Edmonton Oilers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Prediction, NHL Odds
Sometimes the coach is the easiest way out for management when a team is struggling and it seems to be working thus far for the Oilers. Since dismissing Head Coach Jay Woodcroft on November 12th the Oilers have been a much better hockey team. Are they guilty that their play led to Woodcroft losing his job? Or was it just a matter of time before they turned it around?
The Lightning have just snapped a three-game losing skid of their own in a 4-2 win on the road Thursday night in Chicago. It has been a disappointing month for Bolts fans so far as they sit fifth in the Atlantic.
Puck drop from Amelie Arena is set for 4 PM EST. Check out our NHL odds for Thursday’s Moneyline, Puckline and Over/Under.
Oilers vs. Lightning NHL Betting Odds
Amelie Arena has not been kind to the Oilers over the past few seasons, they have a scary 1-9 record in Tampa over the past dozen seasons. Their only win came last season in November of 2022, a part of the 2-0 season series sweep. Their final meeting last season was plenty exciting, with multiple fights and a total of eight goals. They will only match up twice again this season, with the season finale in less than a month on December 12th.
Edmonton has only covered four of their 15 games this season, all of which have come in wins because they are typically listed as the favourite. In their current three-game streak they have covered twice. The Oilers are tied for the fifth-lowest amount of goals scored with just 43. After being the highest-scoring team in the league last year and considering they could be turning things around, it is safe to assume they will be scoring much more from this point forward.
After four high-scoring games in a row played the OVER, the Bolts have played the UNDER in back-to-back-to-back outings moving their record against the total to 8-7-2. The offence has been sputtering over the past four games, scoring less than two goals per game over the stretch.
Edmonton Oilers
The Oilers are kicking off a four-game Eastern Conference road trip at the perfect time, riding a three-game heater. Their most recent win was an impressive 4-3 come-from-behind overtime win versus a struggling Seattle Kraken team on Wednesday night.
Connor McDavid (4) scored in his second game in a row putting the Oilers up 1-0 in the second period, before the Kraken would score three in a row before the end of the period. Evander Kane would take over in the final half of the third period, with a pair of goals and then completed the natural hat trick in overtime to give his team the win.
Defenceman Evan Bouchard assisted on all three of Kane’s goals, bringing him back to a point per game with 15 points (3G 12A). That also puts him in elite company at sixth amongst defenceman in scoring.
Goalie Stuart Skinner is playing better, helping his team turn things around. He has posted over a .914 save percentage in each of the past four games.
Tampa Bay Lightning
After not scoring in seven straight periods of hockey, the Lightning offence woke up in the second period of Friday’s game in Chicago, with back-to-back goals in the first half of the period. Victor Hedman (4) broke a 2-2 tie in the third period before Brandon Hagel (8) would seal them the victory with an empty netter, snapping a three-game skid.
After a season that looked like Hedman was slowing down offensively, the 32-year-old defender has bounced back with 19 points (4G 17A) while logging just over 24 minutes a night through 17 games this season.
Jonas Johansson has started all but three of the Bolts games this season and has performed better than expected when he was announced as the starter before the season began. He is 6-4-4 with a .895 save percentage and is allowing 3.36 goals per game. He has had a rough month of November so far, but the entire roster has up until now.
The Lightning are sitting in the last playoff spot and just barely above a .500 win percentage. At this rate, it will be tough to squeeze into a postseason spot.
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