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The Pittsburgh Penguins (3-4-1) take on the Edmonton Oilers (2-4-1) Friday. Puck drop from Rogers Place is set for 9 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s NHL odds around the Penguins vs. Oilers odds and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
Season series: First meeting; Oilers won 2-0 last season
The Pens have dropped 3 straight after a 4-3 shootout loss to the Calgary Flames Tuesday. RW Rickard Rakell netted his 4th goal of the season. C Sidney Crosby had an assist, but he has had a quiet start to the season with 1 goal and 6 assists in 8 games.
The Oilers dropped a 3-2 OT game to the Carolina Hurricanes Tuesday. They’ve lost 2 straight in a wild swing of a season. They dropped the first 3, won 2 and now have dropped 2. C Connor McDavid put up 2 goals Tuesday to give him 3 goals and 5 assists in the young season.
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Penguins at Oilers odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list of NHL odds. Lines last updated at 12:55 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Penguins +180 (bet $100 to win $180) | Oilers -225 (bet $225 to win $100)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Penguins +1.5 (-135) | Oilers -1.5 (+115)
- Over/Under (O/U): 7 (O: +110 | U: -130)
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Penguins at Oilers projected goalies
Alex Nedeljkovic (0-1-1, 3.86 GAA, .869 SV%) vs. Stuart Skinner (1-3-1, 3.74 GAA, .866 SV%)
The Pens sent starter Tristan Jarry back to Pittsburgh to get some individual work in with their goalie coach. It’s a rather strange move, but Nedeljkovic has handled the last 2 starts and figures to go again Friday. He was solid Tuesday, stopping 22 of 25 in a 4-3 shootout loss. He allowed 5 goals on 36 shots in his first start against Winnipeg.
Skinner was really good against Carolina Tuesday, stopping 30 of 33 against a tough team. However, he has allowed 3 goals in 4 straight starts after allowing 5 in his season opener. He played a grand total of 1:16 against the Pens last season and didn’t face a shot on goal.
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Penguins at Oilers picks and predictions
Prediction
Penguins 3, Oilers 2
Moneyline
Edmonton is 1-3-1 at home thus far, and there’s no chance I’m going to risk -225 on it anywhere. It has allowed 27 goals and scored 14 thus far. The Pens aren’t lighting the world ablaze, but they have scored 3+ in 5 of 8.
This is more of a pick ’em to me. As such, I’m going to take a chance on PENGUINS +180 for the price.
Puck line/Against the spread
We’re going with LEON DRAISTAITL OVER 2.5 SHOTS (-120). That’s a pretty good price for a top-5 player to get just 3 shots on goal. He had 3 SOG in each game against Pittsburgh last season, and they are anything but a defensive stalwart.
Over/Under
It’s possible we see 7 goals here, but it’s really hard to look for 8 goals to cash a bet. The Over is 5-2-1 for Pittsburgh and 2-4-1 for Edmonton thus far. And that’s exactly why I’m taking the value with Pittsburgh because it articulates the edge it has offensively.
Take the UNDER 7 (-130).
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