The Edmonton Oilers(25-12-3) take on the Pittsburgh Penguins (17-17-8) Thursday. Puck drop from PPG Paints Arena is set for 7 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s NHL odds around the Oilers vs. Penguinsodds and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
Season series: Oilers lead 1-0
The Oilers took out the Boston Bruins 4-0 on the road Tuesday. C Connor McDavid scored his 16th goal of the season as the Oilers covered as -144 favorites and the Under (6) cashed. C Leon Draisaitl ended a 4-game goal streak and a 14-game point streak with a goose egg. It didn’t matter as the Oilers dominated throughout, outshooting the B’s 39-26. Edmonton has won 4 straight.
The Pens have lost 4 straight after suffering a 4-3 shootout loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets Tuesday. RW Rickard Rakell put 2 in the back of the net to give him 20 on the season, helping the Over (6.5) hit, but the Penguins failed as -148 favorites. C Evgeni Malkin’s consecutive-games streak ended at 209 as he missed his first game since the 2021-22 season with an upper-body injury. He’s still day to day and has resumed limited practice.
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Oilers at Bruins odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list of NHL odds. Lines last updated at 1:08 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Oilers -225 (bet $225 to win $100) | Penguins +185 (bet $100 to win $185)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Oilers -1.5 (+115) | Penguins +1.5 (-135)
- Over/Under (O/U): 6.5 (O: -105 | U: -115)
Oilers at Penguins projected goalies
Stuart Skinner (16-8-3, 2.69 GAA, .902 SV%, 1 SO) vs. Alex Nedeljkovic (6-6-4, 3.22 GAA, .888 SV%)
Skinner was fantastic in the 4-0 win over Boston Tuesday. He stopped all 26 shots but was not awarded a shutout because he had to leave following a collision late in the first period. G Calvin Pickard came on for 5:25 but didn’t see a shot registered. Skinner returned after the intermission, and he’s good to go here. He has been great since the beginning of December with a .923 SV%. His lone shutout this season was against these Penguins, stopping all 27 shots in a 4-0 home win Oct. 25.
Nedeljkovic draws the start after a 4-3 overtime loss in Carolina Sunday when he stopped 27 of 31 shots. He has just 5 starts since Dec. 1, and has allowed 4, 2, 2, 3 and 4 goals in each. He faced Edmonton last season and watched 6 goals go by him on 37 shots in a 6-1 road loss.
Oilers at Penguins picks and predictions
Prediction
Oilers 5, Penguins 1
Moneyline
I tried to look at this pragmatically and see if there was any way the Penguins could win this. Edmonton is on the third leg of a 4-game road trip, but the answer is no. I don’t expect Malkin back for this one, and the Oilers have won 7 straight against Pittsburgh, dating back to December 2021. The Pens are running with their backup, and their goalies have been terrible this season.
There’s no chance at betting on Edmonton (-225) at this price, though. As mentioned, Draisaitl ended a 4-game goal streak and a 14-game point streak. So, one would think he’ll be a little animated in this one. He has 3+ shots in 3 straight so LEON DRAISAITL OVER 2.5 SHOTS (-165) feels like a lock.
LEON DRAISAITL ANYTIME GOAL (+110) is also a good bet if you’re willing to take some risk. He scored in the first meeting against Pittsburgh and leads the NHL with 29 goals.
Puck line/Against the spread
So, these are the latest scores in this matchup: 4-0, 4-0, 6-1, 7-2, 6-3, 5-1, 5-2 … all Edmonton victories. The Pens have lost 3 straight by a single goal, but no Malkin + backup goalie + possibly motivated Draisaitl = TAKE OILERS -1.5 (+115).
Over/Under
This one gets tricky. We detailed the final scores above in the last 7 meetings, and the Pens didn’t score more than 2 goals since 2022.
This is how I would play this one. PASS for now. However, after puck drop, if a goal is not scored around the 10-minute mark, I’d look to take an in-game Over 5.5 at plus-money.
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