There’s nothing more fun than a major East vs. West matchup in the NHL. And we’ve got a great one coming up on Tuesday evening when the Edmonton Oilers head to Beantown to battle the Boston Bruins.
These two teams are both among the favourites to lift the Stanley Cup this year, and Tuesday’s game could even be a potential final preview.
Bet on Oilers vs. Bruins
EDM -125
BOS +105
There is a lot of ground to cover ahead of tonight’s Oilers vs. Bruins matchup. Check out the odds below, see how each team has arrived to this point, and what kind of wagers you should be considering when these two battle on Tuesday.
Oilers vs. Bruins odds
| Oilers Moneyline Odds | -125 |
| Bruins Moneyline Odds | +105 |
| Puckline odds | Oilers -1.5 (+195), Bruins +1.5 (-240) |
| Total | 6 goals (over -120, under +100) |
| Time/Date | March 5, 7:30 p.m. ET |
| TV | Broadcast: Sportsnet Stream: Sportsnet+ (How to watch the NHL in Canada?) |
All odds courtesy of 
About the Oilers (37-20-2 SU, 29-30 ATS, 27-30-2 o/u)
The Oilers are uniquely balanced. They are fourth in the West in goals for and fourth in goals against. The big names – Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, etc. – are all still there but this Oilers team feels a little different from recent incarnations.
One thing worth noting is that the Oilers have played the fewest games in the Western Conference (59). They have between one and four games in hand on their immediate competition, including a whopping four on the Pacific Division-leading Vancouver Canucks. Given that the Oilers are nine points back in that race, those games are going to be crucial.
McDavid is back to being a dominant force. He leads the league with 74 assists, including 24 in just his last 11 games. Even when he can’t find the back of the net – as he hadn’t for 10 straight until the Oilers’ 6-1 win over the Penguins – he makes an impact on the game like few other players can.
The likes of Draisaitl (78 points), Zach Hyman (42 goals), Nugent-Hopkins (55 points), and even Evan Bouchard (58 points) are proof that the Oilers can score like the best of them. If they can keep getting contributions from the middle six, the Oilers may finally have the depth needed to make a run.
One key to their season will be goaltending. Stuart Skinner has taken the reins this year, starting 44 games this year. He is 28-13-2, sporting a 2.64 GAA and .905 SV%. Now is the time for him to seize control of the starting job for the foreseeable future. A strong playoff run is the only way for him to do that for certain.
About the Bruins (36-13-14 SU, 31-32 ATS, 31-32 o/u)
The Bruins are a difficult team to pin down. They are very much in the running for the Presidents’ Trophy (84 points, third in the league) but they don’t feel like the Bruins of old. They also have a whopping 14 overtime or shootout losses, tied with the Islanders for the league lead, and just one of four teams to be in the double-digits.
David Pastrnak is having another Hart Trophy-calibre season, leading the team in goals (38), assists (52), and points (90), all by a sizable margin. It’s hardly outlandish to suggest that the Bruins would be a borderline playoff team, at best, without him.
Indeed, the offence is thin, albeit balanced. Just three players have 50 or more points, though it’s worth noting that eight have 30 or more. Still, the lack of a top-tier centre is becoming a glaring issue, something many expected when Patrice Bergeron retired this past offseason.
Defence and goaltending continue to be a driving force for the Bruins. That said, don’t be surprised if one of the duo of Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark is moved at the deadline in an attempt to bring in a top centre.
Last matchup
These two met in an exciting battle in Edmonton back on Feb. 21. The game lived up to the hype early and often, seeing the two teams combine for a whopping 11 goals. Edmonton even erased a 4-1 deficit, only for Charlie McAvoy to win the game in OT, by a final score of 6-5.
In that game, Pastrnak, McAvoy, and Jake DeBrusk all had two-point nights while Mason Lohrei had three assists for the Bruins. Cody Ceci, Warren Foegele, Hyman, and McDavid all had multi-point nights for the Oilers, with a whopping nine players registering a point.
Connor McDavid over 1.5 points
+110
Key injuries
The Oilers are nearly entirely healthy. The only blemish on their injury report is centre Derek Ryan. He is day-to-day, though it is with an undisclosed injury. Part of the Oilers’ success is no doubt due to the fact that all the key players are in the lineup.
The Bruins are getting a bit thin at centre, however. Pavel Zacha is day-to-day, though he did suit up against Toronto. Defenceman Hampus Lindholm was skating but it isn’t clear when he may return to the Bruins’ lineup.
Betting trends
- The Oilers have been on fire against the spread (puckline) of late. They have covered in their last four games, following a streak in which they failed to cover in three in a row. That said, they are average (29-30) against the puckline this season.
- The Bruins are as streaky as can be both against the puckline and over/under. They have had streaks of five, two, and two covering but streaks of four and three failing to do so since Jan. 13. Likewise, they have been streaky against the over-under, featuring a streak of three overs and five unders at one point.
- Surprising as it may be, the Oilers haven’t been very good when it comes to the over these days. They pulled off the feat nearly on their own against the Penguins, but it was their first time in four games and just their second in seven games.
Player prop trends
- It’s a cliché by now, but McDavid is on fire. He has at least one point in 11 straight games, nine of which have been multi-point efforts. He has had at least one assist in all 11 of those games as well.
- Brad Marchand has been quite frigid of late. He is second on the Bruins in scoring with 54 points but has just two points in his last six games (both assists). Since the start of February, he has just two goals as well.
- There may be no hotter scorer on the Oilers than Hyman. He had his third multi-goal game in five contests the last time out and has a goal in seven of eight (10 goals total). He currently leads the team with 42 goals, trailing only Auston Matthews of the Leafs (53) for the league lead.
Wagers to consider
- Until proven otherwise, it’s hard to go against McDavid. His prop is set at 1.5 points (+110) and he has been a machine with nine multi-point games in 11 contests. It seems silly not to back him now.
- These two put up the numbers offensively when they met back on Feb. 21 in Edmonton. There is too much offensive firepower here to expect a low-scoring game, so hammer the over (6, -120).
- Another likely goal contributor for the Oilers is Hyman. Look for him to score anytime (+140) as he continues to battle Sam Reinhart for second in the NHL’s goal scoring race.
