NHL Odds, Preview, Prediction: Oilers vs Rangers (Friday, December 22)
New York Rangers’ Artemi Panarin stands on the ice during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Los Angeles Kings Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2022, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Oilers vs. Rangers Odds
| Oilers Odds | +126 |
| Rangers Odds | -152 |
| Over / Under | 6.5 -118 / -104 |
To borrow a line from the infallible Chazz Michael Michaels, "The New York Rangers are a freight train from hell, going straight up the ass of the competition." The Broadway Blueshirts lead the league with a stunning .750 points percentage, suffering just seven losses in regulation through the first 30 games of the season.
With two games in hand over the second-place Philadelphia Flyers and a tired Edmonton Oilers squad coming to town on Friday night, the Rangers can assert themselves atop the Metropolitan Division standings with a win.
The current betting price doesn't fairly and accurately represent their chances of victory, leaving an edge in backing the Rags on home ice.
Edmonton's path back up the standings has been a tumultuous one. After starting the season with just five wins through their first 18 games, the Oilers have responded by winning nine of their past 12, albeit with just one win in their last four. They face a stiff challenge in trying to get past the Rangers at Madison Square Garden, compounded by playing on the second night of a back-to-back and for the third time in four nights.
Goaltending-wise, the Oilers played their cards right. Kris Knoblauch reserved primary netminder Stuart Skinner for Friday night's affair; however, even at his best, Skinner hasn't performed like a true number one this season. The fourth-year pro has a disappointing 88.4% save percentage, yielding a 3.04 goals-against average.
His analytics profile paints an equally grim picture, with Skinner already getting torched or -10.4 goals saved above average and adjusted goals against average of 3.09. Worse, the Oilers' goalie has posted a save percentage of 85.7% or worse in three of his last four appearances.
Granted, the Oilers remain a solid analytics team, but goaltending will continue to hold them back, particularly on the second night of a back-to-back against the top Eastern Conference team in the league.
The Rangers are taking no prisoners this season, deploying one of the best top-to-bottom lineups in the NHL. New York has a lethal combination of elite goal scorers, defenders and goaltending, with a pool of complementary players making them a Stanley Cup contender. Coming into the contest on the strength of three straight wins, we expect the Rangers to make short work of their guests at MSG.
Led by Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad and Vincent Trocheck, the Rangers have established themselves as an offensive force. Five different players have already eclipsed 20 points on the season, contributing to 3.3 goals per game and the 10th-best shooting percentage in the league.
Rearguard Adam Fox sits among the Rangers' top five scorers, accumulating 21 points in 20 games. The former Norris Trophy winner anchors a defensive corps that already has four players with at least 12 points while also ranking in the top half of the league in expected goals against. Factoring in Igor Shesterkin as the last line of defense, it's easy to see why the Rangers are cemented as one of the best the league has to offer.
All three units have been working harmoniously together over their recent sample. New York has held four of their previous six opponents to nine high-danger chances or fewer, getting out-chanced just twice over that stretch. As a result, they are skating around with a 51.3% expected goals-for rating over that six-game sample. They can use all of that to their advantage as the Rangers host a beleaguered Oilers squad.
Oilers vs. Rangers
Betting Pick & Prediction
The betting market opened the Rangers as shorter-than-anticipated home chalk for this inter-conference battle. The consensus opening line is New York -148, but that price was quickly bought up at most shops. Even though the Oilers played their analytics cards appropriately, we don't trust them to get the job done against a sharpshooting Rangers side. Edmonton has been hampered by goaltending all season, and those issues are only compounded by a condensed schedule.
The Oilers may have shifted some bettors' perspective on them with Thursday night's win, but we still give the edge to the Rangers. Anything below the -160 moneyline price is a playable edge.
Pick: Rangers ML (-145 via PointsBet)
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