The Edmonton Oilers will look to go a perfect 3-0 versus the Vegas Golden Knights on the season when the two clubs meet in Alberta Tuesday night, after a brief rest thanks to the All-Star game.
The Oilers went into the break winning five of their six games and will get the services of goalie Mike Smith back. Will the veteran be enough to slow down a Vegas team that is still dealing with some absences of its own?
Find out in our free NHL picks and predictions for Golden Knights vs. Oilers.
Golden Knights vs Oilers odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
The Oilers opened as short -115 home favorites but have since moved to a +105 underdog with a total that sits at 6.5 after opening at 6. The last meeting, on November 27, saw Edmonton close as a +120 road dog. The total has closed at 6.5 in the two previous meetings.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right until puck drop and be sure to check out the full NHL odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.
Golden Knights vs Oilers predictions
Predictions made on 2/08/2022 at 2:20 p.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Golden Knights vs Oilers game info
• Location: Rogers Place, Edmonton, AB
• Date: Tuesday, February 8, 2022
• Puck drop: 9:00 p.m. ET
• TV: Sportsnet West, ATTSN-RM
Golden Knights vs Oilers betting preview
Key injuries
Golden Knights: Zach Whitecloud D (Out), Nick Hague D (Out), Alec Martinez D (Out), Dylan Coghlan D (Questionable), Chandler Stephenson F (Questionable), Jack Eichel F (Out).
Oilers: Mikko Koskinen G (Out), Kriss Russell D (Out).
Find our latest NHL injury reports.
Golden Knights vs Oilers head-to-head record (since 2018)
Golden Knights: 5-5 SU, 32 goals for.
Oilers: 5-5 SU, 27 goals for.
Betting trend to know
The Over is 8-2-1 in Golden Knights’ last 11 games as a road favorite. Find more NHL betting trends for Golden Knights vs. Oilers.
Golden Knights vs Oilers picks and predictions
Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.
Moneyline analysis
It seems like an eternity ago that the Oilers were riding a seven-game losing streak and struggling to score at even strength. Fast forward to February and we have an Edmonton team that is 5-1 SU since the losing skid and is rolling three solid lines now with the addition of Evander Kane.
Since getting picked up by the Oilers, the troubled winger has three points across three games and is playing on the top line with Connor McDavid and Kailer Yamamoto. The Oilers and head coach Dave Tippett have filled out the top three lines and now feature a third line of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman. They’ve managed to tally 13 even-strength goals since the addition of Kane. Now they’ll get to see a Vegas team that comes out of the break still thin on the blue line.
Vegas enters Tuesday contest without rearguards Alec Martinez, Nick Hague, Zach Whitecloud, and possibly Dylan Coghlan. Add in a questionable Chandler Stephenson and this Vegas team is looking in rough shape ahead of a battle with an offense that can tilt the ice. Vegas currently sits 22nd in expected goals allowed at 5-on-5 and the loss of what is ultimately its bottom three defensemen will not make things any easier at even strength.
Edmonton has already proven it can take two points from the Knights, as it's 2-0 SU in the previous two meetings in the desert with Edmonton having outscored them 8 to 5. Vegas was much healthier in the most previous meeting — a 3-2 Edmonton win — as Hague, Whitecloud, and Stephenson all suited up for that game.
Mike Smith getting the start is likely a reason why the market isn’t high on the Oilers. Smith has been in and out of the lineup already a couple of times this season thanks to injuries but we’re hoping the All-Star break gave him ample time to get back to 100 percent. It’s not like the Oilers were stacking wins with great goaltending as Mikko Koskinen and Stuart Skinner have been league-average goalies at best. Truthfully, the addition of Smith doesn’t move this line much for us. His injuries have likely played a big part in his awful numbers over six sporadic starts.
The Oilers will be playing three games in four nights but tonight is not the night we’re going to fade them. We’re doing something we don’t love to do and that’s going against the market. The injuries to the Knights’ blue line are serious issues and with the Oilers running three solid lines now, they can certainly take advantage of this tonight. This +105 price is 25 points off from the last meeting.
Prediction: Oilers ML (+105)
Over/Under analysis
Both of the season’s two previous meetings closed at 6.5 with the total going 1-1 O/U. Since the beginning of the calendar year, both these clubs haven’t been the offensive juggernauts that they've had been in seasons past. Vegas and Edmonton sit outside the Top 15 in goals per game but that shouldn’t sway bettors from jumping on the Over tonight.
First, there’s the fact that Oilers have been able to score at 5-on-5 which, coupled with a power play that is bound to snap out of its funk sooner than later, this Edmonton offense may soon resemble the one in October and November that was averaging 4.50 goals and had a 50% power play.
Robin Lehner hit the break on his best stretch of hockey and we’re hoping the break cooled things off for the veteran. He entered January with a 3.03 GAA but brought those numbers down to 2.76 GAA with a solid five weeks. Lehner was never going to finish as a 3.00 GAA goalie and the regression was coming, but will he continue to play this well with a decimated defense and seeing a team that has already beaten him seven times this season across two meetings?
There is a reason this line has moved and it’s likely due to Smith in net. He has struggled with health on multiple occasions this season and the time he has been healthy enough to play, he’s been lit up. Of the six starts he’s had, he’s given up 21 goals and has allowed three or more goals in four of those starts. At even strength, Edmonton ranks in the Bottom 10 in expected goals against while the Vegas offense ranks sixth in expected goals.
Neither team boasts a good penalty kill as both teams rank in the bottom half of the league in kill rate.
Like all 6.5 totals, we want to have some two-way scoring and we think the strength of the Oilers’ offense can beat this makeshift defense while the Knights should be able to beat a rusty Mike Smith. We’re on the Over 6.5 but would recommend caution here as judging performances out of the gate after a restart is always tricky.
Prediction: Over 6.5 (-105)
Best bet
Since his signing, Evander Kane has managed at least three shots in each of his three games and has two goals to his name. He is riding shotgun with McDavid on the top line and is the shooter on the second power-play unit. He is playing upwards of 19 minutes and will have had the All-Star break to catch up on some more conditioning and strategy.
This is a player that has averaged 3.54 shots per game over his 772 NHL games and is now playing with the best player in the world. Hate him or love him, he is in a great spot to stack some stats and we’re looking to hit his Over 2.5 shots which is juiced heavily but still a reasonable -155.
Pick: Evander Kane Over 2.5 shots (-155)
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