Free Picks: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Edmonton Oilers

Patrick Trudeau
By: Patrick Trudeau
01/31/2021
NHL Free Picks – Best Bets of the Week
NHL Edmonton Oilers vs Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Rogers Place

These two teams met earlier in the week, with Toronto taking a victory away from the Oilers. Riding a 4-game win streak, the Oilers will look to do everything in their power to snap the Maple Leafs’ winning ways. As for Edmonton, they have fallen in two consecutive games and are attempting to claw back into the win column.

Toronto's winning streak will come to an end Saturday night.

As the Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers are on the opposite end of the spectrum in terms of streaks, I believe that the Oilers’ 2-game losing skid will end when they take on the Maple Leafs.

I (sometimes) like to be bold on BetPicks and I believe we see a breakout game from Edmonton.

All good things must come to an end and Toronto’s 4-game streak will be snapped. Why do I think this? Well, looking back to Thursday night, there were two reasons the Oilers failed to eke out a win: penalties and weak goals.

Untimely penalties allowed the Maple Leafs to light up the board. On top of that, Edmonton netminder Mikko Koskinen allowed two goals that he would like to have back that drastically changed the game in favor of the Maple Leafs.

Those three mistakes were the difference-maker in their last meeting. I know, the Oilers managed to score two of their goals from the Power Play, so I expect Saturday’s game to be more disciplined.

From there, it should be a battle of attrition between the two teams’ respective stars.

Despite being in the lower half of the North Standings, there are a number of key statistics that has me believing the Oilers can turn these L’s into W’s.

For one, McDavid and Draisaitl continue to roll. These two stars have the ability to take over a game and I think they can do it Saturday.

The Oilers allow 3.67 goals against per game. If they tighten up their defense, the Oilers will see victories more often than not. It’s hard to win hockey games when you’re scoring a goal less per game than allowing on average.

If Edmonton tightens up and allows one less goal per game, they drop from 5th worst in the NHL to around 20th. That’s a drastic change.

I think Edmonton’s value makes them a solid choice for one of the best NHL bets. Despite being on the losing side of recent games, the Oilers can only go up.

With players like McDavid and Draisaitl, those two alone can easily change the outcome of a game. It may be one of my boldest picks and prediction, but expect the Oilers to snap their modest skid Saturday night.

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FREE PICK: Edmonton Oilers to WIN
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Stats

  • Edmonton are 1-4 SU in last 5 games.
  • The Oilers are 0-5 SU against Toronto at home in last 5.
  • Toronto are 6-1 SU in last 7 games.
  • Marner, Matthews and Tavares have combined for 30 points this season.

have always wanted to be a writer and sports are my favorite thing in the world, so I combined the two to make a career. I have been a long-time gambler and sports betting writer that isn't afraid to look at the underdog or specials. I am covering the NHL, MLB and NCAA Football for BetPicks.ca and am a huge fan of both sports - as well as many others. Follow me on Twitter (@Patrick_Trudeau) so we can talk betting, sports, or why ketchup DOES belong on Poutine.

NHL Eastern Metropolitan

 

TeamWLOT%
1Carolina54208.707
2NY Rangers52246.671
3Pittsburgh462511.628
4Washington442612.610
5NY Islanders373510.512
6Columbus37387.494
7New Jersey27469.384
8Philadelphia254611.372

 

NHL Eastern Atlantic

TeamWLOT%
1Florida58186.744
2Toronto54217.701
3Tampa Bay51238.671
4Boston51265.652
5Buffalo323911.457
6Detroit324010.451
7Ottawa33427.445
8Montréal224911.335

 

NHL - Western Central

TeamWLOT%
1Colorado56197.726
2Minnesota53227.689
3St Louis492211.665
4Dallas46306.598
5Nashville45307.591
6Winnipeg393211.543
7Chicago284212.415
8Arizona25507.348

 

NHL - Western Pacific

TeamWLOT%
1Calgary502111.677
2Edmonton49276.634
3Los Angeles442711.604
4Vegas43318.573
5Vancouver403012.561
6San Jose323713.470
7Anaheim313714.463
8Seattle27496.366

 

2021-22 Season
Regular season beginsOctober 12
All-Star & Winter Games breakFebruary 3-22
Trade deadlineMarch 21
Final day of regular seasonApril 29
Stanley Cup Playoffs beginMay 2
Last possible day for PlayoffsJune 30
2022 NHL DraftJuly 7