The Edmonton Oilers will try and make up some ground in their chase for a playoff spot in the West this Monday night against one of the top two teams in the conference when they clash with the Anaheim Ducks at the Honda Center. This game is set to get underway at 10:00 p.m. (ET), and it will be available on NHL Center Ice.

The Oilers have not helped their chances with back-to-back losses to Vancouver and Los Angeles by a combined score of 8-1 in their last two outings. They are now four points out of the eighth and final spot with an overall record of 16-15-7. Edmonton is 8-10-3 on the road this season, and the total has stayed “under” in four of its last six games.

Along with Chicago, the Ducks have been far and away one of the top teams in the West with an overall record of 26-8-5 that includes a 15-5 record at home. They are 4-2 in their last six games after knocking off the Kings 4-3 in a shootout this past Sunday as -107 home favorites. The total went “over” the five-goal line after staying under in five of their previous six outings.

Oilers at Ducks Betting Storylines

If Edmonton is going to have any shot at turning things around with a win on Monday night, it will quickly need to find some offense that has been sorely missing in its last two games. Before this sudden drought, the Oilers had been peppering the back of the net with a total of 25 goals during a recent five-game winning streak. Sam Gagner continues to lead the way with a team-high 14 goals, and Taylor Hall leads in points with 13 goals and 28 assists.

Devan Dubnyk has spent the majority of the time in goal for the Oilers this season and comes into this matchup with a 2.52 goals-against average and a save percentage of .922. Overall, the team is ranked 19th in the NHL in goals allowed with a GAA of 2.7, but it continues to do a good job against the power play with an 83.5 percent kill rate.

Anaheim may have a hard time catching Chicago for the top spot in the conference with a five-point deficit and just nine games left to play in the regular season. Nonetheless, it has pretty much locked up the No.2 seed, which would ensure home ice through the first two rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The overall concern has to be a lackluster 4-5-1 record in its last 10 games.

During this run, the Ducks have averaged just 2.1 goals a game as compared to a season average of 2.9, which is the sixth-highest total in the league. Defensively, they have allowed 2.7 goals a game, which is a slight uptick from its overall 2.4 GAA. Viktor Fasth and Jonas Hiller continue to spit time in goal. Fasth has gotten the call in the last four contests, so look for Hiller to man the net in this one with the quick turnaround from Sunday’s game.

Oilers at Ducks NHL Betting Odds and Trends

The Oilers have been listed as +140 road underdogs on BetOnline’s opening money line with Anaheim listed as a -154 home favorite. The over/under for this contest has been set at 5.5.

The Oilers are 4-1 in their last five games on one day’s rest but just 16-50 in their last 66 games against teams from the Pacific Division. The total has stayed under in six of their last seven games played on a Monday.

The Ducks are 15-7 in their last 22 games following a win and a perfect 6-0 in their last six outings against the Northwest Division. The total has gone over in seven of their last nine games at home.

The road team in this series is 4-1 in the last five meetings. However, Edmonton has won only one of the last seven meetings overall. The total has stayed under in six of the last seven games between the two.

Oilers at Ducks Picks and Betting Predictions

It’s crunch time for Edmonton as it cannot afford too many more losses to stay in the playoff race. Look for the Ducks’ lack of consistency down the stretch to once again come up and bite them. The Oilers bounce back just in time to find the form they displayed in that recent five-game tear to steal a win in this one.

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