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Matt Kartozian / USA TODAY Sports

Captain Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane helped lead the Chicago Blackhawks to three Stanley Cup championships over six years last decade. The Edmonton Oilers are hoping their dynamic duo of captain Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl can do the same for them in the 2020s. The Oilers begin that lofty quest Saturday as they host the Blackhawks for the opener of their best-of-five 2020 Stanley Cup Qualifier series. Edmonton, which has the great fortune of playing in its own arena in this unique format during the coronavirus pandemic, last hoisted the Cup in 1990 and has appeared in the Final just once (2016) since.

The opening faceoff from Rogers Place in Edmonton is set for 3 p.m. ET. Edmonton is the -160 favorite on the money line in the latest Blackhawks vs. Oilers odds from William Hill, while the over-under for total goals scored is six. Before making any Oilers vs. Blackhawks picks, check out the NHL predictions from SportsLine handicapper Bill Marzano

Marzano is a veteran handicapper who goes beyond the eye test to analyze stats and trends, injuries and personnel while using all the resources he's compiled over the years. Over the past four years, he returned more than $10,000 to $100 players with his NHL picks.

Now, Marzano has studied Blackhawks vs. Oilers from every possible angle and released a confident moneyline pick. You can visit SportsLine now to see it. Here are the NHL lines via William Hill and trends for Oilers vs. Blackhawks:

  • Blackhawks vs. Oilers moneyline: Chicago +140, Edmonton -160
  • Blackhawks vs. Oilers puck line: Edmonton -1.5
  • Blackhawks vs. Oilers over-under: 6 goals
  • CHI: RW Patrick Kane scored five goals over his final five regular-season games
  • EDM: C Connor McDavid notched 10 points in his last six contests

Why you should back the Blackhawks

Kane and Toews bring a wealth of big-game experience and success into this matchup and are capable of helping Chicago pull off the upset. Both are Conn Smythe Trophy recipients, with Toews winning in 2010 and Kane earning the award three years later. Defenseman Duncan Keith gives the Blackhawks three players who were on all three of the franchise's championship teams last decade.

Kane led Chicago with 33 goals, 51 assists and 84 points this season. The 31-year-old, who was the first overall pick in the 2007 NHL Draft, has amassed 50 tallies --10 game-winners -- and 123 points in 127 career postseason games. The 32-year-old Toews was second on the Blackhawks in 2019-20 with 60 points and has registered 110 (40 goals) in 128 playoff contests.

Why you should back the Oilers

Draisaitl recorded a career-high 110 points this season, giving Edmonton three of the last four Art Ross Trophy winners. The 24-year-old German joined McDavid as the only Oilers to post back-to-back 100-point seasons since Wayne Gretzky, who registered nine straight from 1979-88. Draisaitl, who also notched a personal-best 67 assists, has a chance to become the fourth Oiler (McDavid, Gretzky - eight times, Mark Messier) to win the Hart Trophy after being named a finalist last week.

The 23-year-old McDavid fell just shy of his fourth consecutive 100-point season, finishing with 97. He went more than one game without a point only twice in 2019-20, with the last occurrence being a two-game stretch from Dec. 18-20. Draisaitl and McDavid are the seventh pair of teammates to finish first and second in the NHL in scoring over the last 44 years and first since Tampa Bay's Martin St. Louis (60 points) and Steven Stamkos (57) in 2012-13.

How to make Blackhawks vs. Oilers picks

Marzano is leaning under the total, but his stronger play is on the moneyline as he's found a critical X-factor that has him jumping all over one side. You can only get the pick at SportsLine.

So who wins Blackhawks vs. Oilers? And what critical X-factor makes one side a must back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Oilers vs. Blackhawks moneyline to jump on Saturday, all from the veteran handicapper who has earned his NHL followers more than $10,000 in profit over the last four years.