NHL Hockey Betting: Edmonton Oilers at Calgary Flames

The NHL is back to work after the holiday break, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. On Sunday night at the bottom of a nine game schedule we’ve got a great rivalry game between the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames. These Alberta neighbors don’t like each other and the rivalry between their hockey teams is one of the more intense in the National Hockey League. The Flames got off to a shabby start this season but have roared back to life over the past month and entered the break as one of the hottest teams in the NHL. Calgary has won 8 of 10 and is now two points behind second place San Jose in the tightly packed Pacific Division.

Edmonton is also in good form–they lost a tough 2-1 overtime verdict to Vancouver on Saturday night but given their lethargic form it’s likely they could have been looking ahead to this matchup. Edmonton has won 7 of their last 11 and is out of the Pacific Division basement. In fact, they’re just four points behind the second place San Jose Sharks. Edmonton looked shaky immediately after Connor McDavid’s injury but they’ve recovered nicely thanks in large part to the play of Taylor Hall and Leon Draisitl. Their line with Teddy Purcell has been one of the best in the NHL over the past month. They’ve shown some improvement on the defensive end but they’re obviously not going to be a serious contender until they upgrade their blueline corps and goaltending.

The win/loss breakdown of this series is interesting because although Calgary holds a 9-3 record in the last 12 games they’ve done most of their damage on the Oilers’ home ice. At home, they’re just 3-3 in their last six meetings. The teams have split two games so far this season with each winning on the road. The Flames will be the more rested of the two teams but at this stage of the season that’s not necessarily an advantage. Hockey is a game of continuity and momentum so the scheduling is actually an advantage for the Oilers. We’ll follow the recent form in this series and take the road team at a decent underdog price.

BET EDMONTON OILERS +140 OVER CALGARY FLAMES