The Edmonton Oilers just saw their 16-game winning streak come to an end on Tuesday night but they will be looking to begin another one on Friday in Southern California against the lowly Anaheim Ducks. The puck is scheduled to drop at 10 PM EST at the Honda Center. Edmonton lost 3-1 to the Vegas Golden Knights earlier in the week, a defeat that was a long time coming. Anaheim meanwhile hasn’t played since before the All-Star Break and will come in well-rested here. Below, find the Oilers vs Ducks picks.
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The Oilers are a heavy favorite here with -277 odds for an implied win probability of 73.47%. The Ducks come back at +243 and have a 29.15% chance of taking this one. The total in goals is set at 6.5. When it comes to recent meetings, Edmonton has won five in a row. The last two matchups ended 7-2 and 8-2 in favor of the Oilers. Considering how well they’re playing, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a similar scoreline.
Early on in the 2023-24 season, everyone was wondering why the Oilers were struggling so badly. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl weren’t playing like the superstars we’re used to seeing. But, Edmonton evidently figured it out and went on a ridiculous 16-game winning streak to shoot up the Pacific Division and Western Conference standings. During that span, the Oilers were beating all sorts of teams, with many big wins and some nailbiters.
Surprisingly, defense has been the name of the game for Edmonton for the most part. They’re allowing the eighth fewest goals per contest of any team in the NHL while ranking 15th in scoring. McDavid is still having a torrid campaign with 21 goals and 47 assists for a total of 68 points, while Draisaitl has 23 goals and 35 assists. There are five different players with a minimum of 40 points, so there’s no shortage of producers. We’ve seen just that during the winning streak. McDavid on his own has tallied eight points across his last four games. He’s on fire.
But, his lone goal didn’t help against Vegas. While McDavid did score the opener, the Knights stormed back with three unanswered thanks to Nicolas Roy, Chandler Stephenson, and William Karlsson. In net, Adin Hill also made 31 saves to shut the door on Edmonton. That game was the first of three on the road, with the Oilers visiting the Kings after taking on the Ducks. They will be searching for the Southern California sweep.
It truly does appear to be another lost season for Anaheim, who are seventh in the Pacific Division with an 18-30-2 record. It’s been a long time since this team was good and we could be waiting a lot longer for them to be any type of contender in one of the most competitive divisions in hockey. The Ducks have won back-to-back games but those were before the ASG festivities in Toronto. It means they have lots of rest ahead of Friday, but they’re facing an electric Oilers squad.
Anaheim ranks towards the bottom of the NHL in nearly every category. 29th in goals scored, 26th in shots on target, 26th in most goals allowed, and 28th in SOG allowed. There is not much going right for this organization right now. Young phenom Trevor Zegras has only played 20 games due to injuries which is a major blow to the first line considering he is a very good player. Troy Terry has done his best to carry the load, scoring 15 and assisting 22. Frank Vatrano also has 36 points while Adam Henrique and Mason McTavish have passed the 30-point mark, too. The reality is Anaheim just isn’t consistent enough on either end of the ice.
Playing at home isn’t exactly a strong suit, either. The Ducks are 8-17-1 at the Honda Center while going 10-13-1 on the road. You’re supposed to play better on home ice, but nothing lines up with this Anaheim team. Given how badly they’ve been beaten in recent meetings with the Oilers, this one could get ugly.
I don’t expect this one to be remotely close. The Oilers will easily cover the puck line on Friday night.
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