NHL Pick: Chicago Blackhawks at Edmonton Oilers
Overview
The Chicago Blackhawks are in Edmonton Friday where they take on the Oilers. The Blackhawks have played the Oilers well over the past couple seasons winning the last 5 straight meetings overall and they have also played well in Edmonton where they have won 9 of the last 11 meetings.
Head to Head Trends
Blackhawks are 5-0 in the last 5 meetings.
Blackhawks are 9-2 in the last 11 meetings in Edmonton.
Edmonton Oilers (+175)
The Edmonton Oilers are last in the Pacific Division with just 27 points which is also good for last place in the entire NHL. This has obviously not been a very good season for the Oilers and it seems to be just getting worse and worse as the season goes on. The Oilers have actually won just 3 of their last 26 games which is starting to get into the historically bad category. I guess there is one positive thing about the Oilers and that is they are just 1-9 when they go to overtime and that may not sound very good at all but the one positive thing about that is they should be due to start winning a few of those games so that’s something to look forward to. The Oilers have one of the worst offenses in the league averaging just 2.2 goals per game and they also have of the worst defenses in the league allowing 3.4 goals per game to go along with it.
Edmonton Oilers Trends
Oilers are 3-23 in their last 26 overall.
Oilers are 3-13 in their last 16 home games.
Chicago Blackhawks (-200)
The Chicago Blackhawks are 2nd in the Central division with 56 points just 2 points behind the 1st place Nashville Predators. The Blackhawks actually got off to a fairly slow start this season going just 6-6 over their first 12 games but they have been one of the best teams in the league since winning 21 of their last 29 games. The Blackhawks have a very good offense averaging 3.1 goals per game and they have the best defense in the league allowing just 2.2 goals per game.
Chicago Blackhawks Trends
Blackhawks are 20-7 in their last 27 overall.
Blackhawks are 36-15 in their last 51 in the fourth game of a 4-in-6 situation.
Conclusion
Even though the Blackhawks are playing their 3rd game in 4 nights and may be a little tired they are still in my opinion the best team in the NHL while the Oilers are the worst team in the league so it’s hard not to take the Hawks here.
Free Pick: Chicago Blackhawks -200