Join Daily Faceoff’s Andy MacNeil as he handicaps Tuesday’s matchup between the Utah Hockey Club and Edmonton Oilers.
Utah vs. Edmonton Odds
- Utah Hockey Club Moneyline: +134
- Edmonton Oilers Moneyline: -149
- Puck Line: Utah +1.5 (-177), Edmonton +1.5 (+155)
- Game Total: 6 (Over -116, Under +103)
Game odds courtesy of Pinnacle.
Handicapping Utah (30-37 SU, 30-37 ATS, 25-36-6 O/U)
Utah wraps up its three-game Pacific Division road trip Tuesday in Edmonton. The team opened with a 4-2 loss to Seattle but bounced back with a 3-1 win over Vancouver. Utah sits two points behind the Canucks for the second wild card spot in the Western Conference.
Sports Interaction gives Utah +400 odds to make the playoffs, implying a 20 percent chance. With 15 games left, Utah must steal wins, including Tuesday’s matchup against the Oilers—one of six remaining games against playoff-positioned teams.
At five-on-five, Utah has controlled 52.26 percent of expected goals and 53.26 percent of shot attempts, both top-10 marks. In all situations, however, they’ve been outscored 2.86–2.78 per 60 minutes. Utah ranks 21st in goals per 60 and 20th in goals against per 60.
Clayton Keller is the only player averaging more than a point per game, with 24 goals and 51 assists in 66 contests. He shares the team lead in goals with Edmonton native Dylan Guenther, who has played 11 fewer games. Guenther leads in power-play goals (11) and game-winners (eight).
From a betting perspective, Utah is among the 10 least profitable moneyline bets this season. Utah hasn’t been a good bet as the favorite, and even worse as the underdog.
Handicapping Edmonton (39-28 SU, 24-38 ATS, 29-37-1 O/U)
The Oilers have won consecutive games for the first time since late January and will aim for a third straight victory when they return to Rogers Place on Tuesday. This is the final meeting of the season between Edmonton and Utah. The Oilers took the first game 4-3 in overtime in Utah and won the second 4-1 at home.
Despite their struggles over the past seven weeks, Edmonton still has the second-best odds (+375) to win the Western Conference, behind Dallas, and the third-best odds (+700) to win the Stanley Cup, trailing the Stars and defending champion Florida. Those odds may seem optimistic given the team’s play since early February, but the market still expects them to make a deep playoff run.
For now, the Oilers need to improve at five-on-five. They continue to control shot volume but have posted the league’s third-worst goal differential since Feb. 1. Last season, they outscored opponents 2.89–2.31 per 60 minutes at five-on-five, but this season, they’ve barely broken even at 2.51–2.48. Since Feb. 1, that gap has widened, with Edmonton being outscored 3.05–2.05 per 60 minutes at five-on-five.
One good sign is that they’ve received solid performances from Calvin Pickard and Stuart Skinner in back-to-back games. Pickard played great against the Islanders on Friday, but Skinner desperately needed to rebound on Sunday, and he did just that, stopping 21 of the 22 shots he faced against the Rangers.
Another good sign is that Zach Hyman shouldn’t be out too long. Hyman missed Sunday’s game in New York, but he was a full participant at the morning skate, so it sounds like he’s close. Additionally, while the Oilers might not get Mattias Ekholm back in the lineup in time for Tuesday’s matchup, head coach Kris Knoblauch said that they expect him back no later than Thursday’s game.
Best Bet for Utah vs. Edmonton
Leon Draisaitl Anytime Goal (+113) at Pinnacle
Leon Draisaitl extended his point streak to 18 games with an assist on Sunday, but while he didn’t score a goal, he has scored at least one goal in 15 of his last 22 games dating back to Jan. 18. Draisaitl has averaged 3.5 shots per game since Feb. 1, and this prop has been cashing far more than 50 percent of the time. The 29-year-old needs just one more goal to hit the 50-goal mark for the fourth time in his career, and his +113 odds make him an attractive bet to do just that on Tuesday against Utah.
