An eventful Hockey Day in Canada concludes with a marquee West Coast clash between the Edmonton Oilers and the Vancouver Canucks.
The pregame narrative: Plenty of attention will be on J.T. Miller, the Canucks’ embattled centre who recently drew the ire of his head coach. I’m fading Miller on Saturday night and looking for Leon Draisaitl to cash the over on his shots prop.
Check out my Oilers vs. Canucks prop picks for Jan. 18.
Oilers vs. Canucks prop picks
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Best bet: Miller under 0.5 points (-103)
The vibes aren’t particularly high for the Canucks right now, as they sit outside the playoff picture with less than half the season to play.
And on the individual player level, the vibes have probably never been lower for Miller.
In Thursday’s game against the Los Angeles Kings, Miller had a rough night in which he left his team out to dry multiple times. As a result, he got an earful from head coach Rick Tocchet.
After the game, Tocchet had this to say about Miller: “It seems like every time he’s on the ice, something bad happens.”
Hurtful, but not as far from the truth as you might think. It’s been a brutal five-game stretch for the veteran centre:
- 0 points
- -5 rating
- 10 shotes
- 15:56 average ice time
Miller has skated fewer than 15 minutes in three straight games. He’d only done that twice previously this season.
Either for a playoff push or a trade chip, the Canucks would certainly love to get Miller going. But I don’t see it happening tonight.
Edmonton is an exceptionally responsible team on the defensive side, ranking fourth in chances allowed per 60 and third in expected goals allowed per 60 (according to Natural Stat Trick).
Key stat: Dating back to last year’s playoff matchup, Miller has one point and a -4 rating in his past five games against the Oilers.
Quick pick
Draisaitl over 2.5 shots (-125): As long as Draisaitl’s shots prop is set at 2.5, I’m going to have to at least glance at the over.
He’s on a superb run right now, cashing this bet in seven of his past eight games — averaging 3.9 shots in that span.
On the season, Draisaitl has gone over 2.5 shots in 29 of 45 games (64.4%).
The Canucks allow the eighth-fewest shots per 60, but I’m not deterred by the matchup.
In 12 games against Vancouver since the start of last year (playoffs included), Draisaitl has averaged 3.6 shots and hit this over nine times.
Picks made at 12:10 p.m. ET on 01/18/2025.
Jordan enjoys writing data-driven game previews and analysis articles — especially for MLB markets or NFL/NBA props. And as a proud Ohio University grad, he’ll always have a soft spot for college sports (especially if the Bobcats are involved). Previous stops include mlb.com, Sportsnet and The Athletic.