-
Jeremy Perry
Vegas Golden Knights vs. Edmonton Oilers: NHL Odds, Prediction
Meanwhile, the Edmonton Oilers have been massive disappointments and are floundering once again as the season winds down. Can they surprise as a sizable home dog on Thursday?
Golden Knights vs Oilers Betting Analysis
The Oilers have won two of three meetings with the Golden Knights this season, winning once at home and once on the road. However, home ice hasn’t been overly kind to the Oilers of late as they’ve drop three of four at home. The Golden Knights have won four of their last six away games.
If Edmonton does have an edge in this spot, it’s that they should be better rested. This will be Las Vegas’ fourth game in six nights.
Vegas Golden Knights
The Golden Knights are 51-22-7 following a 5-4 win in a shootout in Vancouver on Tuesday night, although they did blow a 4-1 lead in the third period. William Karlsson led the way with a goal and a pair of assists, while Brandon Pirri had two goals in his first NHL game and Tomas Tatar added a single. Shea Theodore notched the shootout winner and Malcolm Subban had 21 saves for the Golden Knights, who are wrapping up a magical first season in the NHL.
Overall, this team has won three straight games but has mostly been pretty average since the calendar flipped to 2018. They are just 10-6-3 in their last 19 games, which basically boils down to a .500 record.
While they have been on cruise control a little bit, they have won the Pacific Division and now have their sights set on the top spot in the Western Conference, which is occupied by Nashville. However, the Golden Knights have the tiebreaker over the Predators, so if they end up equal on points, Vegas gets the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. With a home record of 29-10-2, the Golden Knights would love to get all the home ice they can get in the postseason. They have plenty to play for in this spot.
Edmonton Oilers
The Oilers are 34-40-6 after getting blanked 3-0 in Minnesota on Monday night. Cam Talbot had 37 saves for Edmonton, who were outshot 40-22 on the night and have now lost five games in a row. The fact that they were outshot by that margin indicates a lack of effort, which is concerning. They have just 10 goals in their last five games, which isn’t going to cut it in this league.
Worse yet, the loss to Minnesota marked the first time since the middle of February that Connor McDavid has gone back-to-back games without a point, which is really the only thing of note for the Oilers going into the offseason. In fact, McDavid was held without a point in 24 games this season; the Oilers have won just four of those games. If the Oilers come out with the same type of lackadaisical effort on Thursday, they’re going to extend their losing streak.
