Edmonton Oilers vs Colorado Avalanche Prediction, Preview and Odds - 04/18/2024

Game Time: 9:30 pm ET, Thursday, April 18, 2024

Venue:  Ball Arena, Denver, CO 

Where to Watch:  ESPN

DraftKings:  Moneyline:  Oilers +115, Avalanche -135; Over/Under:  6.5 goals

Bet365:  Moneyline:  Oilers +115, Avalanche -135; Over/Under:  6.5 goals

BetMGM:  Moneyline:  Oilers +115, Avalanche -135; Over/Under:  6.5 goals

Edmonton Oilers:  49-25-6 (2nd place, Pacific Division)

Colorado Avalanche:  49-25-7 (3rd place, Central Division)

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Edmonton Oilers:  6-2-2 last 10

Colorado Avalanche:  3-5-2 last 10

The Oilers are entering this game with 104 points, a 49-25-6 record overall, and they are 21-16-2 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a win against the San Jose Sharks in their last game, winning that one at home 9-2, but this is also the 2nd game of a back-to-back for them with their game against the Arizona Coyotes still to be played on Wednesday night. In their game against the Sharks, Warren Foegele led the team in goals scored with 2 while Adam Henrique, Dylan Holloway, Evan Bouchard, Zach Hyman, Connor McDavid, Corey Perry, and Cody Ceci each scored 1 goal for them in that game. Darnell Nurse led the team in assists with 3 while Warren Foegele led the team in shots on net in that game with 9. Stuart Skinner was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 2 goals on 21 shots with 19 saves and a .905 save percentage. Their offense has scored 291 goals this season averaging 3.6 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 227 goals against them allowing 2.8 goals per game.

The Avalanche are entering this game with 105 points, a 49-25-7 record overall, and they are 30-9-1 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a loss against the Vegas Golden Knights in their last game, losing that one on the road 4-3 in overtime. Cale Makar, Ross Colton, and Mikko Rantanen each scored 1 goal for them in that game. Cale Makar, Artturi Lehkonen, Nathan MacKinnon, Josh Manson, Valeri Nichushkin, and Miles Wood each led the team in assists with 1 while Mikko Rantanen led the team in shots on net in that game with 6. Alexandar Georgiev was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 4 goals on 30 shots with 26 saves and a .867 sv percentage. Their offense has scored 299 goals this season averaging 3.7 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 253 goals against them allowing 3.1 goals per game.

The current betting odds have the Avalanche listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Avalanche have looked really good in their games this season with their 49-25-7 record overall which has them in 3rd place of their division in the West and locked into their playoff spot. They can't move up or down with this last game of the regular season but they have looked great on home ice all year with their 30-9-1 home record. Meanwhile, the Oilers have also looked really good in their games this season with their 49-25-6 record overall which has them in 2nd place of their division in the West and just like the Avalanche, they are locked into their playoff spot. They have 2 games left in the regular season but they still can't move up or down in the standings, and they haven't looked as good in their road games this year with their 21-16-2 road record. The Oilers have been the hotter team coming into this one with their 6-2-2 record in their last 10 games while the Avalanche have looked terrible lately with their 3-5-2 record in their last 10 games, but the Oilers are also in a bad situation here. The Oilers are playing this game on a back-to-back and they will likely rest some players in this game since it is meaningless for both teams. The Avalanche have looked terrible lately and have lost 2 games in a row now, but they need to get themselves back on track with some momentum going into the playoffs and they will use this game to get a much needed win so they don't go into the playoffs in a slump. The best way to place a bet here is on the Avalanche to win this game. 

Oilers Avalanche Prediction:  Our NHL Pick for Thursday, April 18, 2024 (9:30 pm ET start time) is Avalanche 4 Oilers 2.

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Edmonton Oilers: 57-51 (-16.1 units) on the moneyline after 1 or more consecutive losses. 44-37 (-11.8 units) on the moneyline after playing 2 straight games where 7 or more total goals were scored. 23-14 OVER off a road blowout loss by 3 goals or more. 13-7 OVER when playing their 2nd road game in 2 days.

Colorado Avalanche: 22-10 (+10.2 units) on the moneyline after 2 or more consecutive losses. 21-8 (+9.4 units) on the moneyline revenging a road loss versus opponent by 2 goals or more. 29-18 OVER after one or more consecutive overs. 12-4 OVER after a road game where both teams score 3 or more goals.

Edmonton Oilers:  E. Kane (LW) Ques Wed - Undisclosed.

Colorado Avalanche:  S. Girard (D) Ques Thurs - Concussion. L. O'Connor (RW) out for season - Hip. P. Francouz (G) out for season - Groin. G. Landeskog (LW) out for season - Knee.

“It means a lot. Those three are obviously three of the greatest players to ever play. To share a little something with them, it means a lot to me. It has been a different type of year, but everybody stuck with it, and we’ve put ourselves in a good spot heading into when it matters most.” - Connor McDavid after their win against the Sharks in their game on Monday.

“When you get into a game with a team that makes a push, you've got to continue to push back. We didn't push back hard enough, but at the end of the day, you can't take dumb penalties in a tight game. You just can't. That's the difference in the hockey game for me." - Jared Bednar after his team’s loss against the Golden Knights in their game on Sunday.

LW Henrique, Adam

C McDavid, Connor

RW Hyman, Zach

LD Ekholm, Mattias

RD Bouchard, Evan

G Skinner, Stuart

LW Drouin, Jonathan

C MacKinnon, Nathan

RW Lehkonen, Artturi

LD Toews, Devon

RD Makar, Cale

G Georgiev, Alexandar

Points: C. McDavid (132)

Goals: Z. Hyman (54)

Assists: C. McDavid (100)

GAA: C. Pickard (2.41)

Points: N. MacKinnon (138)

Goals: N. MacKinnon (51)

Assists: N. MacKinnon (87)

GAA: J. Annunen (2.35)

Coaches:

Edmonton Oilers: Kris Knoblauch (1st season)

Colorado Avalanche: Jared Bednar (8th season)