After a small slate yesterday, the NHL has 7 games on tap tonight. There’s a bunch of great matchups which should make for an exciting night of hockey. Lets get into tonight’s picks…
Vegas Golden Knights @ Edmonton Oilers
- Time: 9:00 PM ET
- TV Coverage: ESPN +
- Vegas Golden Knights: 27-16-3, 1st Pacific (13-6-1 Away)
- Edmonton Oilers: 23-16-3, 5th Pacific (12-8-0 Home)
| Team | Opening ML | Current ML | Spread | Total |
| Vegas Golden Knights | -105 | -120 | -1.5 (+210) | o6.0 (-125) |
| Edmonton Oilers | -120 | +100 | +1.5 (-260) | u6.0 (+105) |
Trends:
- Vegas are 4-2 SU in their last 6 games.
- Vegas are 8-2 SU in their last 10 games on the road.
- Edmonton are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games.
- Edmonton are 3-7 SU in their last 10 games at home.
Preview:
Vegas Golden Knights
The Golden Knights return to the ice for the first time following the All-Star break, which they hosted. Currently, Vegas sits in first place in the Pacific division with a two point lead over the Los Angeles Kings.
Vegas ranks 8th in Goals For per game averaging 3.35 but, in their last 10 games have struggled a bit only averaging 2.80. They do generate a lot of scoring chances with an xGoals % of 51.77%. Even with the amount of chances they create offensively, they have a +2.19 Goals For Above Expected, which is impressive. Their Power Play ranks 16th converting at a rate of 20.0%.
Chandler Stephenson, their leading scorer, is probable to return to the lineup tonight as he has exited COVID protocols and skated with the team this morning.
In their last 10 games, Vegas has been much better defensively only allowing an average of 2.60 goals against compared to their overall average of 2.96. The Golden Knights have a -5.65 Goals Against Above Expected which is middle of the road. While they rank 8th in terms of Shots on Goal Against, they have given up the most High Danger Shots Against (107). This could be an area of concern for them tonight as they face an Edmonton offense that can capitalize on those chances. Vegas ranks 17th in terms of Penalty Kill % with a 79.5% success rate.
Alec Martinez remains on injured reserve along with several other defenseman including Dylan Coghlan, Nicolas Hague, and Zach Whitecloud.
Robin Lehner will get the start for the Golden Knights with a +10.4 Goals Saved Above Expected in 33 games played. In his last four starts he’s allowed 2-2-2-0 Goals Against.
Edmonton Oilers
The Oilers will also return to the ice for the first time since the All-Star break where Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl represented the team. Edmonton has had a whirlwind of a season starting red hot to now sitting in 5th and outside a playoff spot.
Offensively the Oilers average 3.31 Goals For per game but in their last 10 have only been averaging 3.10 Goals For. They rank 10th in terms of Shots on Goal with an xGoals % of 50.58%. Their Power Play remains potent as it ranks 3rd with a conversion % of 28.4%.
Defensively, Edmonton has also been worse recently averaging 3.50 Goals Against compared to their overall average of 3.29. They rank 23rd in Shots on Goal Allowed and 6th worst in terms of High Danger Shots Against (70). Edmonton also has one of the worst Goals Against Above Expected in the NHL with a +8.05. Their Penalty Kill ranks 21st with a 77.4% success rate.
Mike Smith will start for the Oilers tonight as starting goaltender Mikko Koskinen has been placed in COVID protocol. Smith is also getting over a thumb injury so it’ll be interesting to see how well he plays here. He has a -3.7 Goals Saved Above Expected in six games played.
Pick:
- EDM/ VGS OVER 6.0 (-125)
- Vegas is without a majority of their defensive lineup while Edmonton is without their starting goaltender. Both teams have not been great offensively as of late, the first games after a break are usually a little sloppy which creates more chances up front for both teams.
- EDM/ VGS 1P OVER 1.5 (-155)
- In Edmonton’s last 10 games, they average 1.10 GF and 0.90 GA in the 1P. In Vegas’ last 10 games, they average 1.10 GF and 0.30 GA. That being said, Vegas does give up more goals against on the road while Edmonton averages more goals for at home.
Other Plays of the Night:
- Carolina Hurricanes 60 Minute Line (-150)
- Carolina was up 3-2 in the 3rd against Toronto last night and ended up losing 4-3 in Overtime. They face Ottawa who’s also coming off a game last night where they won 4-1 over the New Jersey Devils. The Hurricanes are 1-0 on No Days Rest After a Loss while New Jersey is 0-3 on No Days Rest After a Win. I’m not a huge trends guy but Carolina is a much better team than New Jersey and should rebound in this spot.
Best of luck, and as always you can find me on Twitter @GatorBetting and Instagram @Gator_Sports_Betting.
