NHL Odds: Bruins Favorites In Home Matchup With Oilers On Thursday
The Boston Bruins will be back in action Thursday night when they host the Edmonton Oilers, having rebounded from an ugly opener to the NHL season last week.
The Bruins suffered a 7-0 loss against the defending Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals on opening night, but subsequently recorded decisive victories over the Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators. The Bruins now are pegged as an improved +1000 bet on the Stanley Cup odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
The club’s stars put on a show in Monday’s 6-3 victory over the Senators as -270 home chalk. Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak each racked up four points in the win while Brad Marchand and Charlie McAvoy each contributed three assists. That bodes well for the Bruins, who have struggled in recent dates with Edmonton, coming up short in six of their past seven meetings ahead of Thursday night’s matchup at TD Garden.
The Bruins take on an Oilers squad that returns to action Thursday after opening their campaign with a 5-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils in Gothenburg, Sweden. Edmonton mustered just 19 shots on goal in its season-opening loss and extended a shaky stretch on the road that saw it close out last season with just three wins in its final nine contests away from Rogers Place.
However, the Oilers showed signs of regaining their playoff-contending form of 2017 during an impressive 6-1-0 run in preseason action, and travel to Boston as a +750 bet to finish the season atop the Pacific Division standings.
Following Thursday night’s date with the Oilers, the Bruins close out their current three-game homestand with a visit from the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday before hitting the road for a four-game cross-Canada road trip.
Pegged as +20000 longshots on the Stanley Cup odds at the close of preseason action, the Red Wings are winless in the new season but have seen two of their three outings go beyond 60 minutes including Monday’s 3-2 shootout loss in Anaheim against the Ducks as +170 underdogs.
The Red Wings have forced overtime on three occasions during a six-game losing streak against Boston, and have seen nine of their past 13 meetings with the Bruins settled by one goal, according to the OddsShark NHL Database.
The Bruins kick off their Canadian swing in Calgary next week before making visits to Edmonton, Vancouver, and Ottawa. Boston finished last season as one of the NHL’s top road teams, racking up a 22-12-7 record, but has tallied consecutive wins just once during its current 5-7-3 regular season run away from TD Garden.
