Best Bets: Under 84.5 Points
Worst Bets: Edmonton Oilers to win the Stanley Cup 50/1
The 2018 Edmonton Oilers finished the season with a record of 35-38-9 and 79 points, which was good enough to finish in 14th in the Western Conference and 7th in the Pacific Division. Their weakness last season was their 3.34 goals allowed per game. They hope to have addressed this issue by signing Mike Smith who played for the Calgary Flames last season. He should help to improve upon the goals allowed per game over last season, but the Oilers still have a long way to go to becoming a top echelon team in the NHL.
The Edmonton Oilers averaged 2.83 goals per game last season which ranked 20th in the NHL last season. They averaged 0.57 power-play goals per game which ranked 13th in the NHL and had an average of 2.70 power-play chances per game which tied for 26th most in the NHL. Connor McDavid led the team in points as well as assists with 116 points and 75 assists.
Leon Draisaitl led the team in goals with 50. Both Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are two of the better players in the NHL and give the Oilers a young nucleus to build around in the future but still need pieces to be placed around them as well as depth to the other lines for the Oilers.
Edmonton allowed 3.34 goals per game last season which was the 7th most goal per game average in the league. Mikko Koskinen who started the majority of the games for the Oilers last season finished the year with a record of 25-21-6 with four shutouts, and a .906 save percentage. He also saw an average of around 31.68 shots per game which was the 14th most in the NHL. Edmonton’s key free-agent addition was Mike Smith from the Calgary Flames.
Smith had a record of 23-16-2, and a save percentage of .898 for the Flames last season. He will likely be the starter for the Oilers this season but how much improvement the Oilers will see remains uncertain.
Edmonton Oilers Point Total: O/U 84.5 Points
The 2018 Edmonton Oilers finished with 79 points which were the 14th most in the Western Conference and 7th most in the Pacific Division. The Oilers have a young group of talent on the first line with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl but still, have yet to make moves to improve the team significantly.
They also play in arguably the best division in the Western Conference along with organizations like the Flames, Golden Knights and the Sharks, all of which appear to be better than the Oilers. A lot of people believe that the addition of Mike Smith will decrease their goals per game average. However, Mikko Koskinen did not have a horrible season last year and had a better save percentage than Smith. It’s hard to imagine a team that finished the season with 79 points will improve by 6 points without making significant additions to the team, which is why I like the under 84.5 total.
Edmonton Oilers to win the Pacific Division: 20/1
The Edmonton Oilers finished in 7th place in the Pacific Division last season ahead of only the Los Angeles Kings and trailed the Golden Knights by 14 points for the final playoff spot in the division. People are expecting significant improvements for the Oilers this season; however, I don’t see the Smith signing as making that meaningful of a difference as others do. He is a solid goalie without question, but Koskinen didn’t play horrible last season.
They didn’t sign anyone significant to help the team offensively, so it’s hard to see them making the jump to competing with the Golden Knights, Sharks or Flames in the division this season. If you believe the signing of Mike Smith will make a significant improvement for the Oilers then the 20:1 prop to win the Pacific Division this season is not a bad wager. However, I don’t see it having a significant impact, which is why I am recommending to stay away from the prop.
Edmonton Oilers to win the Western Conference: 20/1
Edmonton is tied with the Chicago Blackhawks with 20/1 odds to win the Western Conference this season which gives them the 10th best chance to win the conference this season. The Oilers are a young and improving team which provides them with an opportunity to take the next step in becoming a contender due to experience; however, an injury to McDavid or Draisaitl would be devastating for the Oilers and would prevent them from progressing as a team.
The Western Conference is loaded with great organizations including the Vegas Golden Knights, Colorado Avalanche and the St. Louis Blues, which are significantly better teams compared to the Oilers. Edmonton may be in contention to make the playoffs. However, even if they make the playoffs, I don’t see them representing the Western Conference in the Stanley Cup Finals.
Edmonton Oilers to win the Stanley Cup: 50/1
The Edmonton Oilers are the 23rd team most likely to win the Stanley Cup this season according to Vegas. In other words, the Oilers aren’t going to win the Stanley Cup this season. They have a young team led by Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, which gives them one of the better first lines in the NHL; however, the rest of the group is lackluster in terms of talent.
The Oilers will be a Stanley Cup contender in the next few seasons as they are likely to add ability on offense. The critical move that they believe will make them significantly better was the addition of Mike Smith. However, I actually like what Mikko Koskinen brings to the table more than Smith. I don’t see the Oilers making the playoffs this season which makes it even harder to pick them to win the Stanley Cup this season and for that reason, I am not recommending a wager on the Oilers to win the Cup at least not this season.
