Oilers at Flames Game Preview, Odds, Picks & Predictions

Oilers: Been Here, Done This …

After a brief spell of returning to a contender’s form, the Edmonton Oilers are once again struggling. Edmonton has dropped five of its last seven games, the last one a 5-2 loss against the Montreal Canadiens. What’s to blame? A little bit of everything but, mainly, defense.

Edmonton has given up four or more goals in four of these losses. Their penalty kill has been horrendous in this stretch, having allowed eight goals on 23 opportunities. The goaltending has been decent on 5v5 but remains a weak link, especially when the offense isn’t always clicking

The Oilers have a 6.8 shooting percent on 5v5 and are minus-4 in goal differential. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are still averaging better than a point per game in this span. But with Edmonton’s dysfunction everywhere else, the duo will have to keep scoring at a godly pace to give this team worth betting online on the NHL lines.

Flames Continue Burning

Darryl Sutter may have pointed to Toronto or Edmonton as the “best Canadian team,” but we all know he’s just being modest. Or is he? Calgary’s new-old coach (he coached Calgary from 2002 to 2006) will continue to keep the Flames grinding and pushing regardless of their 13-1-1 record in the last 15 games.

Calgary has been nigh-flawless and even topped the likes of Colorado, Minnesota (twice) and the Maple Leafs. The Flames are outshooting teams by nearly seven per game. The team has been relentless in its forechecking, which has allowed them to generate the most scoring chances.

Teams will find it difficult to attack Calgary as a result. And if they do, the Flames are getting inspired play from their blue-liners — half of whom are in contract years — and goaltender Jacob Markstrom. The Swede leads the NHL in shutouts and has a career-high 19.7 goals saved above expectations. With its hot play, Calgary remains a lucrative bet on the sportsbook

Oilers at Flames Head-to-Head

The Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames may appear evenly matched this season, but the Oilers have had Calgary’s number in recent seasons. Edmonton is 7-3-0 against Calgary in the last 10 games and has outscored the Flames 38-26.

Oilers at Flames Prediction

Those head-to-head stats are no older than February 2021 and yet they seem outdated already. The Calgary Flames have struggled against the Edmonton Oilers’ power play. They’ve given up 13 goals on 31 opportunities for an absurd 41.9 power-play percentage from the Oilers.

Edmonton is also 4 of 7 against Calgary on the power play at home. The Flames have an NHL-best 91.9 penalty kill percentage at the Saddledome. But given that this is a rivalry, we expect the Oilers to play better than their NHL odds indicate, so bank on the underdogs on this one.

Pick: Edmonton Oilers +175