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Flames vs Oilers 03/06/21 – Odds and NHL Betting Trends
Photo credit: Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 6, 2021, 10:00 ESTUpdated: Mar 6, 2021, 10:21 EST
by OddsShark (@OddsShark) – Sponsored Post
The Edmonton Oilers will look to rebound from this week’s crushing three-game sweep at the hands of the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs when they host the Calgary Flames on Saturday night as -130 favorites on the NHL odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
The Oilers had no answer for the league-leading Maple Leafs in a series billed as a showdown between the top two teams in the North Division. Dominated at both ends of the ice, Edmonton was outscored by a wide 13-1 margin and now rides its first three-game losing streak of the season into Saturday night’s matchup at Rogers Place.
Flames vs Oilers | OddsShark Matchup Report
In addition to dumping the team into third place in the North Division standings, where they now trail second-place Winnipeg by three points, this week’s results also brought a screeching halt to a five-game win streak. Edmonton had entered its series with the Maple Leafs as the hottest team in the NHL, with wins in 11 of its 13 previous contests.
With the team getting stellar goaltending, the Oilers claimed victory by multi-goal margins on six occasions during their recent surge, and had limited opponents to two or fewer goals on eight occasions. With Edmonton subsequently struggling to generate offense against Toronto, a steady run continued for the UNDER at betting sites, which has now paid out in three of their past four games, and in nine of 14 overall.
Despite their horrible week, the Oilers have remained resilient on the NHL betting futures. The team remains listed as the second favorite to win the North Division, albeit with reduced +400 odds, ahead of the Jets at +500. And with the Flames arriving in town amid internal turmoil, the Oilers are poised to build on the consecutive wins over Calgary they posted two weeks ago, following up a 2-1 win at the Scotiabank Saddledome with a 7-1 rout on home ice.
The Flames make the trip north for Saturday’s contest as +110 underdogs after romping to a 7-3 win over the visiting Ottawa Senators on Thursday night. However, the team’s biggest offensive outburst of the season was not enough to save the job of head coach Geoff Ward, who was fired following the game.
A middling 11-11-2 start that leaves the Flames in fifth place in the division standings doomed Ward, who is set to be replaced by veteran bench boss Darryl Sutter. However, with Sutter now following COVID-19 protocols, he is not expected to join the team until next week. That adds to the pressure on Flames players to maintain the strong play that has earned them wins in two of their past three, ending a 1-4-1 run in which they scored just eight goals.
Check out OddsShark on Twitter and Instagram or head to YouTube for analysis on this week’s top games. As well, the OddsShark Computer serves up daily NHL betting picks.
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