The Pittsburgh Penguins (3-4-1) take on the Edmonton Oilers (2-4-1) Friday. Puck drop from Rogers Place is set for 9 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s NHL odds around the Penguins vs. Oilers odds and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
Season series: First meeting; Oilers won 2-0 last season
The Pens have dropped 3 straight after a 4-3 shootout loss to the Calgary Flames Tuesday. RW Rickard Rakell netted his 4th goal of the season. C Sidney Crosby had an assist, but he has had a quiet start to the season with 1 goal and 6 assists in 8 games.
The Oilers dropped a 3-2 OT game to the Carolina Hurricanes Tuesday. They’ve lost 2 straight in a wild swing of a season. They dropped the first 3, won 2 and now have dropped 2. C Connor McDavid put up 2 goals Tuesday to give him 3 goals and 5 assists in the young season.
Stream the NHL all season on ESPN+, with your team’s out-of-market games, exclusive games, originals and more. Get ESPN+ now!
Penguins at Oilers odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list of NHL odds. Lines last updated at 12:55 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Penguins +180 (bet $100 to win $180) | Oilers -225 (bet $225 to win $100)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Penguins +1.5 (-135) | Oilers -1.5 (+115)
- Over/Under (O/U): 7 (O: +110 | U: -130)
Penguins at Oilers projected goalies
Alex Nedeljkovic (0-1-1, 3.86 GAA, .869 SV%) vs. Stuart Skinner (1-3-1, 3.74 GAA, .866 SV%)
The Pens sent starter Tristan Jarry back to Pittsburgh to get some individual work in with their goalie coach. It’s a rather strange move, but Nedeljkovic has handled the last 2 starts and figures to go again Friday. He was solid Tuesday, stopping 22 of 25 in a 4-3 shootout loss. He allowed 5 goals on 36 shots in his first start against Winnipeg.
Skinner was really good against Carolina Tuesday, stopping 30 of 33 against a tough team. However, he has allowed 3 goals in 4 straight starts after allowing 5 in his season opener. He played a grand total of 1:16 against the Pens last season and didn’t face a shot on goal.
Play our free daily Pick’em Challenge and win! Play now!
Penguins at Oilers picks and predictions
Prediction
Penguins 3, Oilers 2
Moneyline
Edmonton is 1-3-1 at home thus far, and there’s no chance I’m going to risk -225 on it anywhere. It has allowed 27 goals and scored 14 thus far. The Pens aren’t lighting the world ablaze, but they have scored 3+ in 5 of 8.
This is more of a pick ’em to me. As such, I’m going to take a chance on PENGUINS +180 for the price.
Puck line/Against the spread
We’re going with LEON DRAISTAITL OVER 2.5 SHOTS (-120). That’s a pretty good price for a top-5 player to get just 3 shots on goal. He had 3 SOG in each game against Pittsburgh last season, and they are anything but a defensive stalwart.
Over/Under
It’s possible we see 7 goals here, but it’s really hard to look for 8 goals to cash a bet. The Over is 5-2-1 for Pittsburgh and 2-4-1 for Edmonton thus far. And that’s exactly why I’m taking the value with Pittsburgh because it articulates the edge it has offensively.
Take the UNDER 7 (-130).
Ready to make your bet and want to cash in on bonus bets and other welcome offers? Check out our list of the top sportsbook promo codes and have access to thousands of dollars in promotions.
For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
Follow Ryan Dodson on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and like us on Facebook.
