The Edmonton Oilers are starting to heat up, as they’ve won three straight games, while the Colorado Avalanche are hoping to avoid their third straight loss.
While the Oilers have tightened up defensively and are dominating their opponents, the Avs are coming off of one of their worst losses of the season against the Seattle Kraken.
See who has the betting edge with our Avalanche vs. Oilers NHL picks and predictions for Friday, April 22.
Avalanche vs Oilers odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
The Oilers opened up as +100 home underdogs, the line has moved slightly to -105. The total opened up at 6.5 and hasn’t had any movement.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right until puck drop and be sure to check out the full NHL odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.
Avalanche vs Oilers predictions
Predictions made on 4/22/2022 at 12:10 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Avalanche vs Oilers game info
• Location: Rogers Place, Edmonton, AB
• Date: Friday, April 22, 2022
• Puck drop: 9:00 p.m. ET
• TV: Sportsnet, ALT
Avalanche vs Oilers betting preview
Key injuries
Avalanche: Devon Toews D (Out), Mikko Rantanen F (Questionable), Erik Johnson D (Questionable), Ryan Murray D (Out), Gabriel Landeskog F (Out).
Oilers: Josh Archibald F (Out).
Find our latest NHL injury reports.
Avalanche vs Oilers head-to-head record
Avalanche: 2-0-0 SU, 5 goals for.
Oilers: 0-0-2 SU, 3 goals for.
Betting trend to know
The Oilers are 7-1 in their last eight games following a win. Find more NHL betting trends for Avalanche vs. Oilers.
Avalanche vs Oilers picks and predictions
Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.
Moneyline analysis
The Colorado Avalanche aren’t fully healthy right now — they’re missing some key players from their lineup and it’s showing in the way they’re playing. They have now lost two straight games and were outplayed by one of the worst teams in the NHL in their previous outing against Seattle. The Kraken won the expected goals battle by a 2.69 - 2.10 rating and also outshot the Avs.
The Edmonton Oilers are starting to look very scary and are so close to securing home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. The Oilers have won three straight games and outscored their opponents by a whopping 13-2 in that span.
Mike Smith is really picking up his play, as he’s recorded two shutouts in those three games. He hasn’t played that many games this season, skating to a 14-9-2 record with a 2.88 GAA and a .913 save percentage. He’s the main reason why the Oilers have been the second-best defensive team in the NHL in the past week, only averaging 0.67 goals against per game.
The previous two games for the Avalanche are the most we’ve seen their offense struggle this season, not generating many high-danger chances and only scoring two goals in each game.
This is a great game to take Edmonton as a home underdog — they’re playing better hockey and they can take advantage of an unhealthy Avalanche team.
Prediction: Oilers ML (-105 at BetMGM)
Over/Under analysis
After getting the last game off, Darcy Kuemper is set to get the start for the Avalanche, and he has had a very strong season. Kuemper is 36-10-3 with a 2.43 GAA and a .924 save percentage, along with a fifth-best 21.8 GSAx. As good as he’s been this year, the team hasn’t been that exceptional in front of him. The Avs allow the 10th-most high-danger chances against, currently surrendering 12.01 per game. They rely heavily on their offense to win them games, but they might be slowing down without Rantanen and Landeskog in the lineup.
Mike Smith has been incredible in his last three starts for the Oilers, only giving up two goals on a total of 105 shots faced. Smith didn’t get the start in the last meeting between these two teams, but he doesn’t need any extra motivation, as he’s trying to lead this team on a playoff run.
With the way the Avs offense has played in its previous two games and the health of the lineup, I don’t see Colorado exploding offensively, and I think Kuemper will help keep this game close. 6.5 is too high of a number — I like the Under.
Prediction: Under 6.5 (-110 at BetMGM)
Best bet
The Oilers are 8-1-1 in their last 10 games and one of those losses was in a shootout against the Avs. The Oilers actually outplayed them completely in that game, but Kuemper had one of the best performances of his career. It’s highly unlikely that he will put together another performance like that.
Connor McDavid is buzzing right now, with one goal and four assists during the three-game win streak. So is Leon Draisaitl, who has three goals and one assist including a hat-trick.
The Oilers’ penalty kill has been excellent, as they have not allowed a shorthanded goal in six games, while the Avalanche haven’t converted on the power-play in two straight games.
Everything right now is leaning toward the Oilers — the Avs have locked up first place in the Central division, and Edmonton can pull off the much-needed win on home ice.
Pick: Oilers ML (-105 at BetMGM)
