Join Daily Faceoff’s Andy MacNeil as he handicaps Friday’s matchup between the <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/colorado-avalanche/line-combinations">Colorado Avalanche</a> and <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/edmonton-oilers/line-combinations">Edmonton Oilers</a>.
<h2>Oilers vs. Avalanche Odds</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Edmonton Oilers Moneyline: +100</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Colorado Avalanche Moneyline: -120</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Puck Line: Oilers +1.5 (-250), Avalanche -1.5 (+200)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Game Total: 6.5 (Over -110, Under -110)</li>
</ul>
Game odds courtesy of Sports Interaction.
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<h2>Handicapping the Oilers (12-11 SU, 7-16 ATS, 10-12-1 O/U)</h2>
<a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/instant-reaction-overtime-winner-from-ryan-nugent-hopkins-leads-oilers-to-win-over-utah">Edmonton earned a gritty win in Utah on Friday</a>, rallying from a 0-2 deficit to secure a 4-3 overtime victory. That resilience will be tested again on Saturday in Denver, where they face a Colorado team they’ve beaten just twice in their last 10 meetings and only once in their last eight visits to Ball Arena.
At five-on-five in Utah, Edmonton struggled, controlling just 43 percent of the shots and 34 percent of the expected goals, according to Evolving Hockey. Over their last five games, they’ve managed to control only 37 percent of expected goals, the second-worst mark in the league during that span.
Still, Friday marked the eighth time in nine games they’ve scored three or more goals—a stark improvement after doing so only six times in their first 14 games. This offensive surge suggests their scoring woes may finally be easing.
However, the Oilers remain without two top-six forwards, <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/oilers-injury-update-viktor-arvidsson-wont-play-during-road-trip-zach-hyman-could-return-tuesday">Zach Hyman and Viktor Arvidsson</a>, and their depth scoring continues to be inconsistent. Once again, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl carried the load on Friday, with both players recording multiple points to secure the win.
Defensive issues linger as well. Utah had one of their best offensive performances against Edmonton and likely would have scored more than three goals if not for Calvin Pickard’s strong showing in net.
On Saturday, <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/whats-on-my-mind-goaltending-for-the-edmonton-oilers-and-team-canada">Stuart Skinner</a> faces a tougher challenge in shutting down Colorado. The 26-year-old hasn’t played in six days and is working to regain his form after allowing three or more goals in 11 of his first 15 games.
<h2>Handicapping the Avalanche (13-11 SU, 7-17 ATS, 13-8-3 O/U)</h2>
While Edmonton battled in Utah, <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/colorado-avalanche/news">Colorado</a> hosted the Dallas Stars, but the night didn’t go as planned for the Avalanche. Trailing 2-1 at the end of the first period, Colorado fell further behind as Dallas added two more goals, making it 4-1 heading into the third. The Avalanche managed to close the gap to within one with more than half a period remaining, but the Stars struck again before head coach Jared Bednar could pull his goaltender.
This continues a troubling trend for Colorado, as they’ve been allowing far more goals than expected based on their underlying metrics. According to Evolving Hockey, the Avalanche rank third in shots against, sixth in shot attempts against, and 11th in expected goals against in all situations. Despite these solid numbers, they’ve allowed more goals than all but two teams (Montreal and Pittsburgh).
While Colorado has had some strong goaltending performances recently, the bad showings have been far more noticeable. Both starter <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/players/news/alexandar-georgiev/4617">Alexandar Georgiev</a> and backup <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/players/news/justus-annunen/29146">Justus Annunen</a> rank among the bottom 10 goaltenders (minimum 300 unblocked shots against) in goals saved above expected. Georgiev struggled again on Friday, allowing four goals on just 23 shots. Meanwhile, Annunen gave up five goals on 16 shots in his last outing, an 8-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. He <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/starting-goalies">was expected to start on Saturday</a>; however, Colorado’s starting goaltender remains uncertain since the <a href="https://x.com/DFOFantasy/status/1862878183122456905">Nashville Predators announced the acquisition of Annunen on Saturday morning</a>, with veteran goaltender Scott Wedgewood heading the other way.
Edmonton could be catching Colorado at the right time here, but they have goaltending worries of their own and Colorado has looked a lot stronger than Edmonton has over the last couple of weeks. According to Evolving Hockey, Colorado ranks among the top-10 teams in shot attempt percentage and expected goal share at even strength. While they’ve struggled with offensive consistency, they rank sixth in expected goals and fifth in high-danger chances, suggesting a potential breakout may be on the horizon.
<h2>Best Bet for Oilers vs. Avalanche</h2>
Friday’s game in Utah went <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/nhl-betting-preview-nov-29-edmonton-oilers-vs-utah-hockey-club-odds">over</a>, which means Edmonton is 7-2 to the over in their last nine games, after going 10-3-1 to the under in their first 14 outings. Meanwhile, Colorado is 13-8-3 to the over this season, but they went 10-3 to the over to start the season and have gone 6-5 to the under since. 
Additionally, six of the last nine meetings between these two teams have featured six or fewer goals. Then again, both of these teams used to rank in the top-half of the league in goals against, not the bottom-half of the league. Therefore, this game projects to be a high-event one, but I’d rather target some player props instead of just betting that the game will go over.
<h3>Connor McDavid Anytime Over 3.5 Shots On Goal (+100)</h3>
Edmonton leans heavily on their superstars, especially when key top-six forwards like Zach Hyman and Viktor Arvidsson are out, and that trend isn’t likely to change on Saturday. Connor McDavid registered four or more shots on goal for the 12th time in his last 18 games on Friday, including seven of 10 games since returning from injury.
While the Avalanche are a strong team, that hasn’t slowed down No. 97. McDavid has recorded four-plus shots in six of his last seven matchups against Colorado. McDavid is a good bet to register four shots or more, but remember to shop around for the best odds.
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<h3>Valeri Nichushkin Anytime Goal (+195)</h3>
It took a few games for forward Valeri Nichushkin (3-6–9) to get back up to game speed, but he’s now one of the most dangerous players on the ice. Nichushkin enters Saturday’s game on a four-game point streak, having scored in three of his last four contests. 
Skating on the top line with Nathan MacKinnon and Artturi Lehkonen, Nichushkin also plays a key role on the top power play unit, where he scored on Friday. He’s averaged nearly 23 minutes per game over his last two outings, making him a strong anytime goal scorer option at nearly 2/1 odds, particularly against a potentially rusty goaltender. As always, be sure to shop around for the best odds.

