This Thursday night matchup in Alberta is a tale of two teams going in opposite directions. The streaking Edmonton Oilers will host the reeling Chicago Blackhawks. It is time to continue our NHL odds series with a Blackhawks-Oilers prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.

The Blackhawks are outperforming expectations since the departure of Connor Bedard from their lineup. Bedard was hit high in their January 5th game against the New Jersey Devils, sending him out of the lineup for six weeks with a broken jaw. Many expected the Blackhawks to plummet to the bottom of the standings after his departure, but they managed to win some games. They were 3-5 since the injury but have been held to one or fewer goals in all the losses. Two of their wins saw them score four goals, but one win was a 2-1 result in a shootout, which marks another game where they failed to score more than one goal.

The Oilers are on a 14-game winning streak, helping them climb to 3rd in the Pacific Division. The run was well-needed, as the Oilers were the worst team in the NHL at one point. Since hiring their new coach, Kris Knoblauch, the Oilers look like a different team. Their biggest worry was defensive play, but they haven't allowed more than two goals since December 2nd, which was the second win of the streak. The Oilers are seven points back of Vegas with five games in hand and 13 points back of Vancouver with four games in hand. It will be a long road back, but it isn't inconceivable that they will make a run for first place by the season's end.

Here are the NHL Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

NHL Odds: Blackhawks-Oilers Odds

Chicago Blackhawks: +1.5 (+134)

Moneyline: (+320)

Edmonton Oilers: -1.5 (-162)

Moneyline: (-420)

Over: 6.5 (-115)

Under: 6.5 (-105)

How to Watch Blackhawks vs. Oilers

Time: 9 PM ET/6 PM PT

TV: NBC Sports, Sportsnet

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Blackhawks Will Cover The Spread/Win

It isn't often in the NHL when you get a team to cover the spread at plus money. It isn't easy to do when you face Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, but the Blackhawks and Petr Mrazek have prior success against the Oilers. The Blackhawks welcomed the Oilers to town on January 9th and held the high-powered Oilers offense to just two goals. The Oilers managed to win 2-1, but there is some history to prove they can cover the spread.

Why The Oilers Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Blackhawks have scored one or fewer goals in six of eight games since Connor Bedard's injury. The Oilers haven't allowed more than two goals in 12 games. The Blackhawks are doing a fine job of shutting down their opponents, but no one has been able to slow McDavid or Draisaitl lately. The Oilers scored 15 goals in their last four games but will face Petr Mrazek on Thursday night. Arvid Soderblom would be the more favorable matchup, but he starts on Wednesday night when the Blackhawks play the Kraken.

Final Blackhawks-Oilers Prediction & Pick

There's no way you can trust the Blackhawks to cover this spread against a red-hot Oilers team. They were able to do it in Chicago at the beginning of January, but the Oilers are rolling and get the home-ice advantage in this matchup. The Blackhawks have barely been able to score more than a goal since Bedard's absence, so they would need to hold the Oilers to just two goals on home ice to cover the spread. When looking at the Oilers' side, there is too much juice on the spread to trust them at -1.5.

Instead, we're going to focus on the under in this matchup. The Blackhawks have 11 goals in eight games before their game against the Kraken on Wednesday night and likely won't have much left for the Oilers on Thursday. The Oilers might be able to score six goals in this game and still see the under cash.

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Final Blackhawks-Oilers Prediction & Pick: Under 6.5 (-105)