Red-Hot Oilers Searching for 6-0 Start; Listed as +120 Underdogs vs Blackhawks Oct. 14th

• The blazing-hot Oilers travel to Chicago for a tilt against the Blackhawks on Monday, October 14th
• What have been the early season trends and results for both clubs?
• Get the updated moneyline odds and head-to-head analysis

Speak up if you saw the Edmonton Oilers’ sizzling hot 5-0 start coming, which is two wins away from matching their best in franchise history. Bueller? Bueller? There wasn’t a ton of optimism in the “City of Champions” entering the season, given that they’ve made the playoffs just once since losing in the 2006 Stanley Cup Final. But Edmonton is turning doubters into believers through two weeks.

The Oil will look to keep the good times going Monday as they head to the Windy City for a tilt with the Blackhawks. You can check out the Oilers vs Blackhawks odds and betting trends here to give you a clearer understanding of what has happened in the season, to-date.

Oilers vs Blackhawks Moneyline Odds

Odds taken 10/14/19.

Oilers Smoking Hot Out of Gate

It would come as no surprise to see the Oilers ranking near the top of the NHL in goal scoring, given the fact they have Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl putting pucks in the net.

However, the real surprise is that they’ve been giving up far fewer goals and their penalty kill, which was abysmal last season, has improved dramatically. It’s only a small sample size but to go from second-worst to second-best on the PK is jarring, something new head coach Dave Tippett has instilled in the early going.

The @EdmontonOilers (5-0-0) matched the second longest season-opening win streak in franchise history (also 5-0-0 in 1985-86), trailing only a seven-game run to begin 1983-84. #NHLStats https://t.co/TUnvKYK8Fs pic.twitter.com/BXmX1iYjrs

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) October 12, 2019

2019-20 Oilers Rankings

Edmonton was also sixth-worst last season in goals against, so to see the turnaround in such short order has me rethinking my stance on not getting swept up in their success in the early going.

Newly-acquired James Neal has been the real deal and an incredible boon since being swapped for Milan Lucic. The resurgent winger has an NHL-high seven goals in his first five games to supplement the other high-end talent the team possesses. He’ll likely regress to the mean, but Edmonton will keep riding the wave as long as possible.

James Neal…
Now with 7 Goals in 4 Games this season…
Had 7 Goals in 63 Games last season with the Flames.

— John Shannon (@JShannonhl) October 11, 2019

Oilers Results This Season

Much of the Same for Blackhawks

Last season the Blackhawks had massive issues keeping the puck out of their own net, ranking second worst in the league. Nothing has changed early in the campaign, surrendering 12 goals in just three contests, all losses (0-2-1). Despite the fact they’re on home ice, why exactly are they favored to defeat an Oilers squad? It’s not as if they’ve had Edmonton’s number lately, with the Oil winning two of three meetings last year.

The defense kept the #Blackhawks out of the playoffs last season and things haven’t looked much better in 2019-20.@the_fed_23 looks to Jeremy Colliton to change things up on defense. #HockeyTwitter #NHLhttps://t.co/Lep2ujVOTL

— Blackhawk Up (@Blackhawk_Up) October 12, 2019

Jonathan Toews has yet to get on track, being held pointless in the early going and only Andrew Shaw has recorded more than one goal (albeit they’ve only played three games). The ghastly number is Corey Crawford allowing nine goals in two games for a bloated 4.63 goals against average and a sub .900 save percentage. Suffice to say, those three Stanley Cups this decade seem like a distant memory for Chicago.

Blackhawks Results This Season

Oilers Simply Too Strong

This one is a shocker that Edmonton is the underdog given their start and also because Chicago is winless. Is this a sucker bet? Maybe, but don’t overthink this one and take the extra juice on the Oil to keep their winning streak alive.

Pick: Oilers (+120)