In their last head-to-head meeting of the regular season, the New York Islanders and the Edmonton Oilers take the ice at Rogers Place in a cross-continent matchup. This one will get underway at 9 p.m. ET on Thursday, March 8 and it can be watched live on Sportsnet West.
New York Islanders vs. Edmonton Oilers Odds
Edmonton enters the contest as the heavy favorite with a moneyline of -145. The line for New York sits at +125 and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 7 goals. The line for betting that total stands at -110 money on the over and -110 on the under.
New York is 29-38 straight up (SU) and has lost 9.8 units for moneyline bettors this year. 40 of its contests have gone over the total, while 24 have gone under and just three have pushed. This 2017-18 Islanders team is 13-22 SU on the road.
New York has converted on 20.8 percent of its power play chances this season, a mark that places them in the top-10 among NHL teams. Its penalty kill is ranked 30th overall, and the team’s successfully killed off only 74.6 percent of all penalties.
For the team as a whole, the Isles have been penalized just 3.3 times per game overall this season, and 1.8 per game over its last five road outings. The team’s been forced to defend opponent power plays just 4.8 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
With a .908 save percentage and 30.1 saves per game, Jaroslav Halak (18-29-6) has been the primary option in goal for New York this year. If head coach Doug Weight decides to rest him, however, New York may turn to Thomas Greiss (12-12-2 record, .891 save percentage, 3.84 goals against average).
Mathew Barzal and John Tavares will both be relied on to facilitate things for the visiting Islanders. Barzal has 69 points via 18 goals and 51 assists, and has recorded multiple points in 14 different games. Tavares has 31 goals and 36 assists to his name (and has registered a point in 38 games).
Edmonton is 28-38 straight up (SU) and has lost 17.4 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 66 regular season outings, 32 of its games have gone over the total, while 31 have gone under and just three have pushed. It’s 14-19 SU as the home team this season.
The Oilers have converted on just 14.4 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a figure that places them in the bottom overall among NHL teams. Its penalty kill is also ranked 31st overall, and it’s successfully killed off 73.9 percent of all penalties.
Edmonton players have been whistled for penalties 3.7 times per game in total this season, and 3.0 per game over their last five at home. The team’s been forced to kill penalties just 6.6 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Cam Talbot has denied 27.2 shots per game as the primary option in goal for the Oilers. Talbot has 24 wins, 29 losses, and two OT losses to his name and has registered a subpar .904 save percentage and 3.12 goals against average this season.
The Oilers offense will be led by Connor McDavid (30 goals, 50 assists).
New York Islanders at Edmonton Oilers Betting Predictions
Prediction: SU Winner – Islanders, O/U – Over
Betting Notes
- Six of New York’s last ten games have been decided by two goals or more. The team is 2-4 in those games.
- New York has scored just 2.3 goals per game (while giving up 3.9) over its last seven games (0-7 SU over that span).
- The Islanders are 11-21 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 19-29 in games where they’re in the box for fewer than 10 total penalty minutes.
- Edmonton is 3-1 in games decided by a shootout this season while New York is 3-2 in shootouts.
- The total has gone over in three of Edmonton’s last five games.
- Edmonton has averaged 19.0 giveaways over its last five home games, a rise over its season average of 12.4 giveaways per game (ranked 30th overall).
- New York is ranked 26th this season with 11.1 giveaways per game. That figure’s trended down recently, however, as the team’s averaged 8.9 giveaways over its last 10 games and 7.6 giveaways over its last five.
- This game features a couple of the more physical teams in the league. New York skaters have dished out the 10th-most hits in the league (22.7 per game) while the Oilers have registered the most (27.1).
