Edmonton Oilers vs. N.Y. Islanders Prediction, Preview, and Odds
The Edmonton Oilers (13-14-1) 2023-24 season has been an absolute rollercoaster to this point, with the ups and downs not rivalled by any other team in the league, but in recent times, things have been looking up, and now, with Christmas approaching, they'll look to push for a playoff spot in the loaded Pacific Division by the team that new years rolls around.
In this one, they'll face the New York Islanders (14-8-8), who came into 2023-24 with the hope of a playoff spot, even in the stacked Metropolitan Division, and behind a few red-hot runs, they find themselves among the elite teams in the Eastern Conference, and now, they'll look to continue stringing wins together in their signature style.
Can the Oilers bounce back from back-to-back tough losses?
A few weeks ago, some may have surmised that the Edmonton Oilers 2023-24 season was over, but after an 8-2 run in their past 10 games under a new Head Coach, this is a team that looks ready for a bounce-back similar to last season, despite still finding themselves at 13-14-1 on the season, good for sixth place in the Pacific Division. Road games have been one of this teams biggest weaknesses this season, with just a 4-8-0 record in 12 games away from home, and despite their prolific offense, this is a team still operating with a -1 goal differential, so if they still have their lofty playoff goals, things need to change on the defensive end in a hurry.
Predictably, this is a team led by Connor McDavid (41 points) and Leon Draisaitl (33 points) and while the trio of Evan Bouchard, Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent Hopkins have all posted over 29 points, it's their defensive work and goaltending that has led them down, with their goaltenders combining for a 3.46 GAA and an .885 save percentage on the season, which is somehow a major improvement over the past few weeks. Last time out was a disappointing end to their home stand against the Florida Panthers, with one goal to Zach Hyman not enough to keep them in the game as Calvin Pickard had his worst start of the season, allowing five goals on 39 shots as the team fell to a loaded Panthers team 5-1 before hitting the road on Tuesday.
Can the Islanders keep pace with the elite teams in the Metro Division?
While the New York Islanders came into 2023-24 full of optimism, that wasn't shared by the majority of NHL fans, but with a 6-1-2 record over their past nine games, they find themselves sitting at 14-8-8 on the season, surprisingly placing them in second place in the Metropolitan Division, with a win potentially moving them up to second behind only the rival New York Rangers. In 17 games at home this season, the Islanders have come away with an 8-3-6 record, and they've had all this success despite possessing a -4 goal differential on the season, so as long as they can keep clawing their way back into games and picking up points wherever they can, this team may have a major say in the playoff standings come seasons end.
Despite a reputation around the league for having an offense that many would deem boring, the Islanders have seen some major production from their top stars, with Matthew Barzal, Noah Dobson and Bo Horvat all above a point per game this year, and with one of the best goaltender tandems in the NHL, they've been great in net, posting a combined 3.23 GAA and a .915 save percentage. Last time out was a tough road loss for New York as they fell to the Montreal Canadiens despite five combined points from Dobson and Nelson as Varlamov saw 40 shots, stopping 36 of them but with an empty netter to seal the deal, New York would fall 5-3 in a one-game trip.
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Full-Game Side Bet
Rating:
This is one of the toughest matchups on a stacked slate of Tuesday night games in the NHL, as both teams have seen a major spike in momentum as of late despite losing their past two games, but in their past 10 head-to-head meetings, the Oilers have come away with a dominant 7-3 record.
In their two matchups in the year 2023, the Oilers have come away with a perfect 2-0 mark, notching four goals in each of those games, and while there's still question marks over the goaltending as a whole, the expected starter Stuart Skinner has been solid as of late, and with this dominant offense, if Edmonton can get rolling, there's not a team in the NHL that they can't beat.
Prediction: Edmonton -142
Full-Game Total Pick
Rating:
While this is potentially a great matchup of goaltenders, these are two teams that come into this one on the back of allowing five goals in their latest game, with both teams possessing some elite offensive talent that will look to take over this game and pick up two crucial points in their tight division races.
For the Oilers, the over is just 5-5 in their past 10 overall games, but after allowing 12 goals in their past two games, it's safe to say that the goaltending has become a major issue once again along with their prolific offense, and for the Islanders, the over is 9-1 in their past 10 games, with their recent six-game home stand seeing their games average eight goals per meeting, so unless both goaltenders stand on their head in this one, it should be a fun one to watch.
