The Edmonton Oilers (4-2-0) are among the favorites to with the Pacific Division this season, and a strong preseason led by up-and-coming star Dylan Holloway has been a positive sign for momentum into the season.
On Wednesday, they’ll visit the Vancouver Canucks (0-3-2), who are seeking their first preseason win. Which team will come away with the win?
Read on as we showcase the Canucks vs Oilers Best Bets. Puck drop is at 10:00 PM Eastern on SportsNet. The game will be played at a neutral site, the Abbotsford Centre in Abbotsford, British Columbia.
Edmonton Oilers vs. Vancouver Canucks
Given that we are nearing the end of the preseason, teams will be closer to playing their regular season roster. This means we will likely get a taste of new linemates for Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
Expected Lineups
Though this is still an early projection as nothing has been announced, we would expect the lines to look something like this:
- Evander Kane – Connor McDavid – Kailer Yamamoto
- Dylan Holloway – Leon Draisaitl – Zach Hyman
- Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Ryan McLeod – Warren Foegele
- Tyler Benson – Devin Shore – Jake Virtanen
- Darnell Nurse – Cody Ceci
- Brett Kulak – Evan Bouchard
- Dmitri Samorukov – Tyson Barrie
- Jack Campbell – Stuart Skinner
Unlike the Oilers, the Vancouver Canucks have already announced their expected players via, but they haven’t put lines together yet.
Vancouver’s Projected Lines
We’re going to take our best guess at it based on this announcement. Vancouver’s projected lines could look like this:
- Elias Pettersson – J.T. Miller – Conor Garland
- Nils Höglander – Bo Horvat – Vasili Podkolzin
- Tanner Pearson – Sheldon Dries – Curtis Lazar
- Jason Dickenson – Linus Karlsson/Dakota Joshua – Nils Åman/Andrei Kuzmenko
- Quinn Hughes – Tyler Myers
- Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Luke Schenn
- Jack Rathbone – Tucker Poolman
- Christian Wolanin – Kyle Burroughs
- Thatcher Demko – Spencer Martin
As a reminder, teams can dress 18 skaters and two goaltenders, so there will be some scratches from this list. Be sure to pay attention to lineup announcements, as this will affect the Canucks vs Oilers Best Bets.
Oilers and Canucks Previous Records
The Oilers and Canucks already played each other once this preseason. Edmonton won that game 7-2, spurred by a hat trick from Dylan Holloway.
Ten different Oilers skaters recorded a point in that contest; namely, Zach Hyman had a goal and two assists, and Devin Shore had three assists.
NHL Player Stats
Holloway is one of the NHL player stats leaders in the preseason, with four goals and two assists in four games. Conor Garland and Nils Höglander were the Canucks goal scorers.
Last season, Edmonton won all four NHL matchups against the Canucks; however, all games were decided by just one goal.
One win came in overtime, and two more came in the shootout. These games were much closer than a 4-0 season record would indicate.
Oilers vs. Canucks Analysis
The Oilers odds to win the Pacific Division are +220, just a touch behind the favorite Calgary Flames at +205. Edmonton addressed goaltending concerns with the free agent acquisition of Jack Campbell, who had previously spent time with the Los Angeles Kings and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Depth scoring will be key for the Oilers, both in this preseason game and throughout the season. We all know about the star power of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, but to see players like:
- Holloway
- McLeod
- Yamamoto
- Hyman
Producing points is certainly an encouraging sign. Edmonton will likely be without Jesse Puljujarvi for this matchup, an intriguing move given his need to prove he can be a top-six forward.
Puljujarvi has become somewhat of a scapegoat for the Oilers in recent years, and he’ll need a strong season heading into the final year of his contract.
For Vancouver, the Canucks predictions aren’t nearly as favorable. They have the fifth-best odds to win the Pacific Division and are only -130 to make the playoffs.
Friday’s Preseason Finale
It would be nice to see at least one win in the preseason. Whether that comes Wednesday or in Friday’s preseason finale against the Arizona Coyotes, any positive momentum heading into the season is truly needed.
The Canucks have made the playoffs just once in the past seven seasons, and it’s largely a “put up or shut up” year for their core.
Noticeably absent from the lineup is Brock Boeser, who is expected to be out until late October while recovering from hand surgery.
Edmonton and Vancouver will play again in the regular season opener, so this game should be a preview for that contest.
Edmonton Oilers vs. Vancouver Canucks Odds Breakdown
*Odds for this game were not available at the time of writing. We would expect the odds to be somewhere around Edmonton Oilers +100 vs. Vancouver Canucks -120. The over/under total should come in around 6.5
Oilers vs. Canucks Betting Pick and Prediction
It’s hard to bet against the Oilers, especially if we can get them at plus money at a neutral site. Their offense’s ability to break a game wide open simply cannot be ignored.
Even with Vancouver’s attention to defensive lapses following last year’s subpar performance, they’ve yet to show enough this preseason to inspire betting confidence.
Who to Bet On?
For those reasons, the Canucks vs Oilers Best Bets would include taking the Oilers on the moneyline and certainly on the puck line at +1.5 goals (though the value may not be there, given Edmonton’s offensive firepower).
NHL Pick: Oilers (+135)
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