Oilers vs Canadiens 05/10/21 – Odds and NHL Betting Trends

The Edmonton Oilers will be looking to extend their current win streak on the road to six games when they visit the Montreal Canadiens on Monday as slim -120 favorites on the NHL odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com (how the moneyline works).

Edmonton embarks on its final road trip of the regular season after posting wins in 10 of its past 13 contests, assuring the club of a second-place finish in the North Division standings going into Monday night’s matchup at Bell Centre.

While the Oilers have produced steady results during their current hot streak, they were far from dominant in their recent two-game home series with the Vancouver Canucks. The team fell flat in a 6-3 loss to the Canucks last Thursday, and followed up with a narrow 4-3 win in Saturday’s series finale.

Once again, it was Connor McDavid who powered the Oilers attack in Saturday’s victory, potting a goal and three assists, extending an epic scoring streak that has produced 29 total points over the past 10 games. Leon Draisaitl has also started to heat up, as the big German found the back of the net twice on Saturday and has now strung together three straight multi-goal outings.

Overall, the Oilers superstar duo lead all NHL forwards in ice time this season, and has accounted for half of the goals scored by the team over their past five games. But with Edmonton locked into its playoff position, the Oilers could elect to lighten their workload over the final three games of the regular season, raising questions as to who will provide offense in their absence.

That is a particular concern considering Edmonton’s struggles to generate offense against Montreal this season. Winners in just two of seven previous meetings with the Canadiens this season, the Oilers have averaged just two goals per game over that stretch, extending a steady 7-1-0 run for the UNDER when these two teams meet. In addition, Edmonton has scored just five total goals in the team’s three previous visits to Bell Centre.

The Oilers should find motivation from the opportunity to spoil the playoff hopes of the Canadiens, who enter Monday’s contest as +100 home underdogs at sports betting sites. Montreal has been poised to clinch a playoff berth for the past week, but has seen those celebrations delayed by three straight defeats.

A single point in Monday’s contest would be enough for the Canadiens to clinch a playoff spot. However, injuries to Carey Price, Shea Weber, Brendan Gallagher, and Philip Danault have been felt on the ice, where the Canadiens have been outscored by a wide 13-5 margin during their current three-game slide.