Edmonton Oilers at Florida Panthers Matchup Preview

Victor TrejosHockey, NHL

The BB&T Center is the site for an enticing showdown as the Edmonton Oilers travel to Florida to meet the Panthers. The puck drops at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, November 8, and fans at home can see this cross-continent matchup live on Sportsnet West.

Edmonton Oilers at Florida Panthers Odds

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Florida (-135) is currently favored over Edmonton (+115) and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals. The line for betting that total stands at -105 for the over and -115 on the under.

Edmonton is 8-7 straight up (SU) and has netted 2.0 units for moneyline bettors this season. Through 15 regular season contests, seven of its games have gone over the total, while another seven have gone under and just one has pushed. As the away team in 2018-19, the Oilers are 5-4 SU.

Edmonton has converted on 22.2 percent of its power play chances this season, a mark that’s right around league average. Its penalty kill is ranked 26th overall, and it’s successfully killed off only 73.5 percent of its penalties.

Edmonton, as a collective unit, has been penalized 3.9 times per game in the 2018-19 season, a number that’s pretty close to the 3.6 penalties per game given up last year. The team served an average of 9.2 penalty minutes per game last year and is right around that same amount this season.

Averaging 25.8 saves per game with a .899 save percentage, Cam Talbot (5-6-1) has been the primary option in goal for Edmonton this season. If Edmonton chooses to rest him, however, the team could turn to Mikko Koskinen (3-1), who has a .914 save percentage and 2.77 goals against average this year.

Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins will both lead the way for the visiting Oilers. McDavid has 22 points via 10 goals and 12 assists, and has recorded multiple points seven times. Nugent-Hopkins has three goals and 14 assists to his credit (and has notched at least one point in nine games).

On the other bench, Florida is 3-8 straight up (SU) and has lost 7.5 units for moneyline bettors thus far. Through 11 regular season matches, five of its games have gone over the total, while another five have gone under and just one has pushed. So far this year, the team is 0-4 SU at home.

Florida has converted on 20.0 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 32nd overall, and it’s successfully killed off 68.4 percent of all penalties.

The Panthers have been penalized 4.5 times per game this season. Last year, that number was at 4.1, the sixth-highest mark in the league. After serving an average of 11.0 penalty minutes per game a season ago the team’s had to stave off opponent power plays for 10.9 minutes per contest this year.

James Reimer (20.3 saves per game) has been the primary option in goal for Florida. Reimer has two wins, six losses, and one OT loss to his name and has recorded a poor .885 save percentage and 3.36 goals against average this year.

Evgenii Dadonov (six goals, seven assists) will lead the offensive counter for Florida.

Edmonton Oilers at Florida Panthers Betting Predictions

Free Pick: SU Winner – Panthers, O/U – Over

Betting Trends

  • The under has hit in three of Florida’s last five outings.
  • The Panthers are 3-5 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 2-4 when they serve fewer than 10 penalty minutes, in total.
  • After going 3-3 in games decided by a shootout last year, Florida is off to a 1-2 start in shootouts this season. Edmonton went 5-1 in shootouts last year and has yet to participate in one this time around.
  • Edmonton could hold the upper hand if this one comes down to the wire. The team’s 5-2 in games decided by one goal, while Florida is 2-6 in such games.