They might be 16 points apart in the overall NHL standings, but the Boston Bruins and Edmonton Oilers have more in common than you might think as they lock horns Wednesday night at Rogers Place. Both teams lead their respective divisions, but both sides are also dealing with considerable heat from the teams directly behind them.
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
This one might have opened at Boston -160, but it didn’t stay there for long; you’d be hard pressed to find the visitors any lower than -175 at present. The total is holding steady at 6, with the OVER at +100 and the UNDER at -120 at most books.
Boston News & Notes
The Bruins can’t seem to shake the Tampa Bay Lightning. They’ve won nine of their last 10 games but remain just one point ahead of a red-hot Lightning team that has reeled off 11 consecutive victories. And they could be in tough here against an Oilers side that has dominated the recent head-to-head series, winning eight of the past 10 meetings.
But if any team is capable of shutting down the Oilers and NHL scoring leader Leon Draisaitl, it’s the Bruins, who have held seven of their previous 10 opponents to fewer than two goals scored. It’s no surprise, then, to see the Bruins with six skaters ranked in the top 30 league-wide in plus-minus, led by 40-something defenseman Zdeno Chara at plus-24.
Edmonton News & Notes
The Art Ross Trophy race isn’t much of a race at all right now, with Draisaitl having opened up an impressive 13-point advantage over David Pastrnak and Nathan MacKinnon (injured teammate Connor McDavid sits fourth with 81 points). And there’s plenty of Hart Trophy futures value here as well, particularly if the Oilers win the division: Draisaitl’s 10 game-winning goals are the most in the league.
But not everything is sunny in Edmonton, with the Oilers tied with Vegas atop the Pacific Division but just two points ahead of the fifth-place Arizona Coyotes. The Oilers are minus-17 at 5-on-5 so far this season, with Draisaitl (minus-10) and McDavid (minus-8) ranking below average at even strength. Of course, it helps that Edmonton owns the No. 1 power play at 29.5 percent.
Betting Pick: Edmonton
This is a tough matchup for the Oilers, but you’re getting incredible value on a division leader playing on home ice – and the Bruins have been vulnerable at times on the road this season.