Edmonton Oilers vs. Colorado Avalanche Prediction: Bank on Connor McDavid and the Oilers

Edmonton Oilers vs. Colorado Avalanche Prediction: Bank on Connor McDavid and the Oilers

The NHL season is entering the home stretch, as there are just a few weeks left in the regular season. The Colorado Avalanche have secured their spot in the playoffs, leading the NHL with 108 points. They fought hard in a 5-4 win in overtime last night on the road against the Canucks, and now have to turn around 24 hours later to take on the surging Oilers. Both teams are in the middle of hot streaks, with the Avalanche picking up eight wins over their past ten and the Oilers seven. The Oilers are still fighting for playoff positioning, and a win tonight would help their efforts. Both teams are hot, but which can keep the streak going?

Oilers vs. Avalanche Start Time, Where to Watch, and Odds

Date: Saturday, April 9

Game Time: 10:00 pm ET

Where to Watch: ESPN+

Puck Line: Avalanche -1 (+170)

Click Here for Oilers vs Avalanche Odds

Oilers vs. Avalanche Line Movement

Edmonton Oilers vs. Colorado Avalanche Prediction

The Avalanche have had a dominant season behind efficient penalty killing, goaltending, and quick skating. Colorado averages 3.79 goals per game and has excelled on the power-play. The Avalanche are one of the fastest teams in the NHL, and they use their speed to push the offense, and it has helped produce the third highest-scoring offense in the league. By design, Pavel Fancouz started last night in Winnipeg, so I expect Kuemper to get the start in Edmonton tonight. Kuemper has been exceptional this year, with a 33-9-3 record and a .925 save percentage. He has been better at home, though, not surprisingly. He is 18-4 at home and 15-8 on the road. Tonight, he will face a high-powered offense in the Oilers.

The Avalanche are primarily healthy, but captain Gabriel Landeskog and Nazem Kadri are the most notable injuries for this matchup. On the other hand, the Oilers are essentially completely healthy.

The Oilers enter this contest on a six-game win streak and an offensive powerhouse. The famous duo Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid have both surpassed 100 points on the season and helped this team find its way. The mid-season coaching change has looked to be impactful for the team. Edmonton fired Dave Tippett back in February and has gone 19-9 since. Edmonton's offense has been the star, with 3.47 goals per game and a 25.7% scoring clip on the power play. The Oilers have been a great home team, going 23-12 on their own ice. The downfall of this Oilers team has been the defense and goaltending. They haven't had one standout goalie, and Koskinen and Smith have both been inconsistent throughout the season. The defense hasn't helped, though, as they allow the 19th most shots on goal per game. They have the rest advantage here, though, as they have had a day off to rest while the Avalanche took a tight one to overtime last night. Perhaps the rest advantage can help the defense out against one of the better offenses in the league.

Receive $200 in FREE BETS after placing a $10 wager on Oilers vs. Avalanche Tonight

This game comes down to how the Avalanche will look on a back-to-back after a challenging game. There were 59 combined hits in the game in Winnipeg last night, and it took the extra session for the Avalanche to get it done. Back-to-backs get more difficult later in the season, as teams have had long seasons and less rest starts to wear more. The Avalanche are also without two of their top scorers tonight. Plus, the Avalanche have secured a playoff position, and barring something crazy, they will finish first with ease. The Oilers are still fighting for positioning and have played some of their best hockey all year over their past six games. It's hard to trust the goaltending from the Oilers, but I think they can find enough offense against an unrested Avalanche team to get the win here. Take the home dog in what should be an entertaining game tonight.

Oilers vs. Avalanche Pick

• Oilers ML (+115) (Bet $100 to Win $115)