NHL Odds, Preview, Prediction: Wild vs Oilers (Friday, December 8)
Pictured: Connor McDavid. (Photo by Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Wild vs. Oilers Odds
| Wild Odds | +150 |
| Oilers Odds | -182 |
| Over / Under | 6.5 -132 / +108 |
Not long ago, Minnesota and Edmonton were two of the saddest teams in the league. However, fortunes have dramatically changed after each team fired its head coach. Neither squad has completely dug out of its early season hole, but both have shown promise, so let's keep that in mind as we preview the upcoming contest and offer a Wild vs. Oilers prediction.
If there's one obvious thing working against the Wild, it's that they also played Tuesday in Calgary and Thursday in Vancouver. Minnesota also used Filip Gustavsson on Thursday, so Marc-Andre Fleury is expected to start Friday. That might be a problem because Fleury has struggled this season with a 3.21 GAA and an .884 save percentage in 10 contests. He saved 28-of-29 shots in a 4-1 win over the Blackhawks on Sunday, but Edmonton's red-hot offense is poised to be a far greater challenge for the Wild goaltender.
The Wild are capable of winning high-scoring games, though, so all won't be lost if Fleury has a rough night. Going into Thursday's action, Minnesota ranked 15th offensively with 3.22 goals per game, and the Wild were particularly good from Nov. 28-Dec. 5, scoring an outstanding 4.50 goals per game.
Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello continue to serve as the foundation of Minnesota's offense. Kaprizov had eight goals and 23 points over his first 23 games, including two goals and five points over three contests from Nov. 30-Dec. 5. Meanwhile, Zuccarello entered Thursday's contest on a 10-game scoring streak (three goals, 11 assists), bringing him up to six goals and 27 points through 23 appearances.
However, the Wild have also gotten more out from their supporting cast lately. For example, Matt Boldy had four goals and five points over four outings from Nov. 28-Dec. 5, while Connor Dewar, Marco Rossi and Jared Spurgeon each supplied four points over the same stretch.
That kind of depth might make the difference Friday, but can the Wild count on it? Not necessarily, especially because they will be tired. This will be Minnesota's fourth game on no rest this season and the squad provided just 2.33 goals per game over the first three contests. In other words, Minnesota's offense has typically collapsed this year in the second half of a back-to-back.
Edmonton, which is rested, playing at home and red hot isn't likely to have any issues finding the back of the net. The Oilers rank seventh offensively with 3.43 goals per game, which is great on its own, but they've found another level, providing 4.36 goals per contest over their past 11 outings.
Remember when Connor McDavid was struggling and there was speculation he might be playing hurt? That's a distant memory after watching him score six goals and 22 points over his past 10 contests. His rebound has been fantastic for Zach Hyman, who has scored seven goals and 11 points over his past five appearances, including a hat trick in Wednesday's 6-1 victory over Carolina. Offensive defenseman Evan Bouchard is also rolling, supplying two goals and 12 points over the course of his active nine-game scoring streak.
New head coach Kris Knoblauch's ability to get the offense clicking again has been a huge part of Edmonton's resurgence, but goaltender Stuart Skinner has been the other part of the equation. Over his past 10 outings, Skinner has posted an 8-2-0 record, a 2.36 GAA and a .916 save percentage, which is in dramatic contrast to his 1-5-1 record, 3.87 GAA and .854 save percentage over his first eight contests of the season.
Wild vs. Oilers
Betting Pick & Prediction
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Between the Oilers' resurgence being more proven than Minnesota's, the Wild being fatigued and this contest being in Edmonton, the Oilers are heavily favored, which I think is fair.
This has been a weird campaign for both teams, but if you take a step back and just look at these teams on paper, Edmonton seems like the stronger squad.
I'm comfortable recommending the Oilers on the puck line, where the spread is 1.5 goals.
Pick: Edmonton Oilers Puck Line +130 (Play to +120)
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