The Boston Bruins will look to pick up their first victory of 2017 when they welcome Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers to town Thursday night.
The Bruins opened the new year with a 3-0 loss in New Jersey as -146 favorites Monday to end a brief two-game win streak, and head into Thursday’s Oilers vs. Bruins betting matchup at TD Garden in the playoff hunt despite recording wins in just five of their past 14 contests.
The Bruins are 2-4-0 in their past six home dates, getting outscored by an 18-11 margin, and now sport a 9-9-0 record at TD Garden. That battle with inconsistency has done little to help their stalled odds to win the Stanley Cup, which sit at +2800, a slight drop from the +2500 odds they owned on opening night.
The Oilers travel to Boston after kicking off a four-game road trip in Columbus on Tuesday night with a 3-1 loss to the NHL-leading Blue Jackets as +145 underdogs. Edmonton also has struggled with inconsistency, resulting in losing streaks of three or more games on four occasions during the first half of the campaign.
However, the Oilers have emerged as road warriors this season, and lead the Pacific Division with a 10-6-5 record in contests away from Rogers Place.
Edmonton also has enjoyed success in recent dates with the Bruins, winning three straight including a 3-2 victory as +152 betting underdogs in its last visit to Boston 13 months ago, according to the OddsShark NHL Database.
Following Thursday night’s contest, the Bruins embark on a four-game road trip that opens in Florida on Saturday before they travel to Carolina on Sunday. The Bruins have struggled to pick up points on the road since storming out of the gate with wins in seven of their first 10 away games, going 4-4-4 in 12 road contests since then.
Boston claimed a 3-1 win over the Panthers as -111 road favorites on Dec. 22, but dropped a 3-2 decision as +103 underdogs in Carolina the following night in its third loss in its last four meetings with the Hurricanes.
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