The Vegas Golden Knights (34-26-16) and Edmonton Oilers (39-28-9) meet in the NHL tonight. Puck drop is set for 10:00 p.m. EDT at Rogers Place in Edmonton, AB. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
The Oilers are favored by -1.5 on the puck line, with the over/under set at 6.5 (-110o / -112u). The Oilers are a -115 favorite to win outright, while the Golden Knights are -105 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Golden Knights vs. Oilers predictions and NHL picks.
Golden Knights vs. Oilers Odds, Pick
| Golden Knights Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -262 | 6.5 -110o / -112u | -105 |
| Oilers Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +207 | 6.5 -110o / -112u | -115 |
- Golden Knights vs. Oilers Spread: Oilers -1.5 (+207 ), Golden Knights +1.5 (-262)
- Golden Knights vs. Oilers Over/Under: 6.5 (-110o / -112u)
- Golden Knights vs. Oilers Moneyline: Golden Knights -105, Oilers -115
Golden Knights vs. Oilers Preview
Vegas Golden Knights
So far, the John Tortorella experiment in Vegas is working just how it should be.
Torts always manages to light a fire under the boys when he comes into town, and not just that, the “new coach luck” almost always comes into play.
Here’s the thing: Vegas was playing well before Torts came into town.
It had one of the better 5-on-5 teams on both ends of the ice, but terrible goaltending was what drove this team into despair.
So I’m not worried about what we’ll see on the ice.
In the game against Calgary, Carter Hart made a return after a few-month-long injury, so I wouldn’t expect to see him suit up against Edmonton. That leaves Adin Hill and Akira Schmid, both of whom aren’t exactly mountain movers.
Schmid has been fine this season. But he’s been caught in the losing spell, and because of that, his numbers have taken a hit, playing to a -3.0 GSAx over the last 10 games.
Additionally, Adin Hill has been a disaster all season long. Over his last 10 games, he’s played to an .890 SV% and a 2.0 GSAx, but that isn’t including a game where he got lit up on three straight shots, before getting pulled.
Edmonton Oilers
Edmonton is in a very similar situation.
But luckily, the Oilers got over their losing ways, winning five games in a row, and going 7-1-2 in their last 10 games. And this is all without Leon Draisaitl – who’s out for the rest of the season.
In that span, Edmonton has played to a top-10 5-on-5 game, with a 52.46 xGF% and a 2.36 xGA/60.
Connor McDavid is self-explanatory, and he’s been the driving force of this run, but one of the stars in the past five games has been Matt Savoie, who has scored four times in his past five games. Picking up Savoie from the Sabres was one of the few smart decisions that GM Stan Bowman has made.
That leaves us to goaltending. Connor Ingram seems to be the guy who’s playing the better of him and Tristan Jarry.
Jarry has been a total lost cause with a -5.7 GSAx over his last 10 and an .866 SV% since returning from injury. Ingram just may be the guy to start for the duration of this run. Ingram can be pretty stabilizing in net, and his GSAx has been in the positives.
Along with that, he’s been playing to a .906 SV% over his last 10 games.
Golden Knights vs. Oilers Prediction
Because these teams are playing very similarly, the result can be a true pick’em.
For me, I’m going to ride with the over here.
No goaltenders have been confirmed yet, but given recent performance, I’m just going to assume, for argument's sake, that it’s Schmid vs Ingram. Any other choice can even further my argument for the over as well.
When Torts came into town, the Knights totaled 10 goals in two games, but the Oilers have found themselves in low-scoring games for the past two.
Both of these teams have squared off three times this season, once last week. The scores of those games went 4-3, 4-2, 4-3.
The way both of these teams play, it presents us with the opportunity for high volatility, lots of goals, and pure firepower. So let’s bet on a high-scoring duel.
Pick: Over 6.5 (-110, FanDuel)
