Another couple of games are on the slate with big playoff implications. The Edmonton Oilers are back home where they have thrived taking on the San Jose Sharks, and then a bit later in the night, the Nashville Predators battle the Vegas Golden Knights as they try and make up ground.
Edmonton Oilers (-250) vs San Jose Sharks (+200)
After a heartbreaking two-game road trip for the Oilers, they are back at home where they had just won all five games of a homestand for the fourth time in their history. They welcome the Sharks who had just made some deadline moves and brought in some goaltending help.
Kaapo Kahkonen is expected to start for the Sharks in this one, but his recent stretch of games leaves room for improvement. The Minnesota Wild were a better team than the Sharks, but Kahkonen has lost six starts in a row and has given up four-plus goals four times. With the high-powered offence of the Oilers, this doesn’t bode well for the hope that the Sharks will be able to keep the puck out of their net.
The Oilers should have a healthy lineup for the first time in a long time as they have Ryan Nugent-Hopkins back as well as the two new additions of Derick Brassard and Brett Kulak expected to play. They should fit in and only add to the great five-on-five play that the Oilers have shown since Jay Woodcroft has taken over. Take the Oilers and the over in this one (O6, -120).
Vegas Golden Knights (-105) vs Nashville Predators (-115)
The odds in this one seem a lot closer than they should be. The Golden Knights have not been good at all and are in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time in their history. The Predators have played pretty well of late and are coming off a game last night in which they lost.
Intelligently, the Predators saved their starter Juuse Saros for the more important game tonight, so the advantage in net goes heavily in favour of them. The Golden Knights have been a topic of conversation this deadline with the Evgenii Dadonov controversy and are not a healthy team. They have a tough battle against a Predators team that will be going all out and have won seven of their past 10 games. Don’t expect a high-scoring game in this one, so take the Predators and the under (U6, -110).
Odds via Yahoo and BetMGM.
