A meeting between Canadian rivals currently heading in different directions will highlight the NHL schedule for Wednesday night as the Toronto Maple Leafs host the slumping Edmonton Oilers as early -160 favourites on the NHL odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Toronto returns to action on the heels of a lopsided 6-0 win over the Ottawa Senators on New Year’s Day that extended the team’s current win streak to three games heading into Wednesday night’s matchup at Scotiabank Arena.
The Maple Leafs have outscored opponents by a 16-5 overall margin during their current 3-0-0 run. However, they could be without Auston Matthews against the Oilers after he tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday. A subsequent PCR test has reportedly come back negative, but the status of Matthews for Wednesday’s contest has yet to be determined.
Matthews picked up 10 goals and four assists in seven December games to claim NHL first star of the month honours, including a two-goal performance in a 5-1 win in Edmonton back on December 14. However, the Maple Leafs have enjoyed steady offensive contributions from up and down the lineup of late, with 10 different players scoring during their current three-game win streak.
Toronto has also dominated Edmonton in recent meetings, posting wins in 14 of their last 18 clashes since February 2016, and earning at least a point in each of their past nine matchups, according to the OddsShark NHL Database.
The Oilers ride a four-game losing streak into Wednesday’s contest as road underdogs, and got bad news on Tuesday afternoon when Connor McDavid tested positive for COVID-19. One of the hottest teams in the NHL through the first seven weeks of the season, the Oilers have struggled badly since early December, posting wins in just two of their past 12 contests.
Edmonton is coming off a 4-1 road loss to the New York Rangers on Monday night, and has been outscored by a 17-10 margin during its current 0-2-2 run. In addition to shaky goaltending, the Oilers have also suffered from a dip in performance by McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. The duo has combined for just 10 goals since the end of November, and the rest of the team’s shooters have scored an average of just 1.85 goals per game over that stretch.
Elsewhere on the Wednesday NHL odds at sports betting sites, the Pittsburgh Penguins will be looking to extend the NHL’s longest current win streak to nine games as they host the St. Louis Blues as -140 betting favourites. The Penguins have limited opponents to two or fewer goals on seven occasions during their current 8-0-0 run, but will be facing a Blues squad that has averaged four goals per game during an impressive 7-1-1 run.