The Edmonton Oilers will look to turn their fortunes around when they travel to Scotiabank Arena to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs. Everything was going so well for the Edmonton Oilers, as many fans were starting to look at them as legitimate Stanley Cup contenders, but that simply is not the case after a 2-10 run. Their dynamic duo of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl has slowed down a bit during that stretch, and you do get the feeling that those two guys simply have to do too much to ensure this teams’ success.
On the other hand, the Maple Leafs are legitimate Stanley Cup contenders coming into this game with a solid 21-8-2 record. Their stellar offense is led by Auston Matthews, who is once again having a great season with 20 goals from just 33 games. The only issue with that is the fact that Matthews will be out for this one after getting the virus, so the Leaf’s depth will be tested here on Wednesday evening.
Edmonton Oilers Betting Preview:
Since coming back from a series of postponed games, the Edmonton Oilers have yet to pick up a victory going 0-4 since coming back, so they will be desperate to pick up two points in this spot. The Oilers did play decently in their last game against the Rangers despite losing 4-1, as they outshot their opponents, but ran into a red-hot Alexandar Georgiev between the posts.
There is a lot of variation in terms of the Oilers’ results this season, and it looks like that is because of their efficiency on the powerplay, as they rank number one in the entire league at converting with the extra man at 30.5%. If they are able to draw the penalties, they are very likely to win, but when the whistle goes silent, this team really struggles to get the job done in 5v5 situations.
Mikko Koskinen was great in net in the early part of the season, but more and more doubt has been creeping in recently as he has not been nearly as good. Koskinen now has a 3.19 goals-against average, and a save percentage which sits exactly at 90%, and if this team is going to go anywhere, he will need to rediscover that early season form.
Toronto Maple Leafs Betting Preview:
Unlike the Oilers, the Maple Leafs do not have any problems whatsoever in the goaltending department, with Jack Campbell performing at a Vezina trophy-winning level. Campbell has a 1.86 GAA and a pretty crazy .939 save percentage. He should be between the pipes yet again for the home side, and he will likely prove tough to beat even with the level of offensive talent on the other side of the equation.
Also, unlike the Oilers, the Maple Leafs have some serious depth from the top to bottom lines, which will cause the Oilers plenty of problems. Look for guys like William Nylander and John Tavares to pick up the slack here, as they are both more than capable with 28 goals between the two.
The only issue for the Leafs here might be the fact that their last game was on New Year’s Day, which was 4 full days ago, so they might start a bit slow here even though they returned from two weeks off in that last game with a 6-0 victory over Ottawa.
Edmonton Oilers vs. Toronto Maple Leafs Free Betting Pick
I think the Maple Leafs are the right side in this game, but once again, I think you will need to pay a heavy price on the home side. What I do think could happen in this one is a bit of a shootout, as McDavid and Draisaitl should be able to get it going in a primetime spot like this. The Oilers’ defense has been poor for most of the season, and I really do not have a ton of confidence that Koskinen can keep the net clean here. I also think we will be able to get a better price on the over with maybe a bit of an overreaction to Matthews being out here.
BetUSASports Free Pick:
Edmonton Oilers vs. Toronto Maple Leafs Betting Verdict: Over the total
Edmonton Oilers vs. Toronto Maple Leafs Final Score Prediction: Toronto 5-3
