The Detroit Red Wings are in Oil country Saturday facing an Edmonton team in the midst of its first hot streak since early November.
Edmonton went into the break off back-to-back shootouts against the Sharks and Canucks, earning three points. They returned with a 3-2 win over Colorado and then caught the attention of the hockey betting world Thursday when the team doubled up Chicago 8-4.
Trailing 2-0, Sam Gagne went to work with an eight-point performance warranting personal calls and text messages from Paul Coffey and the Great One himself, Wayne Gretzky.
Current day star Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (shoulder) is also back in the lineup Saturday for the first time in over a month and Edmonton could be catching the Red Wings at just the right time.
Detroit has won seven-straight games against the Oilers but Jimmy Howard (finger) is out and that puts journeyman goaltender and one-time Oiler Ty Conklin (3-5, 2.40 GAA) under the spotlight.
Conklin saw relief action just before the break in Montreal, playing behind a disinterested Red Wings squad that was already in vacation mode but this is his first start since Jan. 17. He’s done an alright job fulfilling his role as backup and all 10 games this season were on the road but Detroit’s offense does not provide a lot of support. The Wings have scored only 20 goals in Conklin’s 10 games, or an average of two goals per game.
NHL Picks: Oddsmakers give Detroit a ‘fan favorite’ boost with NHL odds for nearly every game and tonight is no different. The current price at online sportsbooks is Red Wings -160 and that translates to a +140 payback on fiery, young Oilers team gunning for a victory vs. the conference leader. The upset chips are stacked in Edmonton’s favor.
Check out all tonight’s NHL odds