Canucks vs Oilers 05/08/21 – Odds and NHL Betting Trends

The Edmonton Oilers will once again be aiming to lock up second place in the North Division standings when they wrap up a two-game home series with the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday as -235 home favourites on the NHL odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.

Edmonton fell short of clinching second place and home-ice advantage in the first round with Thursday’s 6-3 loss to Vancouver, and has now fallen to defeat in three of four home contests heading into Saturday night’s matchup at Rogers Place.

Despite Thursday’s loss to the Canucks, the Oilers have been a model of consistency in recent weeks. Edmonton has avoided consecutive losses while racking up 14 wins over its past 21 overall contests. The team has powered its success with stingy defense, limiting opponents to one or fewer goals in seven of its past 12 outings. That has fuelled a steady run for the UNDER in totals betting, which has paid out in 13 of their past 17 games (how the OVER/UNDER works).

However, the trend towards low scoring has not applied to recent meetings between these two teams at Rogers Place. The OVER has paid out in each of the Oilers’ past four home dates with Vancouver, but for all the wrong reasons. Edmonton allowed an average of 4.50 goals while falling to defeat in three of those matchups, including a pair of losses so far this season.

That’s bad news for an Oilers team that has leaned so heavily on its captain to generate offense. Connor McDavid has been simply spectacular while racking up 25 points over his past nine games, but Edmonton has managed to score just eight total goals during that stretch that did not involve the 24-year-old superstar.

While the Oilers continue their drive towards home-ice advantage, the Canucks lag as +195 underdogs at online betting sites for Saturday as they look to record consecutive wins for just the second time in their past 15 games.

Decimated by injuries, suspensions, and a brutal schedule, Vancouver has tumbled into the basement in the North Division during the club’s current 4-9-1 run. The team has sorely missed Elias Pettersson, who has been out with an upper body injury since March. Jake Virtanen also remains out as he addresses legal problems that have emerged as an unwelcome distraction for the club, and Zack MacEwen will be out of the lineup on Saturday after being handed a suspension for kneeing Oilers rearguard Darnell Nurse on Thursday.

And while the Canucks are coming off a steady performance in Thursday’s win, they have struggled to contain opposing shooters in recent road contests, averaging just 2.40 goals per game during their current 1-4-0 run away from Rogers Arena.