One way or another, its going to be an icy August 1. Saturday at 3 p.m. ET, the Chicago Blackhawks will square off against the Edmonton Oilers in qualification round action at Rogers Place in Edmonton, AB. We analyze the Blackhawks-Oilers betting odds and lines, while providing NHL betting tips and picks around this matchup.
Blackhawks vs. Oilers: Projected starting goalies
Corey Crawford vs. Mikko Koskinen
Crawford looks to be in line for this start after a solid performance in Chicago’s July 29 exhibition game against the St. Louis Blues. In the regular season, the veteran netminder logged a 2.77 goals against average and a .917 save percentage.
Koskinen figures to get the nod for the Oilers. The ‘Hawks chased running mate Mike Smith in a “recent” game – a 4-3 Chicago win over Edmonton on March 5. Koskinen clocked a 2.75 GAA and .917 SV% during the season.
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Blackhawks vs. Oilers: Odds, picks and betting tips
Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access them at USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated Saturday at 8:45 a.m. ET.
Prediction
Blackhawks 4, Oilers 3
Moneyline (ML)
In the regular season, the Blackhawks (+130) went 32-30-8, averaging 2.97 goals per game while allowing 3.06. They are the No. 12 seed in the Western Conference. The fifth-seeded Oilers (-154) went 37-25-9, averaging 3.14 GPG while yielding 3.03.
A youthful Chicago group was on the upswing, winning five of its last seven games before the shutdown. The ‘Hawks have also won three of their last four against Edmonton. Chicago’s price for the Saturday matinee series opener has some wiggle room on the value side. Consider a CHICAGO (+130) wager in this one.
Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)
The ‘Hawks and Oilers met three times in the regular season (two Chicago wins) and two of those games were decided by multiple goals. But Chicago +1 (-128)/Edmonton -1 (+105) is a line with too much juice to overcome. Coming off a four-month break, it’d be wise to stick to the moneyline.
Over/Under (O/U)
The tag here is 6 goals. It’s a fair number and likely not worth a major play, but these teams are not blessed with tremendous blue line coverage. The last 10 times these two played in Edmonton, the upside of the figure went 8-2. The OVER 6 (-121) gets the lean for Saturday.
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