The St. Louis Blues start their longest road trip of the season on Thursday against the Edmonton Oilers. The Blues will play five games in 11 days away from home.
The Oilers just got off the road, splitting their two-game trip, losing to the Minnesota Wild, but defeating the Nashville Predators. In the game against the Predators, they scored six goals, the third time in as many games they have put up five or more.
Can the Blues kick off their trip with a victory, or will the Oilers beat them for the second time this year? Continue reading for free NHL picks and predictions for Blues vs. Oilers on December 15.
Blues vs Oilers best odds
Blues vs Oilers picks and predictions
The visitor has won each of these teams’ two previous meetings this season. St. Louis blanked Edmonton at Rogers Place back in October, 2-0. The Oilers returned the favor at Enterprise Center, defeating the Blues 3-1 four days later.
Despite that trend, I believe the Oilers will take down the Blues on Thursday. Oddsmakers agree, installing Edmonton as the clear favorite on the moneyline. The Oilers are getting anywhere from -165 to -175, though BetRivers has them at -162.
Edmonton has the second-best record in the Western Conference since Nov. 26, winning seven of 10 games. In that span, the Oilers have outscored opponents, 43-27.
The team’s top line of Connor McDavid, Zach Hyman, and Leon Draisaitl are the most potent in hockey. The trio has combined for 143 points (60 goals, 83 assists), while Hyman had his first career hat trick two nights ago against Nashville.
Stopping the Oilers’ offense will fall to St. Louis goalie Jordan Binnington. The team got a recent scare when the 29-year-old took a slap shot off his glove hand. He stayed in the game and got the shutout, but Coach David Berube wasn’t sure about his No. 1 netminder.
Those fears were put to rest on Wednesday as he was a full participant in practice. This will be Binnington’s third outing in five games, however. He had a back-to-back with Colorado on Sunday and Nashville on Monday. Berube hopes the injury to Binnington’s hand won’t affect him tonight.
Binnington is currently 43rd in the league in goals against, averaging 3.23 a game. He sports a .894 save percentage, also 43rd.
With the Oilers scoring as much as they have been, and the moneyline odds so poor, I am going to go with the value bet here and take the puck line. The Oilers are -1.5 and getting +150. I like that action much better.
My best bet: Oilers -1.5 (+150 at BetRivers)
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Blues vs Oilers moneyline analysis
The moneyline odds (-162) are pretty poor if you’re backing the Oilers, but it’s the right play. The team has won seven of its last 10, and in those games, has scored four or more goals seven times.
The Blues are going to have trouble keeping up with Oilers. They’re 24th in the league in goals scored, averaging 2.90 a game, almost a full goal lower than the Oilers.
St. Louis did get some good news on Wednesday. Forward Pavel Buchnevich had missed the last four games with a leg injury, but he practiced on Wednesday and should be able to play on Thursday.
The team is going to need him against the Oilers. Buchnevich has nine goals and 11 assists in 20 games, with eight goals and 10 assists in his last 14.
One area that should help the Blues is avoiding the penalty box. The team is the least-penalized in the league with 197 minutes, which is good, because Edmonton’s power play lately has been devastating. In the last 10 games, the Oilers have converted 36% of the time with the extra man, scoring 13 goals.
Still, that’s not going to be enough to hold off the Oilers. Expect them to win by at least two goals.
Blues vs Oilers Over/Under analysis
The total opened at 6.5 and has stayed there as of writing.
Both previous games between these two went Under, but I still like the Over for this game. Edmonton’s scoring in the last 10 games has averaged 4.3 goals a game. While the top line of McDavid, Hyman, and Draisaitl are responsible for most of the scoring, the second and third lines are definitely contributing.
It's the defense, however, that has been filling up the scoring sheet. Four defenseman, Tyson Barrie, Darnell Nurse, Evan Bouchard, and Brett Kulak, are among the Top 9 in points for the Oilers.
The trends favor the Over as well. The Over is 11-4 in the Blues’ last 15 overall and 5-2 in their last seven following a win.
The Oilers have hit the Over in eight of their last nine games against Central Division opponents and are 5-1 in their last six home games. They have also hit the Over in five of their last six when getting just a day’s rest.
Blues vs Oilers betting trend to know
The favorite is 3-1 in the last five meetings between the two teams. Find more NHL betting trends for Blues vs Oilers.
Blues vs Oilers game info
| Location: | Rogers Place, Edmonton, AB |
| Date: | Thursday, December 15, 2022 |
| Puck drop: | 9:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | Sportsnet, Bally Sports Midwest |
Blues vs Oilers key injuries
