod have both been added to injured reserve. Kailer Yamamoto has also been on injured reserve for two weeks with an undisclosed ailment.

James Hamblin, an undrafted 23-year-old winger, made his NHL debut on Monday night.

Chicago Blackhawks

After an unexpectedly strong 4-2-0 start, the Chicago Blackhawks are back on track to be one of the NHL's cellar-dwellers at the end of this season, setting themselves up for a high pick in a deep draft.

But even if the results are going according to plan, it's a tough pill to swallow for the players and the fanbase.

The Blackhawks ranked 31st in scoring heading into Tuesday's action, averaging just 2.48 goals per game. They're also 29th in goals against, 27th on the penalty kill and 30th in expected goals share at 5-on-5, at just 41.55%.

In other words: they're full value for second-last-place in the overall standings.

The power play is one bright spot, clicking at an acceptable 21.9%. But how can it be true that Patrick Kane has just three goals this season, and none with the man advantage? That seems like an unsustainable statistic.

There was some talk that the Blackhawks had a players-only meeting following their 7-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday. And at Tuesday's practice, Kane and Jonathan Toews skated together on the same line for the first time since Luke Richardson took over as head coach.

Toews is another feel-good story in Chicago, starting to look like his old self again with eight goals and 13 points in 21 games.

In net, Petr Mrazek and Arvid Soderblom have basically been taking turns. Mrazek took the loss against the Jets, so it's probably Soderblom's turn on Wednesday. The undrafted 23-year-old has performed quite well under difficult circumstances, with a 2-4-2 record, .910 save percentage and 0.4 goals saved above expected.

Alex Stalock had been playing well early in the season, before suffering a concussion in early November. He's not quite ready to return yet. Also on the injured list: defenseman Jarred Tinordi and forwards Tyler Johnson and Sam Lafferty.

Oilers vs. Blackhawks Pick

On paper, this game looks like an easy win for Edmonton, especially given the Oilers' plucky determination over their past couple of games. But the Blackhawks would be an easy team for the visitors to take lightly, and every losing streak has to end sometime.

If Kane and Toews are rallying their group to snap out of their downward skid, an upset could be on the agenda on Wednesday. And that +172 moneyline makes it a tempting possibility to consider.

If you think the Oilers have another late rally in them, you could look at Chicago +1.5 on the puck line. But at -134 you'd be giving away a lot of your potential payout.

With Edmonton's penalty killing lurking in the same range as Chicago's, this might be a good opportunity to check the prop lines and see if you can get good odds on a power-play point or goal from Kane.

Or, you can back the home side, who might be in the mindset where they'll simply refuse to lose. There's a nice payout available if they can execute on Wednesday night.

Pick: Blackhawks +160 or Better

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