Bridgestone Arena will be the site for an enticing tilt as the Edmonton Oilers pay a visit to the Nashville Predators. It’s the third and final time that these two clubs will meet in the regular season. The puck drops at 8 p.m. ET on Monday, February 25, and fans at home can catch this Western Conference matchup live on Sportsnet West.
Edmonton Oilers at Nashville Predators Odds
With a moneyline of -250, Nashville comes into the contest as the substantial favorite. The line for Edmonton sits at +210, and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals. The odds for betting the total stand at -125 for the under and +105 for the over.
Losing 8.1 units for moneyline bettors, the Predators are 36-28 straight up (SU) overall in the 2018-19 season. That winning percentage, the second-best in the Central Division in this young season, is a regression from the 53-29 record that the team posted during the 2017-18 season campaign. Out of the team’s 64 regular season matches, 33 of them have gone under the total, while 28 have gone over and just three have pushed. The team’s 20-13 SU at home this season.
Nashville’s converted on just 13.1 percent of its power play chances this season, a mark that’s ranked 31st overall in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 12th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 80.8 percent of all penalties.
Nashville, as a collective unit, has been penalized 3.7 times per game overall this season, and 4.4 per game over its last five at home. The team has had to kill penalties for just 8.2 minutes per game over its last 10 matchups, in total.
Sporting a .914 save percentage and 25.2 saves per game, Pekka Rinne (23 wins, 21 losses, and four OT losses) has been the best option in goal for the Predators this year. If head coach Peter Laviolette decides to give him the night off, however, the Preds might turn to Juuse Saros (14-11-11 record, .912 save percentage, 2.70 goals against average).
The Preds will continue relying on leadership via Ryan Johansen and Roman Josi. Johansen (53 points) has produced 11 goals and 42 assists and has recorded two or more points 15 times this year. Josi has 14 goals and 37 assists to his name and has recorded a point in 36 games.
Over on the visiting bench, Edmonton is 26-35 straight up (SU) and has lost 10.3 units for bettors taking the moneyline thus far. Through 61 regular season contests, 29 of its games have gone under the total, while 28 have gone over and just four have pushed. Edmonton’s 12-18 SU as the visiting team this season.
Edmonton has converted on 21.7 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 29th overall and it’s successfully killed off 75.4 percent of all penalties.
Edmonton’s skaters have been penalized 3.8 times per game in total this season, 3.4 per game over their last five match ups total, and 3.4 per game over their last five games as the visiting team. The team’s been forced to defend opponent power plays just 8.1 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Mikko Koskinen (.908 save percentage and 2.81 goals against average) has been the main option in goal for Edmonton. Koskinen is averaging 25.1 saves per game and has 16 wins, 20 losses, and three overtime losses to his credit.
For the visiting Oilers, the offense will be facilitated by Connor McDavid, who has 53 assists and 32 goals this year.
Edmonton Oilers at Nashville Predators Free Picks
Free Prediction: SU Winner – Predators, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
- For both of these teams, the under has hit in three of their past five games.
- Power plays and penalty kills may have a key role tonight. The Oilers are 9-10 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 17-19 in games where they’re in the penalty box for fewer than 10 minutes, total. The Predators are 14-11 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 25-19 in games where they’re in the box for less than 10 minutes.
- Edmonton is 3-1 in games decided by a shootout this season while Nashville is 1-1 in shootouts.
- Nashville has averaged 7.2 takeaways per game over its last five home games, a slight drop from its season average of 7.9 takeaways per game (ranked 14th overall).
- Edmonton is ranked eighth with 8.2 takeaways per game. That figure has trended down recently, however, as it’s averaged 6.5 takeaways over its last 10 games and 7.6 takeaways over its last five.
