<p><span style="font-weight: 400">The Oilers will play their first road game when they kick off a two-game trip against the Predators in Nashville on Thursday.</span></p>
<h2><span style="font-weight: 400">Oilers vs. Predators Odds</span></h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400"><span style="font-weight: 400">Edmonton Oilers Moneyline: -115</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400"><span style="font-weight: 400">Nashville Predators Moneyline: -105</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400"><span style="font-weight: 400">Puck Line: Oilers -1.5 (+200), Predators +1.5 (-250)</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400"><span style="font-weight: 400">Game Total: 6.5 (Over -105, Under -115)</span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">Odds courtesy of Sports Interaction.</span></p>
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<h2><span style="font-weight: 400">Matchup</span></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">Edmonton has owned this matchup, going 10-2 straight up against Nashville since 2018-19, but Nashville has won two of the last four meetings. That said, Edmonton went 2-1 straight up against the Predators in 2023-24 by a combined score of 12-5.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">Both Connor McDavid and <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/instant-reaction-the-oilers-are-finally-in-the-win-column">Leon Draisaitl</a> have dominated the Predators in their career. Draisaitl has scored more points per game (1.62) versus Nashville than any team other than the Kraken, while McDavid has put up more points per game (1.82) against the Predators than any other Western Conference team. Meanwhile, Juuse Saros has a 3-5-1 record, with a goals against average of 3.06 and a save percentage of .916 against the Oilers in his career.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">Check out Daily Faceoff to get updates regarding the </span><a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400">line combinations</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400"> and </span><a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/starting-goalies" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400">goaltenders </span></a><span style="font-weight: 400">for today’s game.</span></p>
<h2><span style="font-weight: 400">Handicapping the Predators (0-3 SU, 1-2 ATS, 2-1 O/U)</span></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">Nashville was projected to be a 100-point team this season by the betting market after a busy offseason. The Predators added Steven Stamkos, Jonathan </span><span style="font-weight: 400">Marchessault</span><span style="font-weight: 400">, and Brady Skjei in free agency, and signed star goaltender Juuse Saros to a massive eight-year contract extension. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">I mean, the team put up 99 points last season and finished sixth in expected goals percentage and eighth in shot attempt percentage at five-on-five. Adding Stamkos and Marchessault, who both scored 40 goals last season, and Skjei, who is a quality defender, surely would improve a team that finished 10th in scoring last season, but the trio has combined for just three points in three games.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">However, Nashville has stumbled out of the gate, starting the season 0-3 and being outscored 14-6. No team has scored fewer five-on-five goals per 60 minutes, as the Predators have just three in three  games, and only one team has allowed more goals per 60. The low point, so far, came on Tuesday, when the Predators were defeated 7-3 by Seattle on home ice.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">As head coach Andrew Brunette put it, there’s a lot of summer hockey in Nashville’s game right now as they have been trying to play fire-wagon hockey. If they try that against the Oilers, we could see fireworks, but the coach suggests the team will be looking to find its identity on Tuesday.</span></p>
<h2><span style="font-weight: 400">Handicapping the Oilers (1-3 SU, 0-4 ATS, 2-1-1 O/U)</span></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">Opening the season 0-3 wasn’t ideal, but after securing their first victory with an <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/the-day-after-4-0-oilers-show-fight-stop-the-bleeding-in-win-over-flyers">overtime win</a> over the Flyers on Tuesday. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">Edmonton can get back to .500 with a couple of road wins against Nashville and Dallas to close out the week, but that’ll be easier said than done. Sure, Nashville hasn’t been good this season, and they’ve had a tough time against the Oilers historically, but the Predators will be as motivated as they are desperate on Tuesday.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">That said, the Oilers are currently ranked as the best team in shot percentage and the fourth-best team in expected goals percentage at five-on-five, and goaltender Stuart Skinner has improved each game. Skinner had a bad game against Winnipeg to open the season, but so did the rest of the team. He then played well versus Calgary, albeit in a losing effort, but his last outing was his best. Not to mention, the team had a lot more <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/instant-reaction-the-oilers-are-finally-in-the-win-column">fight</a> in its game on Tuesday.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">However, from a betting perspective, the Oilers were not a good bet on the road last season. They did win more than half of their road games, but just barely, going 21-18-2. Yes, that’s about a 51 percent win rate, but their odds suggested they would win closer to 60 percent of their road games. If a bettor had bet one unit on Edmonton to win all 41 road games last season, they’d have lost more than six units.</span></p>
<h2><span style="font-weight: 400">My best bet</span></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">There are several ways that fans and bettors can try to capitalize on the fact that Edmonton’s top stars have dominated the Predators in recent seasons.</span></p>
<h3><span style="font-weight: 400">Leon Draisaitl Anytime Goal (+175)</span></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">Some sportsbooks have Draisaitl’s anytime goal prop listed as short as +110 or +125,  but Sports Interaction is offering +175. That’s an attractive price given how much success he’s had against Nashville in his career. Draisaitl has 25 goals and 42 points in just 26 career games vs Nashville. McDavid is also worth considering at +155 odds, but there’s a bit more incentive to back Draisaitl here.</span></p>
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<h3><span style="font-weight: 400">Over 6.5 Goals (-105)</span></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">This matchup has produced goals more often than not over the past three seasons and change. In fact, seven out of the last 10 meetings between these two teams have featured at least seven goals. There’s always a chance that Skinner and/or Saros could steal a game and keep the scoring down, but given how loose both of these teams have been playing to start the season, I’m willing to bet that neither of them lock things down defensively.</span></p>


