Edmonton Oilers vs Tampa Bay Lightning - Odds and Predictions

Where: Amelie Arena – Tampa, FL.

When: Thursday, February 13, 7PM EST

How (TV/Radio): Sportsnet West, SunS | WFAN

Edmonton Oilers (Away)

Head Coach: Dave Tippett{All-Time 583-433-28-126 EDM, ARI, PHX, DAL}

Currently sitting second in the Pacific division, the Oilers season took a big hit over the weekend as it was announced captain Connor McDavid would miss the next 2-3 weeks due to injury.

Despite the news, the Oilers are 6-3-1 over their last ten games and have won their last two in a row.

Offense

The loss of McDavid is a huge hit to the offense of the team as McDavid ranks second on the team and in the league for scoring with 30 goals and 81 points this season.

The team currently has the 11th-most goals scored in the league despite arguments that they severely lack any secondary scoring beyond McDavid and his linemate Leon Draisaitl, who leads the NHL in points with 85.

This Oilers team also has one of the best shooting percentages in the league but that could drastically change over the next few weeks without their captain. Edmonton currently has a 10.6 shooting percentage – good for sixth overall this season.

A big positive for the Oilers this season, despite some streaky play, has been their power play. Edmonton has had the best power-play unit for much of the season and head into this game ranked at number one with a 28.93 percent and 46 power-play goals.

However, with that said, the Oilers’ power-play unit has also allowed eight short-handed goals against this season. Only three teams have allowed more this season.

Defense

Things haven’t been as strong defensively for the Oilers this season, but they do have some positives.

Once again, we touch on the topic of special teams. The Oilers have the league’s fifth-best penalty-killing percentage at 83.22 percent, placing them just behind the Tampa Bay Lightning in that category.

On the topic of penalty killing, the Oilers also average fewer penalty minutes per game than the Lightning.

Edmonton does allow more shots and goals than their opponents. Edmonton ranks 16th in the league when it comes to goals allowed this season and 16th when it comes to most shots allowed on goal. The team has a collective .902 save percentage, ranking them at only 19th in the NHL.

Goaltending

Goaltending hasn’t been the team’s strong suit this season (as with many seasons in the past) and it is expected that Mike Smith will get the start in net Thursday night. Smith has a season record of 15-9-4. His goals-against average sits at 2.96 and he has a .902 save percentage. He has one shutout to his credit this season.

Tampa Bay Lightning (Home)

Head Coach: Jon Cooper{All-Time 342-174-49 TBL}

The Tampa Bay Lightning have climbed their way up to second in the Atlantic division just behind the Boston Bruins and have given themselves a lot of buffer room between them and the third seed team.

They are 9-0-1 in their last ten and have won eight straight – including a 2-1 shootout win over the Penguins in their last game. But they too may be lacking their captain for this game.

Offense

It took patience, but this is, finally, the team most of us expected to see. After a rocky start to the season, the Bolts are now second-overall in league scoring with a combined 190 goals. Only Alexander Ovechkin and his Washington Capitals are outscoring Tampa this season (but only by four).

Ranked only 17th when it comes to shots on goal, this team has proven their accuracy and ability to create high-quality scoring chances. They have a league-leading shooting percentage of 11.4 percent.

Like their opponents, they also have a formidable power-play unit. Tampa’s power play ranks third in the league with a 25.15 percent and 41 goals with the man advantage. Strangely, like Edmonton, Tampa has also allowed a high number of short-handed goals against. Tampa has allowed eight short-handed goals against; just one less than the Oilers.

Bearing all that in mind, the Tampa Bay Lightning have both captain Steven Stamkos and leading scorer Nikita Kucherov as day-to-day with lower-body injuries.

Defense

Defensively, outside of taking too many penalties, the Bolts have the advantages. They sit in the box a lot but they have the league’s third-best penalty-killing unit, sitting with 84 percent.

The team has allowed the 12th-fewest shots against this season and, on average, barely allows more than 30 shots against per game.

Then there is their goaltending. The team has allowed the eighth-fewest goals against this season and their goaltending tandem has a combined save percentage of .911, which is the seventh-best in the league. And it keeps climbing.

Goaltending

On the note of goaltending, last year’s Vezina winner Andrei Vasilevskiy is expected to be in goal for Tampa when they go up against the Oilers. Vasilevskiy is 30-9-3 this season, which is ridiculous. He has a 2.44 GAA and a .920 save percentage this season as well as two shutouts.

Last Head-to-Head

These two teams did battle earlier in the season on December 22, 2019. The Tampa Bay Lightning were at the start of their surge and took it to the Oilers, defeating them by a final score of 6-3.

This is a big game for the Oilers and for all other teams to see just how the team performs (or underperforms) without McDavid in the lineup.

The number-one criticism about this team this season has been their lack of scoring depth, and this injury will just bring that fact more to light. Things are heating up in the Pacific division and the Oilers, although in second place now, can’t afford to lose many more games this season.

Questions to Answer

Tampa’s Steven Stamkos didn’t play in the team’s last game against Pittsburgh and Nikita Kucherov left the game after a hit. Will either of Tampa’s superstar forwards be on the ice come game time Thursday night?

How big of a hit is the loss of McDavid to Edmonton? Can Leon Draisaitl maintain his scoring pace without the team captain? Who will fill the gap as other players, such as James Neal, are also dealing with injuries of their own?

How will Edmonton goalie Mike Smith hold up against the offensive prowess of the Tampa Bay Lightning – especially when dealing with their power play?

Edmonton Oilers Injury Report

F Connor McDavid – OUT (quadricep)

D Kris Russell – IR/NR (concussion)

F James Neal – DL (ankle)

F Joakim Nygard – DL (hand)

Tampa Bay Lightning Injury Report

F Steven Stamkos – day-to-day (lower-body)

F Nikita Kucherov – day-to-day (lower-body)

F Anthony Cirelli – day-to-day (lower-body)

D Jan Rutta – DL (lower-body)

F Ryan McDonagh – OUT (lower-body)

Edmonton Oilers vs Tampa Bay Lightning Odds

The latest odds for Edmonton Oilers vs TB Lightning are provided by Unibet NJ, DraftKings Sportsbook, and 888Sport NJ.

Good luck!