Pacific Division Odds for Oilers (+310) & Flames (+730) Head in Opposite Directions

• The Oilers are rising in the latest Pacific Division odds, while the Flames are falling
• The Golden Knights and Canucks are also slipping
• Which team is the best bet to win the Pacific Division?

The Edmonton Oilers are closing the gap on the preseason favorite Vegas Golden Knights in the 2020 NHL Division odds.

The Oilers are leading the Pacific Division in points at the quarter-mark of the season and are employing the league’s top two scorers.

The Flames, meanwhile, are among the teams trending in the opposite direction in the latest odds.

Which team is the best bet to win the Pacific Division at the quarter mark of the season?

Pacific Division Odds

Odds taken Nov. 21

Oilers Surging

The Oilers have seen their Pacific Division odds move from +420 to +310 on average over the last week. Superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl rank first and second in NHL scoring and have helped Edmonton move into first-place in the division with 31 points through 24 contests.

McDavid and Draisaitl have been incredible, but the Oilers are also one of only three NHL teams that have at least six players on their roster with at least 15 points. Edmonton is getting the secondary scoring that hasn’t been there in the past.

There’s plenty of other reasons to believe the Oilers will hold on to this division lead this season. They have the best power-play unit in the NHL and possess solid advanced stats, including a 52.13 High Danger CF%.  They’ve also gotten good goaltending from the tandem of Mikko Koskinen and Mike Smith.

Flames Reeling

The Flames have seen their odds plummet from +430 to +730 on average amidst a six-game losing streak. Calgary was blanked 6-0 by the Blues on Thursday and have been outscored 23-5 during this six-game skid.

With how brutal things have been going for Calgary lately, this may be the best value you find the Flames at this year.  This is largely still the same team that won the division with an impressive 107 points last season before getting bounced in five games by the Avalanche in the first round of the playoffs.

#Flames last season:
* First 20: 11-8-1
* Next 20: 13-4-3#Flames now:
* First 20: 10-7-3
* Next 20: 0-3-0 (tbd)

— Scott Cruickshank (@ByCruickshank) November 18, 2019

With rumors circulating that the Flames may trade a core player like Johnny Gaudreau or fire head coach Bill Peters in an effort to turn things around, now might be the time to jump on the Flames while they’re at their lowest point.

Calgary’s 52.38 CF% indicates that they have been one of the better possession teams in the NHL this season. They have gotten fine goaltending from David Rittich, but it’s the lackluster offense that is doing them in. Superstars Gaudreau and Sean Monahan have a combined 10 goals through the first 25 games, while the depth-scoring has been non-existent. The Flames currently rank last in the league with 2.40 goals per game.

Golden Knights and Canucks Also Falling

While it wasn’t as drastic of a fall as the Flames, both the Golden Knights and Canucks also saw their odds slip this past week. Vegas went from +150 to +220 on average, while the Canucks went from +550 to +750.

The Golden Knights entered this season as the heavy favorites, but they’ve been seeing their odds steadily drop. Vegas has lost six of their last eight games and doesn’t have an elite offensive game-breaker like Edmonton does with McDavid and Draisaitl.

*expletive*https://t.co/1dMEZkXyyb

— x-Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) November 16, 2019

The Canucks got off to a surprisingly good start, but they’ve come back down to earth with seven losses in their last nine games. They had a fairly easy opening month schedule-wise, but this tough November stretch is bringing back some of the consistency issues that have plagued them in recent years. They have enough young talent to potentially sneak into a playoff spot, but they aren’t as complete as some of the other teams in the division.

Betting Advice

The Flames are a great buy-low option right now, but even if the big guns get going, I don’t think the team has enough depth scoring to lead them to a division title.

With elite teams such as Calgary and Vegas underperforming this season, the Oilers are worth betting on while their lead in the Pacific Division is marginal. They have two of the best players in the league and are proving to have a reliable goaltending tandem in Mike Smith and Mikko Koskinen.

It’s a very tight race in the Pacific with no clear front-runner at the quarter mark of the season, but the elite play of McDavid and Draisaitl is reason to believe the Oilers will be near the top of the standings all season.

Pick: Oilers (+300)