Join Daily Faceoff’s Andy MacNeil as he handicaps Friday’s matchup between the <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/colorado-avalanche/line-combinations">Colorado Avalanche</a> and <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/edmonton-oilers/line-combinations">Edmonton Oilers</a>.
<h2>Oilers vs. Avalanche Odds</h2>
<ul>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400">Edmonton Oilers Moneyline: +100</li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400">Colorado Avalanche Moneyline: -120</li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400">Puck Line: Oilers +1.5 (-250), Avalanche -1.5 (+200)</li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400">Game Total: 6.5 (Over -110, Under -110)</li>
</ul>
Game odds courtesy of Sports Interaction.
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<h2>Handicapping the Oilers (12-11 SU, 7-16 ATS, 10-12-1 O/U)</h2>
<a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/instant-reaction-overtime-winner-from-ryan-nugent-hopkins-leads-oilers-to-win-over-utah">Edmonton earned a gritty win in Utah on Friday</a>, rallying from a 0-2 deficit to secure a 4-3 overtime victory. That resilience will be tested again on Saturday in Denver, where they face a Colorado team they’ve beaten just twice in their last 10 meetings and only once in their last eight visits to Ball Arena.

At five-on-five in Utah, Edmonton struggled, controlling just 43 percent of the shots and 34 percent of the expected goals, according to Evolving Hockey. Over their last five games, they’ve managed to control only 37 percent of expected goals, the second-worst mark in the league during that span.

Still, Friday marked the eighth time in nine games they’ve scored three or more goals—a stark improvement after doing so only six times in their first 14 games. This offensive surge suggests their scoring woes may finally be easing.

However, the Oilers remain without two top-six forwards, <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/oilers-injury-update-viktor-arvidsson-wont-play-during-road-trip-zach-hyman-could-return-tuesday">Zach Hyman and Viktor Arvidsson</a>, and their depth scoring continues to be inconsistent. Once again, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl carried the load on Friday, with both players recording multiple points to secure the win.

Defensive issues linger as well. Utah had one of their best offensive performances against Edmonton and likely would have scored more than three goals if not for Calvin Pickard’s strong showing in net.

