NHL Odds, Preview, Prediction: Oilers vs Flames (Saturday, April 6)

Saturday, April 6

10 p.m. ET

ESPN+

Oilers Odds	-175
Flames Odds	+145
Over / Under	6.5 -115o / -105u

Odds via BetMGM. Get up-to-the-minute NHL odds here.

Here's everything you need to know about the Edmonton Oilers vs. Calgary Flames on Saturday, April 6 – our expert NHL prediction and pick.

This game won't change either team's season meaningfully, but for the rival squads, bragging rights are still on the line tonight.

The underdog Flames earned a surprising 6-3 victory over Edmonton in their last meeting, so we'll investigate if there could be a similar outcome tonight while previewing the upcoming contest and then offering an Oilers vs. Flames prediction.

One area where this game is going to be like Edmonton's previous meeting against Calgary is the fact that it comes in the second half of a back-to-back set for the Oilers. Edmonton earned an impressive 6-2 victory over the Avalanche on Friday, but rather than rest, they had to promptly travel to Calgary for tonight's game.

Fatigue might have played a role in the Oilers surrendering three first-period goals to Calgary last time en route to that 6-3 loss. Certainly, the Oilers have been somewhat less effective when playing on no rest this season; they're 4-3-0 compared to their 42-21-5 record in all other scenarios, and the Oilers have surrendered an average of 3.00 goals per game in the second half of back-to-backs in contrast to their season average of 2.87.

Stuart Skinner was the losing goaltender in that contest against Calgary, but the starting goaltender saved 21 of 23 shots in Friday's victory, so Calvin Pickard figures to be in net tonight.

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This will be Pickard's first meeting against Calgary this year, and the Flames won't be catching much of a break in drawing him. The 31-year-old journeyman has been a great backup this season, posting an 11-6-0 record, 2.40 GAA and .911 save percentage across 19 appearances.

Of course, Edmonton's strength lies in its attack rather than defense. Connor McDavid (31 goals, 128 points) is three assists shy of becoming just the fourth player in NHL history to reach the 100-assist milestone.

Meanwhile, Leon Draisaitl has already surpassed the 100-point mark for the fifth time in six seasons and is just one goal shy of hitting 40 for the third consecutive campaign. Even if he does, he'll be well behind Zach Hyman, who leads the team with 52 markers through 74 outings.

On top of that, the Oilers have a high-end offensive defenseman in Evan Bouchard (16 goals, 78 points) and another key member of their offensive core in Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (17 goals, 61 points).

No wonder Edmonton ranks fourth offensively with 3.57 goals per game.

Even when they won, Calgary couldn't contain Edmonton's attack, instead resorting to outscoring them. Can the Flames manage to do that again, though?

Six goals in a single game is a rare feat for Calgary, which is tied for 18th offensively with 3.05 goals per contest.  It'll be even harder this time around because, since that Feb. 24 victory over Edmonton, the Flames have dealt away some of their veterans with an eye toward the future.

Most notably, Calgary moved Noah Hanifin to Vegas, and the 27-year-old blueliner was instrumental to Calgary's win over the Oilers, providing two goals and an assist on that day.

That victory also came amid a larger five-game winning streak at a time when Calgary still had some hope of securing a wild-card spot. Now the 34-36-5 Flames have been eliminated from playoff consideration and are trudging toward the finish line with just one victory over their last eight games.

Goaltender Jacob Markstrom is a significant example of a player who is struggling as the season draws to a close. The 34-year-old will likely start tonight, but after posting a solid 21-15-2 record, 2.57 GAA and .914 save percentage over his first 38 outings, he's gone 2-5-0 with a 3.63 GAA and an .863 save percentage across his past seven games.

Edmonton's offense is hard to stop under the best of circumstances, so how much hope does a slumping goaltender have of doing so?

Calgary isn't completely devoid of silver linings. Andrei Kuzmenko will enter this game on a four-game scoring streak in which he's provided an incredible four goals and seven points, so perhaps he'll give Edmonton some trouble tonight. He has a goal and three points in three appearances versus Edmonton this season, so it wouldn't be out of character if he does annoy the Oilers.

Still, that likely won't be enough to push Calgary over the top.

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Edmonton is being treated as a heavy favorite by oddsmakers despite entering the second half of its back-to-back, which I find fair given the sorry state of the Flames.

The drawback there is that taking the Oilers on the moneyline doesn't offer a great potential payout. The puck line (1.5 goals in favor of Calgary) still offers a good possible return, though, and I like the Oilers' chances enough to believe they can beat the spread.

If you're looking for an alternate bet, you could consider the Over 6.5, which has appeal when you combine Markstrom's struggles with Edmonton's fantastic attack.

Pick: Edmonton Oilers (-1.5) puck line  (+145 at BetMGM) | Play down to +135