We tend to think of the games played at this stage of the season as the ones that are the most meaningful, but with the race for the Wild Card spots in the NHL so tight, points dropped in the early part of the season can very often come back to haunt a team. As the current races clearly show, we are probably going to see a few teams miss out on the postseason by a point or two, which really is an awful way to end the regular season.
One team that might well end up being in that predicament are the Pittsburgh Penguins. They are in the Wild Card at the moment, but they also have a few teams starting to breathe down their neck. The Edmonton Oilers are not totally out of the running in the battle for a Wild Card spot in the Western Conference, but their situation looks a lot drier than what the Penguins are experiencing right now. These two will meet on Wednesday night with the Penguins favored by 1 ½ and the goal total set at 6 ½.
Oilers vs Penguins NHL Week 20 Odds & Game Preview
Coach Hitchcock provides #Oilers lineup notes, discusses the team’s recent success on the road & more as they look to continue that success when they begin their three-game trip tonight in Pittsburgh. pic.twitter.com/nBcb5SkuDd
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) 13 de febrero de 2019
- When: Wednesday, February 13 at 8 PM EST
- Where: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh
- TV: NBCSN
- Live Stream: NHL.tv
- NHL Week 20 Odds: Pittsburgh Penguins -190 (Total 6.5)
STANLEY CUP POSSIBLE MATCHUPS
Why bet on the Edmonton Oilers?
The Pittsburgh Penguins finally broke out of their recent slump with a 4-1 win over the Flyers this week, but that victory did little to help their overall standing. They remain just 1 point up on the chasing pack in the race for the final Wild Card spot, while also sitting 4 points out of the #2 spot in what is a very tight Metropolitan Division.
The Penguins would do well to continue their winning ways at home, where they are 15-10-2, and they look like a good bet to do that given how well they always seem to play against Edmonton. The Penguins have won each of their last 5 meetings with the Oilers, as well as 8 of the last 9 and have not lost at home to them since 2015. In the last 10 meetings overall, the Penguins have picked up at least a point, going 8-0-2.
Team Stats
Offense- Goals: 2.89
- Shots: 28.73
- PP/PK Percentage: 22.98
Defense
- Goals: 3.35
- Shots: 31.31
- PP/PK Percentage: 24.71
Why bet on the Pittsburgh Penguins?
The Oilers may still be within reasonable reach of the final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference, sitting 6 games off the pace, but there are a lot of teams ahead of them and they are currently doing very little to help their own cause. Over the course of the last 10 games, the Oilers are a rather miserable 3-5-2, which is not going to be anywhere good enough to get them back into the thick of the playoff race.
Oddly enough, this is a team that has a winning road record this season, going 12-11-4 away from home, but their record in Pittsburgh suggests that they may not stay above the .500 mark for very long. The Oilers are 13-14 ATS away from home.
Team Stats
Offense- Goals: 3.45
- Shots: 32.45
- PP/PK Percentage: 23.38
Defense
- Goals: 3.09
- Shots: 33.29
- PP/PK Percentage: 18.06
Oilers vs Penguins NHL Week 20 Betting Trends
- Edmonton is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
- Edmonton is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of Edmonton’s last 5 games
- Pittsburgh is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Edmonton
- Pittsburgh is 10-4 SU in its last 14 games at home
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Pittsburgh’s last 5 games
Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction
If there is one single trend that stands out in the previous 7 meetings between these two teams, it’s that all of those games were decided by a single goal. If that trend holds up, then look for the Oilers to cover in a losing effort.
Score: Edmonton Oilers 2 – Pittsburgh Penguins 3
