Hot Events: Oilers, Raptors, and Spring Training Action

Over here at UBET.io we’re gearing up for some incredible coverage coming up this weekend.

We make our first stop in Raleigh, NC, home of the Carolina Hurricanes as they host Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday. We then fly over to the ‘City Beautiful’ otherwise known as Orlando, FL where the Toronto Raptors come to town to take on the Magic on Sunday and on Tuesday. We’ll also slip in some spring training action in Lakeland, FL for the Toronto Blue Jays and Detroit Tigers matchup on Monday.

Lots of on-site content with interviews and analysis so be sure to follow @ubet_canada on Instagram.

As per usual, we release our blogs and newsletters on Friday, so we won’t have the odds available for the Raptors/Magic Sunday matchup so let’s pick things up with their matchup against the Chicago Bulls later this evening.

Toronto Raptors vs Chicago Bulls

Pick: Chicago Bulls Moneyline (-133)

The Raptors find themselves in the midst of a four game road trip, dropping the first of which to the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday. The Pacers easily covered the spread against the Raps as the line opened at -11.5 points for Indiana. Mind you, the Raptors squeaked in with a backdoor cover against the Celtics the night before by half a point, but that was with a healthy Scottie Barnes.

With Scottie listed as a game-time decision (hip contusion) we may see this line move even more in Chiago’s favor. Nikola Vucevic is also listed as GTD so if he’s to sit out, look for another big performance from Zach Collins sliding into a more prominent role. The Bulls hold the 10th spot which positions them as the final play-in spot. At this point of the season, Chicago has  more to play for, with potentially jumping Atlanta and possibly even Miami in the standings. They’re just not good enough to tank harder than Brooklyn, Toronto or even Philadelphia.

As the Raptors continue on with the ‘ethical tank’ they’re going to have to be careful with where they lie in the standings. They do have the easiest schedule left in the NBA by far, but it’s these games against fringe teams like the Bulls that they might want to take the ‘L’ and opt to rest their key players.

Edmonton Oilers vs Carolina Hurricanes

Pick 1: Carolina Hurricanes Moneyline (-140)

Contrary to our predictions last week, the Hurricanes have not looked great at all since the 4 Nations Faceoff. They were slapped around by the Leafs last Saturday and then shut out by the .500 Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday. They were able to right the ship on Thursday with a home win against the Buffalo Sabres as Rantanen was active, posting a goal and an assist, amongst the trade rumors.

Mind you, the Edmonton Oilers have not looked good either. They were pumped on back to back nights by the Flyers and the Capitols, followed by another loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Each of these three losses were by three or more goals. The most recent loss wass last night in a Stanley Cup rematch from last year against the Florida Panthers. Though they had their chances late and brought it closer with Hyman’s goal, they still fell short with the Panthers taking both matchups this season.

So what’s the play with two struggling teams? Take the squad that has had more recent success. Carolina beat Buffalo to secure the home win and even though it’s against one of the worst teams in the league, a win is a win. At this point in the season, you need to get points wherever you can and they’ll look to do so against an Edmonton team that’s dropped five straight. McDavid went on record to say that he’s still not feeling 100% after a long 4 Nations run and this road trip has proven to be tough on this struggling Oilers squad.

Pick 2: Over 3.5 Goals (+102)

When you look at the last few games for both of these hockey teams, there’s been a ton of goals surrendered. The Hurricanes have given up 11 goals in their last 3 games while the Oilers have let in a whopping 21 goals in 4 games. That’s 3.6 for Carolina and 5.25 for Edmonton, which is concerning. There’s been talks about Edmonton looking to upgrade their goalie situation but until then, they're going to have to stick with Stuart Skinner. 

While both teams have not been hitting the over as well this season, averaging just below 50% of the time, this is a matchup that seems favorable for both teams to get some decent scoring chances. We’re going to bank on the Hurricanes taking the edge over the Oilers, but both finding twine as Edmoton finishes this very tough road trip in Raleigh, Saturday night.