On Saturday, <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/whats-on-my-mind-goaltending-for-the-edmonton-oilers-and-team-canada">Stuart Skinner</a> faces a tougher challenge in shutting down Colorado. The 26-year-old hasn’t played in six days and is working to regain his form after allowing three or more goals in 11 of his first 15 games.
<h2>Handicapping the Avalanche (13-11 SU, 7-17 ATS, 13-8-3 O/U)</h2>
While Edmonton battled in Utah, <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/colorado-avalanche/news">Colorado</a> hosted the Dallas Stars, but the night didn’t go as planned for the Avalanche. Trailing 2-1 at the end of the first period, Colorado fell further behind as Dallas added two more goals, making it 4-1 heading into the third. The Avalanche managed to close the gap to within one with more than half a period remaining, but the Stars struck again before head coach Jared Bednar could pull his goaltender.

This continues a troubling trend for Colorado, as they’ve been allowing far more goals than expected based on their underlying metrics. According to Evolving Hockey, the Avalanche rank third in shots against, sixth in shot attempts against, and 11th in expected goals against in all situations. Despite these solid numbers, they’ve allowed more goals than all but two teams (Montreal and Pittsburgh).

While Colorado has had some strong goaltending performances recently, the bad showings have been far more noticeable. Both starter <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/players/news/alexandar-georgiev/4617">Alexandar Georgiev</a> and backup <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/players/news/justus-annunen/29146">Justus Annunen</a> rank among the bottom 10 goaltenders (minimum 300 unblocked shots against) in goals saved above expected. Georgiev struggled again on Friday, allowing four goals on just 23 shots. Meanwhile, Annunen gave up five goals on 16 shots in his last outing, an 8-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. He <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/starting-goalies">was expected to start on Saturday</a>; however, Colorado’s starting goaltender remains uncertain since the <a href="https://x.com/DFOFantasy/status/1862878183122456905">Nashville Predators announced the acquisition of Annunen on Saturday morning</a>, with veteran goaltender Scott Wedgewood heading the other way.

Edmonton could be catching Colorado at the right time here, but they have goaltending worries of their own and Colorado has looked a lot stronger than Edmonton has over the last couple of weeks. According to Evolving Hockey, Colorado ranks among the top-10 teams in shot attempt percentage and expected goal share at even strength. While they’ve struggled with offensive consistency, they rank sixth in expected goals and fifth in high-danger chances, suggesting a potential breakout may be on the horizon.
<h2>Best Bet for Oilers vs. Avalanche</h2>
Friday’s game in Utah went <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/nhl-betting-preview-nov-29-edmonton-oilers-vs-utah-hockey-club-odds">over</a>, which means Edmonton is 7-2 to the over in their last nine games, after going 10-3-1 to the under in their first 14 outings. Meanwhile, Colorado is 13-8-3 to the over this season, but they went 10-3 to the over to start the season and have gone 6-5 to the under since. 

Additionally, six of the last nine meetings between these two teams have featured six or fewer goals. Then again, both of these teams used to rank in the top-half of the league in goals against, not the bottom-half of the league. Therefore, this game projects to be a high-event one, but I’d rather target some player props instead of just betting that the game will go over.
<h3>Connor McDavid Anytime Over 3.5 Shots On Goal (+100)</h3>
Edmonton leans heavily on their superstars, especially when key top-six forwards like Zach Hyman and Viktor Arvidsson are out, and that trend isn’t likely to change on Saturday. Connor McDavid registered four or more shots on goal for the 12th time in his last 18 games on Friday, including seven of 10 games since returning from injury.

While the Avalanche are a strong team, that hasn’t slowed down No. 97. McDavid has recorded four-plus shots in six of his last seven matchups against Colorado. McDavid is a good bet to register four shots or more, but remember to shop around for the best odds.
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<h3>Valeri Nichushkin Anytime Goal (+195)</h3>
It took a few games for forward Valeri Nichushkin (3-6–9) to get back up to game speed, but he’s now one of the most dangerous players on the ice. Nichushkin enters Saturday’s game on a four-game point streak, having scored in three of his last four contests. 

Skating on the top line with Nathan MacKinnon and Artturi Lehkonen, Nichushkin also plays a key role on the top power play unit, where he scored on Friday. He’s averaged nearly 23 minutes per game over his last two outings, making him a strong anytime goal scorer option at nearly 2/1 odds, particularly against a potentially rusty goaltender. As always, be sure to shop around for the best odds.

NHL Betting Preview (Nov. 30): Oilers vs. Avalanche Odds

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