Edmonton Oilers Leon Draisaitl Darnell Nurse and Zach Hyman

<span style="font-weight: 400">The Oilers will play their first road game when they kick off a two-game trip against the Predators in Nashville on Thursday.</span>
<h2><span style="font-weight: 400">Oilers vs. Predators Odds</span></h2>
<ul>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400"><span style="font-weight: 400">Edmonton Oilers Moneyline: -115</span></li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400"><span style="font-weight: 400">Nashville Predators Moneyline: -105</span></li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400"><span style="font-weight: 400">Puck Line: Oilers -1.5 (+200), Predators +1.5 (-250)</span></li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400"><span style="font-weight: 400">Game Total: 6.5 (Over -105, Under -115)</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-weight: 400">Odds courtesy of Sports Interaction.</span>
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<h2><span style="font-weight: 400">Matchup</span></h2>
<span style="font-weight: 400">Edmonton has owned this matchup, going 10-2 straight up against Nashville since 2018-19, but Nashville has won two of the last four meetings. That said, Edmonton went 2-1 straight up against the Predators in 2023-24 by a combined score of 12-5.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400">Both Connor McDavid and <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/instant-reaction-the-oilers-are-finally-in-the-win-column">Leon Draisaitl</a> have dominated the Predators in their career. Draisaitl has scored more points per game (1.62) versus Nashville than any team other than the Kraken, while McDavid has put up more points per game (1.82) against the Predators than any other Western Conference team. Meanwhile, Juuse Saros has a 3-5-1 record, with a goals against average of 3.06 and a save percentage of .916 against the Oilers in his career.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400">Check out Daily Faceoff to get updates regarding the </span><a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400">line combinations</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400"> and </span><a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/starting-goalies" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400">goaltenders </span></a><span style="font-weight: 400">for today’s game.</span>
<h2><span style="font-weight: 400">Handicapping the Predators (0-3 SU, 1-2 ATS, 2-1 O/U)</span></h2>
<span style="font-weight: 400">Nashville was projected to be a 100-point team this season by the betting market after a busy offseason. The Predators added Steven Stamkos, Jonathan </span><span style="font-weight: 400">Marchessault</span><span style="font-weight: 400">, and Brady Skjei in free agency, and signed star goaltender Juuse Saros to a massive eight-year contract extension. </span>

<span style="font-weight: 400">I mean, the team put up 99 points last season and finished sixth in expected goals percentage and eighth in shot attempt percentage at five-on-five. Adding Stamkos and Marchessault, who both scored 40 goals last season, and Skjei, who is a quality defender, surely would improve a team that finished 10th in scoring last season, but the trio has combined for just three points in three games.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400">However, Nashville has stumbled out of the gate, starting the season 0-3 and being outscored 14-6. No team has scored fewer five-on-five goals per 60 minutes, as the Predators have just three in three  games, and only one team has allowed more goals per 60. The low point, so far, came on Tuesday, when the Predators were defeated 7-3 by Seattle on home ice.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400">As head coach Andrew Brunette put it, there’s a lot of summer hockey in Nashville’s game right now as they have been trying to play fire-wagon hockey. If they try that against the Oilers, we could see fireworks, but the coach suggests the team will be looking to find its identity on Tuesday.</span>
<h2><span style="font-weight: 400">Handicapping the Oilers (1-3 SU, 0-4 ATS, 2-1-1 O/U)</span></h2>
<span style="font-weight: 400">Opening the season 0-3 wasn’t ideal, but after securing their first victory with an <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/the-day-after-4-0-oilers-show-fight-stop-the-bleeding-in-win-over-flyers">overtime win</a> over the Flyers on Tuesday. </span>

<span style="font-weight: 400">Edmonton can get back to .500 with a couple of road wins against Nashville and Dallas to close out the week, but that’ll be easier said than done. Sure, Nashville hasn’t been good this season, and they’ve had a tough time against the Oilers historically, but the Predators will be as motivated as they are desperate on Tuesday.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400">That said, the Oilers are currently ranked as the best team in shot percentage and the fourth-best team in expected goals percentage at five-on-five, and goaltender Stuart Skinner has improved each game. Skinner had a bad game against Winnipeg to open the season, but so did the rest of the team. He then played well versus Calgary, albeit in a losing effort, but his last outing was his best. Not to mention, the team had a lot more <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/instant-reaction-the-oilers-are-finally-in-the-win-column">fight</a> in its game on Tuesday.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400">However, from a betting perspective, the Oilers were not a good bet on the road last season. They did win more than half of their road games, but just barely, going 21-18-2. Yes, that’s about a 51 percent win rate, but their odds suggested they would win closer to 60 percent of their road games. If a bettor had bet one unit on Edmonton to win all 41 road games last season, they’d have lost more than six units.</span>
<h2><span style="font-weight: 400">My best bet</span></h2>
<span style="font-weight: 400">There are several ways that fans and bettors can try to capitalize on the fact that Edmonton’s top stars have dominated the Predators in recent seasons.</span>
<h3><span style="font-weight: 400">Leon Draisaitl Anytime Goal (+175)</span></h3>
<span style="font-weight: 400">Some sportsbooks have Draisaitl’s anytime goal prop listed as short as +110 or +125,  but Sports Interaction is offering +175. That’s an attractive price given how much success he’s had against Nashville in his career. Draisaitl has 25 goals and 42 points in just 26 career games vs Nashville. McDavid is also worth considering at +155 odds, but there’s a bit more incentive to back Draisaitl here.</span>
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<h3><span style="font-weight: 400">Over 6.5 Goals (-105)</span></h3>
<span style="font-weight: 400">This matchup has produced goals more often than not over the past three seasons and change. In fact, seven out of the last 10 meetings between these two teams have featured at least seven goals. There’s always a chance that Skinner and/or Saros could steal a game and keep the scoring down, but given how loose both of these teams have been playing to start the season, I’m willing to bet that neither of them lock things down defensively.</span>

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