NHL Odds, Preview, Prediction: Oilers vs. Stars
Glenn James/NHLI via Getty Images. Pictured: Jake Oettinger.
- The Stars return home after a five-game road trip, while the Oilers travel to Dallas in the midst of a three-game losing streak.
- The Oilers are 8-6-1 on the road this season, so perhaps a road game is what's needed to get back in the win column.
- Carol Schram previews the game and offer up her best bet below.
Oilers vs. Stars Odds
| Oilers Odds | +126 |
| Stars Odds | -152 |
| Over/Under | 6.5 (-122/+100) |
| Time | 9:30 p.m. ET |
| TV | TNT |
| Odds via FanDuel. Get up-to-the-minute NHL Odds here. | |
The Edmonton Oilers will touch down in Texas on Wednesday for a date with the Dallas Stars.
Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl continue to dominate the NHL's scoring race, but the inconsistent Oilers are going through a rough patch. They're winless in their past three games and on the playoff bubble, clinging to the second wild card spot in the Western Conference with a 17-14-2 record.
The picture is much rosier for the Stars, who sit first in the West at 19-8-6. They wrapped up a five-game road trip with a 2-1 win over Columbus on Monday and they're back in the friendly confines of the American Airlines Center for a pair of games before the Christmas break.
Here's the latest on the Oilers and the Stars, and your best bet for Wednesday's contest.
Edmonton Oilers
The storylines around the Oilers have been oft-repeated, and remain true as the club struggles to head into the Christmas break on a positive note. McDavid and Draisaitl make the team lethal offensively, especially on the power play, where the Oilers are clicking at a league-best 32.8%. But they remain porous defensively and rank in the bottom 10 with 3.42 goals against per game and a penalty kill rate of just 72.6%. At 5-on-5, their puck possession is slightly below the league average and ranks 19th at 50.23%.
Oilers fans often lament a lack of secondary scoring, and Evander Kane is certainly missed as he recovers from a serious laceration to his wrist. However, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is on pace for the best year of his career with 17 goals, 21 assists and 38 points in 33 games. Zach Hyman is also chipping in better than a point per game. Beyond them, and power-play specialist Tyson Barrie on the back end (26 points), the offense thins out pretty quickly. No one else on the roster has more than five goals.
In net, rookie Stuart Skinner has made nine of the past 12 starts and has decent numbers with a 2.83 goals-against average, a .915 save percentage and 0.7 goals saved above expected.
Dallas Stars
Peter DeBoer is in his first year as head coach of the Stars, though this is his fifth NHL team. Just like the other four times, he has made a splash in his first year with his new club.
Dallas is tied with Edmonton for fourth overall offensively, averaging 3.58 goals per game. Jason Robertson rightfully gets the lion's share of attention with his 24 goals and 47 points, but he's getting plenty of help. Roope Hintz is headed for a career-best season, Joe Pavelski, Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin have been chipping in, and new additions Mason Marchment and rookie Wyatt Johnston have also been impactful.
On the power play, Dallas is a respectable 25.8%. Additionally, the Stars' penalty kill is much better than Edmonton's, ranked third at 83.6%, so they are well-equipped to counter the Oilers' most effective weapon.
Defensively, Dallas is generally stingy, giving up just 2.70 goals per game. A lot of that success comes down to strong goaltending from both Jake Oettinger and Scott Wedgewood. At 5-on-5, the Stars rank a surprising 17th in puck possession, controlling 50.89% of expected goals.
Oettinger and Wedgewood alternated starts during the Stars' just-completed five-game road trip, with Oettinger playing Monday in Columbus. But with Dallas back at home and just two games before the Christmas break, it would be surprising if Oettinger, a known workhorse, didn't draw back in against Edmonton on Wednesday.
Oilers vs. Stars Pick
The Stars took the early lead in their season series with the Oilers on November 5, with a 6-2 road win. At -137 on the moneyline, the oddsmakers at FanDuel are assigning a 57.81% chance Dallas will be victorious once again on Wednesday — a very reasonable position.
Edmonton is 0-1-2 since beating Nashville 6-3 on home ice last week.
FanDuel is offering the Stars at a tasty +156 on the puck line. Back Dallas for a big payout.
Pick: Stars Puck Line |
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