Oilers vs. Lightning NHL Preview and Best Bet (Archive)
The Oilers will skate into Tampa Bay trying to rebound after losing for the first time in six games on Sunday while the Lightning work on extending their modest two-game winning streak. Let’s analyze this Wednesday night matchup and keep cashing our NHL picks!
Edmonton Oilers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
Wednesday, February 23, 2022 – 07:30 PM EST at Amalie Arena
The Oilers hit their stride recently by winning 10 of their last 13 contests before Sunday’s 7-3 loss to the Wild in front of the fan friendlies. Edmonton came out flat from the opening face-off and fell behind 4-0 shortly after the midpoint of the first period. Evander Kane would finally counter for the Oilers with his fifth tally of the season on a man-advantaged situation but any hope for a fast and furious rally was extinguished when the Wild netted two more goals in the second frame.
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Third-period goals by Tyler Benson, his first of the season, and Zach Hyman (18th) would be all she wrote for the Oilers as they were dominated on the scoreboard but outshot Minnesota, 33-22. Veteran goalie, Mike Smith, was chased before the first period ended after letting in four goals on seven shots. Mikko Koskinen came on in relief to stop 12 of 15 shots the rest of the way. It was Edmonton’s first loss under new head coach, Jay Woodcroft.
Lightning Return Home
The road trip wasn’t particularly long but the week-long break between their last game in New Jersey and tonight’s return to Amalie Arena is undoubtedly a welcome reprieve for the Lightning. Tampa Bay began with a 3-2 loss to the top team in the league, the Colorado Avalanche, but redeemed themselves by beating up a pair of cellar-dwellers in the Coyotes and Devils to finish their quick highway run.
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In their last game, Tampa Bay fell behind, 3-1, early in the second period but ignited shortly thereafter when Steve Stamkos buried his 23rd goal of the season followed by Alex Killorn (16) in the second period after Pat Maroon lit the lamp for his 8th goal of the season in the opening stanza. Victor Hedman (11), Nikita Kucherov (7), and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare (6) would all score within little more than three minutes of each other in the final period to cap a 6-3 road win over the Devils.
Head coach, Jon Cooper, noticed his team’s malaise and decided to shake things up by changing the lines. His strategy worked and winger Alex Killorn commented afterward, “We’ve been a team that has done pretty well this year, and there’s definitely chemistry in the lines, and then when you see your coach change the lines it’s maybe a little bit of a wake-up call. As we saw tonight, we scored pretty quickly once those lines got changed, so it was nice. I don’t know they might say the same.”
Wanna Make a Bet?
The early NHL odds on this matchup are revealing the Lightning as substantial favorites, ranging anywhere between -213 to -225 at all of the best online sportsbooks. And it’s not particularly surprising considering that Tampa has won their last four meetings against Edmonton, and is, after all, the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions. But before we get too carried away, we should also acknowledge that the last time these teams met was over two years ago.
Let’s also note the Lightning had a long layoff not that long ago when they met the Avalanche after nine days on the shelf. The team was noticeably flat and ultimately lost that February 10th affair, 3-2, in Colorado. Would it be so far-fetched to believe the rust could linger once again when they skate against a talented Oilers team on Wednesday night?
If we dig into the stats, we see that these teams are similar in a few key areas. Consider that the Oilers’ offense averages 3.3 goals per game versus 3.4 GPG for the Lightning. However, Edmonton averages 33.8 shots per game versus Tampa Bay’s 30.3 shots per contest.
We know that the Lightning has a definite advantage in net with Andrei Vasilevskiy tending the twine but the 27-year-old Russian has allowed six goals over his last two outings and if he is not at his best, the Oilers could make him pay.
I believe we have a live road dog in the Oilers so let the squares pay the books double their money. We will get rewarded with a handsome return when Edmonton skates away the victors.
NHL Pick: Oilers ML (+191) at Bovada (visit our Bovada Review)
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.