Welcome to the home stretch of the hockey season. The majority of the NHL has somewhere around 25-28 games left to play, so it’s high time for teams to kick it into gear for that late season playoff push. For the Edmonton Oilers, the Pacific Division may be out of reach, but there is still plenty to play for.
The Oilers will host the St. Louis Blues of the Central Division on Wednesday night. Let’s take a look at the matchup, how both teams got to this point, and what wagers you should be taking a look at ahead of the game.
Blues vs. Oilers odds
| Blues Moneyline Odds | +230 |
| Oilers Moneyline Odds | -280 |
| Puckline odds | Oilers -1.5 (-110), Blues +1.5 (-110) |
| Total | 6.5 goals (over -110, under -110) |
| Time/Date | Feb. 28, 8:30 p.m. ET |
| TV | Broadcast: Sportsnet Stream: Sportsnet+ (How to watch the NHL in Canada?) |
All odds courtesy of 
About the Blues (30-26-2 SU, 32-26 ATS, 24-29-5 o/u)
This season has to be considered something of a win for the Blues already. The conventional wisdom pre-season was that the Blues would be in rebuild mode, with no serious hopes of achieving anything this year. Despite all that, they’re not only competitive but right in the thick of the race for a Wild Card spot in the West.
As of Wednesday morning, the Blues are just one point back of the Calgary Flames for the final Wild Card spot. That said, they are tied with the Minnesota Wild, and one point up on the Seattle Kraken. The race is very, very tight, and likely will be until the final day of the year.
Though the team can count on goals from throughout the top nine, Robert Thomas is the clear star of the team. He leads the club with 47 assists and 66 points, plus he’s tied for second with 19 goals. In a year when nobody expected too much, Thomas has quietly become one of the better young players in the league.
The goal for the Blues at this point is obviously to make the playoffs. That said, just missing out wouldn’t be the end of the world. This is a team in transition and they have to feel good about the state of the franchise moving forward.
About the Oilers (34-20-2 SU, 28-28 ATS, 26-28-2 o/u)
The Oilers have been a complicated story this season, but at this point we more or less know what to expect. After an abysmal start — one that appears to have cost them a shot at the Pacific Division — the Oilers have bounced back to become one of the better teams in the Western Conference.
Leading the way, of course, is the two-headed monster of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. McDavid started slowly but has since roared back to hold the third spot (91 points) in the NHL scoring race. To illustrate how effective he is, McDavid has no goals in his last 10 games but still has 23 points in that span, including five consecutive multi-assist games.
The top six is as dangerous as there is in the NHL. Draisaitl has 73 points in 56 games which somehow feels like a down year for him. Zach Hyman has 38 goals this season, one of the biggest totals in the league. Five guys have 50 points or more, underscoring how dominant they can be.
What might surprise some is how solid the defence has been this year. Though they have played the fewest games in the Western Conference, the Oilers still have the third-fewest goals against (168). Part of that has to do with the presence of Mattias Ekholm, but Stuart Skinner’s performance in goal can’t be ignored.
It’s Stanley Cup or bust at this stage. It doesn’t matter where they finish in the standings, the Oilers are going to be expected to be there at the end. For the sake of McDavid’s and Draisaitl’s respective legacies, this Oilers team is going to have to cope with the pressure, and keep turning up the heat when it matters most.
Connor McDavid over 1.5 points
-130
Last matchup
It hasn’t been very long since these two last met. The last matchup came just 13 days ago in St. Louis on Feb. 15. The Oilers started the game strong, taking a 2-1 lead into the second period thanks to a late goal by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. That said, the Blues came back with a vengeance in the second period. With goals from six different players (and points from nine), the Blues ultimately came away with a 6-3 win.
Key injuries
The Oilers have been lucky to avoid the injury bug. The team hasn’t had to deal with any major absences throughout the year, something that not many clubs can say. Because of the size of the Vancouver Canucks’ lead in the Pacific, one of this Edmonton team’s biggest goals right now will be to stay healthy going into the postseason.
Likewise, the Blues have been largely healthy this season. They did have Justin Faulk out of the lineup for a spell but he is now back. This was supposed to be something of a rebuilding year for the Blues, so being in contention for a playoff spot is a major plus given the youth of the lineup.
Betting trends
- The offence continues to be a strong point in Edmonton. Though they have gone under in two of three, the Oilers have hit the over in six of their last eight games. That follows a stretch of hitting the under in 12 of 13.
- The Blues have struggled against the puckline of late. They have failed to cover in four of their last five games, all losses. They have also been bad when it comes to the over/under, hitting the over just once in their last four.
- With high expectations comes being favoured on the puckline all year long. The Oilers are 28-28 in that regard and have been stagnant when it comes to covering lately. They snapped a three-game streak of failing to cover by beating the Kings 4-2 on Feb. 26.
Player prop trends
- As we mentioned earlier, McDavid doesn’t have a goal in his last 10 games (he even joked that he would stop shooting the puck and see how many assists he could get). Given the 23 assists over the last 10 games, it seems like he’s still having a lot of success in that regard.
- Pavel Buchnevich leads the Blues in goals with 23 and has been quite hot of late. He has a goal in four of six games, including a hat trick against the Islanders on Feb. 22.
- Defenceman Evan Bouchard is having a career year with 56 points in 56 games. He is also quite streaky. He has 13 points in his last 10 games, though four of those games were multi-point efforts.
Wagers to consider
- McDavid is as automatic as it gets when it comes to assists. Though the odds aren’t great (-260), consider him a virtual lock to get one. The real number to watch is points and he has recorded multiple points in five straight (over 1.5 points, -130).
- Despite the recent struggles offensively of the Blues, the over has to be under consideration. Both teams can score, including nine goals combined the last time out.
- Hyman has been on fire when it comes to putting the puck in the net. He has a goal in his last five games, including two against the Flames on Feb. 24. With that in mind, he’s a solid bet to score again (+115).
