Edmonton vs Pittsburgh: the Penguins will destroy the Oilers’ offense but fail to win

A very tough road trip continues for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Mike Sullivan's team moves from Calgary to Edmonton, which means the Penguins will play the second team after their game against the first team of the West. Will Pittsburgh be able to upset Edmonton on their ice? We'll pick a few options to bet on at once. 

Edmonton just had their road trip

If the away stretch is just beginning for Pittsburgh, Edmonton came back home the other day. Dave Tippett's team had a disappointing visit to Dallas, where they played their worst game of the season: the Stars allowed next to nothing to the Oilers and won 4-1. After that, Edmonton had to play back-to-back, but luckily their opponent wasn't the strongest – Arizona. McDavid and others suffered a bit, but won handily, 5-3. Finally, the Oilers' road trip ended with their biggest draw, a meeting with the Vegas Golden Knights.

In Nevada, the rested Oilers showed how serious a force they already are, at least inside the Western Conference. Edmonton quickly threw 3 unanswered pucks against Vegas and eventually held on for the win, allowing the Knights only 2 goals. 3-2. A superb road win for the Oilers over one of the strongest teams in the NHL in recent seasons. It should be noted that both McDavid and Draisaitl scored for Edmonton in Las Vegas, with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Zach Hyman, and Jesse Puljujärvi scoring for the team. The Oilers roster has become much more balanced this season. Dependence on the leaders is slowly but surely disappearing.

Pittsburgh are having a critical stretch

With Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang back on the ice, the Penguins started to get results without any hesitation. The team has won 5 games in a row and allowed only 2 pucks in 5 games. Then Pittsburgh lost 3-6 at home to Montreal and went on the road. Mike Sullivan's team had their first game of the tour in Calgary, where they lost to the Flames in a shootout, 1-2. And after Edmonton, the Penguins will follow the route of Vancouver, Seattle, Washington. It's important for Pittsburgh to score as many points as possible on the tour, given that the team was short-handed at the start of the championship. With a successful tourney, Pittsburgh has a chance to come back and re-establish itself as one of the favorites in the race for the playoffs.

Injuries

• Edmonton: Josh Archibald, Oscar Klefbom, Slater Koekkoek, Darnell Nurse, Alex Stalock, Cody Ceci, Mike Smith, Dylan Holloway, Devin Shore – not playing. Duncan Keith is questionable;
• Pittsburgh: Evgeni Malkin, Bryan Rust – not playing.

Head-to-head encounters

The last time Edmonton beat Pittsburgh at home in regular time was as long ago as in 2003.

Expert Betting Tips

Any streak is bound to come to an end at some point – and it seems like it's time for another one to do so. The last time Edmonton faced Pittsburgh was more than two years ago, so the Oilers had plenty of time to prepare for another head-to-head encounter. The Penguins, of course, will make their opponent's offensive game as difficult as possible, but they won't have much to offer themselves. Edmonton this time has a really good chance to win.

Prediction: the OIlers will be closer to winning.

Betting options

• Edmonton Not To Lose + Total Under (7.5) for 2.05;
• Edmonton To Win In Regulation Time for 2.15;
• Edmonton To Win By 1 Goal for 8.20.