Head-to-head history
Dating back to 2022, the Oilers have dominated the Blackhawks, winning six of seven meetings. However, Chicago did win their most recent matchup with Edmonton last October by a score of 5-2. The victories for the Oilers during that span have been relatively lopsided and that could certainly be the case again on Saturday if they get into a rhythm early.
Oilers a contender again
Edmonton is having another impressive season after losing in Game Seven of the Stanley Cup last summer to the Florida Panthers. The Oilers are 25-13-3, which puts them second in the Pacific Division and fifth in the Western Conference overall. As previously mentioned, the Cup finalists have only lost three times in their last 10 appearances and continue to play quality hockey on both ends of the ice.
During this run, they’ve beaten several solid opponents, including the Golden Knights, Bruins, Utah, and Kraken. As per usual, offense is a clear strength for Edmonton, sitting eighth in the league in goals scored. Leon Draisaitl leads the way with 31 goal and 30 assists for 61 points, while McDavid had 16 goals and 42 assists as well.
The supporting cast did get off to a slow start but they’ve been better over the last month. Evan Bouchard has 31 points, while Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins have both surpassed the 20-point mark. Defensively, the Oilers are top-10 in most categories, with both Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard playing well in between the posts. The visitors sit as a -278 favorite for Saturday’s game at Sports Interaction.
Blackhawks still a work in progress
Drafting Bedard number one overall was hopefully the start of a better future for the Blackhawks, but that’s not the case quite yet. They’re still well below .500 with a 14-25-2 record. Chicago is eighth in the Central Division and dead last in the West. It hasn’t been the campaign Hawks fans would’ve envisioned.
The reality is Bedard has played inconsistent hockey at times, too. He has just 11 goals in 41 games, although the superstar has added 26 assists. However, Chicago definitely expects him to be scoring the puck a lot more after his rookie season where he had only 22 goals. The Blackhawks are 30th in goals scored and have struggled to get production from their entire roster.
Tyler Bertuzzi’s 11 goals are a team-best but he also has just eight assists. Chicago is also allowing 3.37 goals per contest, which is 27th in the league. There’s not much going right for this organization and fans have voiced their frustration lately. Nick Foligno even admitted he understands where they’re coming from and said the Hawks must be a mile better. It clearly won’t get any easier on Saturday against a Cup contender in the Oilers, which is exactly why the hosts are such a heavy underdog at NHL sportsbooks.
