Pacific-Leading Oilers Host Red Wings October 18: Edmonton Has Won Four of Last Six Meetings
- The Oilers host the Red Wings on Friday, October 18th
- Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl lead the NHL in scoring
- Edmonton has won four of the last six meetings vs. Detroit
The Edmonton Oilers host the Detroit Red Wings on Friday, October 18th (9:00 PM EST). Edmonton is listed as heavy -200 favorites.
The Oilers are off to a hot 6-1-0 start, while the Red Wings are 3-4-0 to begin the year. The Oilers have won four of the last six meetings between the two teams.
Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid have been on a tear for Edmonton and will present a challenge for a weak Detroit defense.
How should you bet on the Oilers vs. Red Wings odds?
Oilers vs. Red Wings Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Puckline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit Red Wings | +165 | +1.5 (-155) | O 6.5 (-115) |
| Edmonton Oilers | -200 | -1.5 (+130) | U 6.5 (-110) |
*Odds collected 10/18/19
McDavid and Draisaitl Form Lethal Duo
The Oilers offense is led by two of the most dangerous forwards in the game. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl form one of the best tandems in the NHL and have developed tremendous chemistry on the top line. McDavid currently leads the NHL in scoring with 17 points, while Draisaitl is right behind him with 15 points.
Leon Draisaitl has 15 points in 7 games this season and it’s not even enough to lead his own team because McDavid
— Dimitri Filipovic (@DimFilipovic) October 17, 2019
Not only do the Oilers have one of the best duos in the NHL, but new second-line forward James Neal has gotten off to a red-hot start with eight goals in seven games. The Oilers top two scoring lines are a big reason why the team is averaging an impressive 4.00 goals-per-game.
The biggest challenge for the Red Wings will be shutting down Edmonton’s top players on the power play. The Oilers load their top unit with McDavid, Draisaitl, Neal and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and are operating at an astonishing 46% success rate this season. This doesn’t bode well for a Detroit team near the bottom of the league in penalty kill percentage (69.6%).
Red Wings Weak on Defense
The Red Wings defense core suffered a major blow this offseason when Swedish veteran Niklas Kronwall hung up the skates. Life without Kronwall hasn’t started well, as the Red Wings are currently one of the worst defensive teams in the NHL, allowing 3.71 goals-per-game.
To make matters worse on Detroit’s blueline, one of the Red Wings most experienced blueliners, Jonathan Eriksson, is currently out with an injury. That leaves a very weak and inexperienced defense that has 21-year-old youngster Filip Hronek playing on the first pairing.
There are some veterans on the Detroit’s blueline, including Mike Green and Trevor Daley, but they aren’t known for their speed and will have a difficult time shutting down the ridiculously fast McDavid. .
Detroit on Back-to-Back
Beating this hot Oilers team is already a difficult task, but it’s going to be even tougher for for the Red Wings considering they played on Thursday night. Detroit was blown out 5-1 by Calgary and have now lost three straight games, getting outscored 15-4 in that span.
Detroit was one of the worst teams in the NHL last season, and they didn’t make any significant improvements this offseason. While they won three of their first four games this year, this recent losing streak is more indicative of what their season will look like.
Jimmy Howard got the start on Thursday, so it’s expected the team turns to Jonathan Bernier on Friday. The backup netminder has posted a lacklustre .888 save percentage in three starts this year and has struggled in his career against the Oilers with a .897 all-time save percentage.
Take the Oilers Moneyline
With McDavid and Draisaitl going up against a struggling Detroit team that is playing on the road for the second straight night, take Edmonton on the moneyline.
The Oilers have won four of the last six meetings and are playing much better hockey heading into this one.
The Red Wings don’t have the speed to keep up with the Oilers skilled forwards and will be tired from playing the night before. Edmonton’s top two lines are dominating opponents and should be in for a big night at home against one of the weaker defensive teams in the league.
Pick: Oilers (-200)
Brady is the lead NHL and College Football editor at Sports Betting Dime, where he specializes in betting odds and data-driven analysis. Brady has over 10 years experience working in sports media, with work published by outlets such as ESPN, CBS Sports, Yahoo! Sports and Fox Sports.
