The two greatest Canadian players of this millennium meet when the Edmonton Oilers host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday.
The pregame narrative: Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby have the same goal: A Stanley Cup. But neither the Oilers nor Penguins are off to great starts thanks to suspect goaltending. Take the over and back Crosby to notch a point with Zach Hyman in a plus-money parlay.
Check out my Penguins vs. Oilers picks for Oct. 25.
Penguins vs. Oilers picks
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Best Bet: Over 6.5 goals (-132)
The Penguins (3-4-1) and Oilers (2-4-1) have just five wins between them while ranking 31st and 27th in goals allowed per game.
Edmonton has actually played great defensively, allowing the second-fewest 5v5 chances per 60 (51.63), according to Natural Stat Trick, but Stuart Skinner is in gas-can mode.
The fifth-year netminder has a 3.74 GAA and .866 SV% through five starts, allowing at least three goals in every game.
McDavid and Co. can typically outscore that type of goaltending, but it hasn’t been the case so far. Tonight, though, the Oilers should light up the scoreboard.
Pittsburgh has turned away from Tristan Jarry after a horrible start to the year. Alex Nedeljkovic is expected to start tonight and he hasn’t been great either, posting a 3.86 GAA and .869 SV% across two starts.
The 28-year-old has had his fair share of NHL action, but going up against a desperate Oilers team in Edmonton seems like a recipe for disaster.
Key stat: Edmonton scored the second-most goals per game at home (4.12) last season.
Quick pick
Parlay: Crosby, Hyman 1+ points each (+135): Some folks on the internet have been calling Hyman “Agent 007” referencing his zero goals and zero assists in seven games … but how long can that really last?
Hyman scored a career-high 54 goals last year to pair with 23 points in 80 games (0.96 points/game). He’s riding shotgun with McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins while playing on Edmonton’s first power play.
With how poor Pittsburgh’s defence has been, this seems like an opportune spot to get off the schneid.
As for Crosby, the future Hall of Famer hasn’t missed a beat in his 20th season.
He’s only found the net once but has seven points in eight games and is leading all Pittsburgh skaters with 42 scoring chances.
Crosby played at a 1.16 PPG pace over the last three seasons and shouldn’t have trouble against Skinner.
Picks made at 10:45 a.m. on 10/25/2024.
Avery joined NorthStar Gaming as an intern in 2022 before stepping into a full-time role soon after. He loves betting on and analyzing golf — mainly because it’s easier than actually playing — but is a fan of all sports, from the NFL to the UFC.