Wild vs Oilers Prediction, Game Preview, Odds, Picks, Dec. 09
The Minnesota Wild continue their Western Canadian road trip with their second-to-last stop in Edmonton before heading to Vancouver for a Saturday night matchup with the Canucks. The Oilers will look to carry their high-scoring momentum through their next two games, both against the Wild in the span of four nights.
Minnesota has dominated the rivalry and it will be looking for its seventh straight victory in the series against Edmonton.
We’ll review the trends, stats, scores and odds and give our predictions for the Wild vs. Oilers on Friday night. Puck drop is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET from Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta. You can catch this game on ESPN+, NHLPP, or regional broadcast partners.
Let’s check the latest NHL odds, stats, injury reports and NHL lines for Wild vs Oilers. We’ve plenty of NHL betting odds for you to consider.
Wild Looking to Bounce Back
The Minnesota Wild enter Friday night with a 13-10-2 record and are currently third in the Central Division. The Wild have won four of their last five games, with all five hitting the over of 6½ goals.
Minnesota is averaging 3.12 goals per game on 31.4 shots while giving up an identical 3.12 goals on 29.7 shots. The Wild power play is among the best in the league, converting on 24.4% of their chances (20 power-play goals). The penalty killers gave up two power-play goals to the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night, dropping their efficiency to 79.8% (17 power-play goals against).
Although Marc-Andre Fleury has started the last two games for the Wild, we expect him to get the start against the Oilers on Friday night. Backup goalie Filip Gustavsson should get the start against the Canucks on Saturday night.
Fleury has a 9-6-1 record, a 3.10 goals-against average and a .892 save percentage. If the Wild flip the script and Gustavsson starts, he has a 4-4-1 record, a 2.75 GAA and a .909 save percentage.
The biggest factor for the Wild will not be Kirill Kaprizov, who leads Minnesota with 33 points (17 goals, 16 assists), but he will still be a factor and a prop bet target. Rather, the biggest note for the Minnesota Wild is Jonas Brodin, who is listed as out for the contest. This is as much of a key as the scores and odds for Friday night’s matchup.
Brodin has been key to the Wild’s tremendous success against Connor McDavid. With Brodin and McDavid on the ice in 5v5 situations, the Wild have outscored the Oilers 14-5.
The Wild won six consecutive games against the Oilers, are 13-5 since McDavid’s Oilers debut, and are keeping McDavid to one point per game, which is second-best in the NHL.
To say Brodin’s absence is major for the Wild versus the Oilers might be an understatement.
Oilers on Offensive Roll
The Edmonton Oilers enter Friday night’s matchup with the Wild with a 15-12-0 record, having demolished Arizona 8-2 while the Coyotes were at the end of a 14-game road trip. The Oilers have won three of their last five games, with four games hitting the over of 6½ goals and three ending in at least a 1½-goal spread.
This will not come as a surprise to anyone: the Edmonton Oilers can score goals seemingly whenever they want to, much like their ‘80s forefathers. Unfortunately, the present-day Oilers don’t have the goaltending to outscore the back-end issues the Oilers have. Edmonton averages 3.59 goals per game on 31.8 shots while giving up 3.52 goals per game on 33.0 shots.
Leaving Leon Draisaitl to the side for now, solely with McDavid, any team has a chance to outscore bad defense and goaltending. Having a dynamic duo like Draisaitl and McDavid means the Oilers are always a threat to score or erase a multi-goal lead, especially on the powerplay.
The Oilers have one of the league’s best power plays converting on 29.6% of their chances (29 power-play goals). However, the back-end Oilers’ struggles extend to the penalty kill, which has given up 30 power-play goals and is operating at 70.9% efficiency.
We thought Jack Campbell would get the start against the Coyotes, but Stuart Skinner has started the last three games and has been the Oilers’ best and most reliable goalie. We’re not sure who gets the start on Friday night.
If Skinner starts, he has an 8-6-0 record, a 2.86 goals-against average, and a .915 save percentage. If Campbell starts, he has a 7-6-0 record, a 4.12 GAA and a .872 save percentage.
Wild vs Oilers Game Injuries
This is the second of three head-to-head matchups between the Edmonton Oilers and Minnesota Wild in 2022-23.
The Minnesota Wild won the first matchup 5-3 on Dec. 1.
Wild vs Oilers Game Information
- Game: Wild (13-10-2) vs Oilers (15-12-0)
- Location: Rogers Place, Edmonton, Alberta
- Day/Time: Friday, Dec. 9th, 9 p.m. ET
- Wild vs Oilers Live Stream:NHL.TV
Wild vs Oilers Betting Lines
Wild vs Oilers Picks & Prediction
The Oilers are favorites in the NHL odds for this game. Let’s review each team’s betting records before making our online sports betting predictions.
The Oilers have a 15-12 straight-up moneyline record and will likely be the favorite, while the Wild have a 13-12 moneyline record. We like the Wild to bounce back after a loss to Calgary and win on the moneyline on Friday night, continuing their winning ways against Edmonton.
We’re taking the over in most Oilers’ games, and this is no exception. The over is set at 6½. The Wild have a 14-11 over/under record while the Oilers are 16-9 over/under. Again, take the over.
The Edmonton Oilers are listed at -130 in our Vegas Lines. This means that if you wager $100 on the Oilers, you have a chance to win $77. The Minnesota Wild are +110, offering a chance to win $110.
The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives the Oilers a 56.52% chance to win, with the Wild at 47.62%.
