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Edmonton Oilers vs. Chicago Blackhawks – NHL Playoff Series Pick, Odds, and Prediction

Chicago Blackhawks at Edmonton Oilers: NHL Hockey free preview, analysis, prediction, odds and pick against the spread.
2020-05-30 03:00:00 EDT

The Edmonton Oilers and Chicago Blackhawks meet in a five-game NHL play-in series. 

The Edmonton Oilers ended their regular season splitting their last 10 games and allowing three or more goals in seven of their last 11 games. The Edmonton Oilers averaged 3.1 goals per game while allowing three goals per game. The Edmonton Oilers are averaging 29.6 shots per game while scoring on 29.5 precent of their power plays, and they’re allowing 32 shots per game while killing 84.4 percent of their power plays. Leon Draisaitl leads the Oilers with 43 goals, Connor McDavid has 63 assists and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has 172 shots. Mike Smith has allowed 106 goals on 1,087 shot attempts and Mikko Koskinen has given up 97 goals on 1,175 shots faced. The Edmonton Oilers were hit and miss throughout the regular season, but they’re one of the more talented offensive teams in the league and are first in power play percentage and second in penalty killing, so don’t sleep on this club. 

The Chicago Blackhawks ended their regular season winning five of their last seven games, playing some of their best hockey and showing an improved effort on the defensive side. The Chicago Blackhawks averaged three goals per game while allowing 3.1 goals per game. The Chicago Blackhawks are averaging 31.8 shots per game while scoring on 15.2 precent of their power plays, and they’re allowing 35.1 shots per game while killing 82.1 percent of their power plays. Patrick Kane leads the Blackhawks with 33 goals, Jonathan Toews has 42 assists and Alex DeBrincat has 207 shots. Corey Crawford has allowed 108 goals on 1,294 shot attempts and Malcolm Subban has given up zero goals on zero shots faced. The Chicago Blackhawks seemed to be heating up at the right time and have allowed three or less goals in their last seven games, so it’s going to be interesting to see if they can return to that form after the break. 

The Chicago Blackhawks were playing some of their best hockey of the season before the unwanted break, and they have a two-time Stanley Cup winner in Crawford leading the way. There’s good reason to consider the Blackhawks and the plus money, especially when going up against a Edmonton Oilers squad that’s made one playoff appearance since the 2006-07 NHL season. With all that said, the Oilers are the more talented team and have an explosive offense led by a two-headed monster that can simply take over a short series like this one.

This is the Oilers chance to finally make some noise when it matters most. It won’t be easy, but I like Edmonton to advance to the next round.

 

Randy Chambers's Free Pick: Edmonton Oilers -150

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Randy Chambers

Randy has covered sports betting since 2014 and writes about everything from NFL to WNBA. Follow Randy Chambers on Twitter.

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