Edmonton Oilers vs Columbus Blue Jackets - Predictions and Odds

Where: Nationwide Arena – Columbus, OH.

When: Wednesday, October 30, 7:30 PM EST

How (TV/Radio): SN1, SN 360, Fox Sports Ohio | WFAN

Edmonton Oilers (Away)

Head Coach: Dave Tippett{All-Time 561-416-28-121 EDM, ARI, PHX, DAL}

With a record of 8-3-1 so far this season, the Edmonton Oilers find themselves in the first-place spot in the Pacific division.

Despite that fact, the Oilers have been heavily criticized for their lack of scoring depth, with star forwards Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and James Neal combining for 25 of the teams combined 36 goals this season. How long can this go on?

Offense

Forwards Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl sit tied for third place in the scoring race this season with 21 points apiece.

James Neal leads the team in goals this season and is second in the league with 10 goals.

Beyond that, there isn’t too much to say about the Edmonton Oilers offense heading into Wednesday’s game.

Of the team’s 36 goals, 25 of them were scored by the three players mentioned above. The team has the seventh-lowest shot total in the league with 367 although, thanks to their top line, the team’s shooting percentage sits just above 10 percent – good for ninth-place.

Because of their top line, the Oilers also have the league’s best power play with a success rate of 33.33 percent. Simply put, if McDavid, Draisaitl, and Neal all make it to game time, this game should be a walk in the park.

Defense

Defensively, the Oilers have been susceptible to injury this season but have still held things together on the back end.

With top defenseman Adam Larsson still out, the Oilers have managed to keep up an 86.49 percent penalty kill – the fifth-best in the league.

They have also kept their average goals scored against below three with 2.67.

They have allowed 32 goals this season – the 12th-least in the NHL. The team also has the tenth-best save percentage in the league.

Goaltending

Starting goaltender Mikko Koskinen hopes to keep his undefeated streak alive against the Columbus Blue Jackets Wednesday night.

The 6-foot-7-inch Koskinen, who has a season record of 5-0-0 has a goals-against-average of 2.46 and a save percentage of .922.

Head Coach: John Tortorella{All-Time 627-497-37-107 CBJ, VAN, NYR, TBL}

The Columbus Blue Jackets lost a lot of talent over the offseason and were expected to have an abysmal season.

With that said, the Blue Jackets have put together a stronger start to the season than most anticipated.

Currently sitting in fifth in the Metropolitan division, the Jackets have a record of 5-4-2 even though not a single player has surpassed the 10-point mark this season.

Offense

Currently, Columbus finds themselves with the eighth-lowest goal total in the league with a combined 30.

But that’s not for lack of trying as the team has the tenth-highest shot total so far this season.

Unfortunately, that means the team’s shooting percentage is the seventh-worst in the NHL.

They are taking a lot of shots, but not many quality ones. Their power play has also been struggling.

As it stands, the Blue Jackets’ power-play percentage sits at 11.43 – putting them in the bottom-ten.

They are also in the league’s basement when it comes to faceoffs as the team has a combined faceoff success percentage of only 47.5 percent. They sit at 25th-in the league for power play, shooting, and faceoff percentages.

Defense

Defensively, the Blue Jackets have been somewhat of a mixed bag.

They allow the 11th-lowest shots against yet allow the seventh-highest goals against.

They also have the seventh-lowest average for penalty minutes yet their penalty kill is the ninth-worst in the league at 75 percent.

The team’s combined save percentage is the fourth-worst in the league as well at .886. Add in the injuries to defensemen Ryan Murray and Markus Nutivaara and the Columbus Blue Jackets are going to have their hands full Wednesday night.

Goaltending

It is expected that Joonas Korpisalo will get the start in net for the Columbus Blue Jackets. Korpisalo has put up respectable numbers this season since taking over the starting position after the departure of Sergei Bobrovsky. Korpisalo has a season record of 5-3-1 with a goals-against-average of 3.08 and a .896 save percentage.

This will be the first of two meetings between these teams this season. They last played against one another last season on March 21. It was the Edmonton Oilers that came out on top with a final score of 4-1.

What’s at Stake for Oilers vs Blue Jackets?

For Columbus, their above-500 record is at stake.

The team has managed to stay afloat this season despite being an early write off by most.

If they are able to beat a team like Edmonton it will showcase their ability to bounce back strongly after a loss.

For Edmonton, this game could be a chance to give other players more ice time as a way to help produce more secondary scoring.

It’s a chance to showcase that should one of their top-three get injured, the team can still be relied upon to win hockey games.

They need to show that possibility sooner than later.

Questions to Answer

Can the Edmonton Oilers put together second- and third-line scoring against the Columbus Blue Jackets?

Can Mikko Koskinen continue his strong play in the Oilers crease and improve his regular-season record to 6-0-0?

Can the Columbus Blue Jackets find a way to take advantage of the holes in Edmonton’s blue line due to the injuries of Adam Larsson, Ryan Mantha, and Joel Persson?

Edmonton Oilers Injury Report

D Adam Larsson – DL (lower-leg)

F Josh Archibald – DL (foot)

D Ryan Mantha – IR/NL (eye)

D Joel Persson – OUT (concussion)

F Joakim Nygard – DL (ribs)

Columbus Blue Jackets Injury Report

F Brandon Dubinsky – DL (wrist)

D Ryan Murray – DL (hand)

D Markus Nutivaara – day-to-day (lower-body)

F Alexandre Texier – DL (knee)

The latest odds for the Edmonton Oilers vs Columbus Blue Jackets game are provided by bet365NJ, DraftKings Sportsbook, and Caesars NJ.

Good luck!

Money Line