Struggling Teams Squaring Off in Seattle
The Seattle Kraken play host to the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday night, and both teams in this game have gone just 1-4 in their last five outings. Seattle has not been a good team all season long, but this sudden slump for Edmonton came out of nowhere.
The NHL betting lines for this game at BetUS Sportsbook have the Edmonton Oilers as the moneyline favorites at -125. The over/under for total goals is set at 6.0.
Game: Edmonton Oilers (17-11-0) at Seattle Kraken (10-16-3)
Location: Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, Washington
Day/Time: Saturday, December 18, 10 p.m. ET
Television: ESPN+
Edmonton Oilers at Seattle Kraken
Oilers Must Get Offense Rolling Again
Edmonton is one of the best offensive teams in the league, as the Oilers are scoring over 3.3 goals per game. The Oilers haven’t looked the part during this recent rough patch, though, and they have to find a way to get the stars scoring goals once again.
Edmonton did just score six goals in their most recent game to snap a six-game losing streak, and they will come into this one with some momentum. Speaking about that win, Jesse Puljujarvi said, “This was big for us, we needed this win.”
Connor McDavid leads the Oilers with 47 points, and Leon Draisaitl has tallied a team-high 23 goals. Those players always tend to show up, but Edmonton is going to need some other scoring threats to emerge.
The Oilers are giving up more than 3.1 goals per game, but they are comfortable playing at a fast pace and taking some chances.
Kraken Giving Up Too Many Scoring Chances
Seattle is giving up over 3.5 goals per game, and that just isn’t a recipe that is going to lead to many wins. The Kraken have actually done a decent job on the penalty kill, but they just can’t find a way to control the puck when it’s five-on-five hockey.
If the Kraken are going to eventually turn things around this season, then it is going to be up to the offense to take control of games. Seattle is scoring just 2.8 goals per game, and they have converted on just 17 percent of their chances on the power play.
Jordan Eberle leads the Kraken with 19 points on the year, but that speaks to the lack of firepower on this roster. Even if Seattle is able to get a solid defensive effort in this game, they are going to have trouble scoring enough goals to win.
Oilers Use Offense to Skate Past Seattle
This might look like an interesting game to bet online because neither team is playing good hockey at this time. Even though Edmonton has struggled of late, the Oilers are still a much more complete team than the Kraken.
Seattle has had a real problem keeping pucks out of their net all season long, and that’s going to allow the Edmonton offense to get rolling in this one. The Oilers simply have so many weapons, and they are only going to be kept down for so long.
This is a game that won’t be close in the final period as Edmonton will take complete control. Bet on the Oilers -1.5 as they win this game by two goals at least.
Pick: Edmonton Oilers -1 ½ (+180)
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