Oilers vs. Hurricanes Odds
| Oilers Odds | +135 |
| Hurricanes Odds | -155 |
| Over/Under | 6.5 (-125 / +105) |
| Time | 7 p.m. ET |
| TV | BSSO |
| Odds via DraftKings. Get up-to-the-minute NHL Odds here. | |
Edmonton snapped its three-game losing skid in impressive fashion Tuesday night and put together a very deserved 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. The win came at a cost, however, as star forward Evander Kane suffered a deep forearm laceration and will be out long-term.
Carolina, meanwhile, suffered a tough 3-0 loss to the Panthers on Wednesday night and will now be tasked with shutting down another high-powered offense on night two of a tough back-to-back.
The Hurricanes suffered a 6-4 defeat earlier this season versus the Oilers on the road. Can the Hurricanes exact some revenge on Thursday at home?
Edmonton Oilers Lose Key Player But Continue to Gel
On Monday night the Oilers suffered somewhat of an embarrassing loss at the hands of a heavily depleted Washington Capitals side, but they bounced back with arguably their best performance of the season against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
But at least consider the competition and the road back-to-back spot; the Oilers generated 4.81 expected goals for and allowed just 2.84 expected goals against.
A sharper defensive performance from Edmonton allowed goaltender Jack Campbell a better chance to shine, and he had one of the better outings of his season with 35 saves on 37 shots.
Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl were both utterly incredible in both legs of the Oilers back-to-back set, and they lead the league by a considerable margin with 29 and 26 points, respectively.
Each is playing at an entirely different level than any other player in the league right now, and that duo has led the Oilers to very consistent offensive results: Edmonton has scored three or more goals in 11 of 14 games so far this season.
It's next to impossible to entirely shut down that pair, particularly on the man advantage, where the Oilers have clicked at a 32.7% success rate nearly a fifth of the way through the season.
The loss of Kane certainly hurts Edmonton's top-six, but he does not play on the Oilers' top powerplay unit, which is certainly a positive in dealing with the absence.
Kailer Yamamoto will likely be elevated to line two alongside Draisaitl and Zach Hyman, and he could be an interesting target prop-wise upon confirmation of that improved role.
Stuart Skinner will likely start this contest, and he owns a +3.4 goals saved above expected rating with a .928 save % throughout six appearances this season.
Goaltending Concerns for Carolina Hurricanes
Carolina has looked very consistent with what we have seen in each of the last three seasons as the Hurricanes start this 2022-23 campaign.
Rod Brind'Amour's group plays a consistently up-tempo game, with one of the league's more aggressive forechecks and excellent back-pressure in the neutral zone.
The Hurricanes have allowed just 2.57 xGA/60 this season and just 2.85 goals against per game where it counts.
If there is a knock on the Hurricanes compared to some of the NHL's other true cup contenders, it may be a lack of true game-breaking talent up front. But even still, Sebastien Aho and Andrei Svechnikov are pretty special talents.
Thursday's task is certainly a tough one, however, as Carolina will need to keep Edmonton's high-powered offense in check on night two of a back-to-back, likely with third-stringer Pyotr Kochetkov starting in goal.
Frederik Andersen was injured at practice and remains day-to-day while Antti Raanta played Wednesday versus Florida and likely will not be asked to play both legs of the back-to-back.
Final confirmation of Carolina's goaltender will come after the morning skate Thursday.
Kochetkov is likely better than the vast majority of third options league-wide, but he is still a drop-off from Andersen or Raanta.
Kochetkov played a combined seven NHL games between the playoffs and regular season in 2021-22, and he stopped .884 % of shots faced with a -4.0 goals saved above expected rating.
Oilers vs. Hurricanes Pick
Carolina is one of the league's top sides defensively, but similar to every other team in the league, the Hurricanes will likely have a very tough time shutting down McDavid and Draisaitl entirely.
Particularly so if Kochetkov is in goal, and if the Oilers can play the kind of sharp team game we saw Tuesday against Tampa Bay, a quality offensive output should go further than we have seen in some of Edmonton's losses this season.
At +135 we are being given an excellent price to see if Edmonton's superstars can help to steal two points on the road in Carolina, and with Kochetkov likely to start versus Skinner, it's clear that the Oilers are the side presenting more value betting-wise.
Pick: Edmonton Oilers +135 (play to +125)
