Join Daily Faceoff’s Andy MacNeil as he handicaps Tuesday’s matchup between the Edmonton Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights.
Oilers vs. Golden Knights Odds
- Edmonton Oilers Moneyline: +136
- Vegas Golden Knights Moneyline: -151
- Puck Line: Oilers +1.5 (-183), Golden Knights -1.5 (+160)
- Game Total: 6.5 (Over +105, Under -118)
Game odds courtesy of Pinnacle.
Handicapping the Oilers (42-31 SU, 26-47 ATS, 34-38-1 O/U)
After sitting out four games due to injury, Leon Draisaitl picked up right where he left off in his return to action on Saturday against the Calgary Flames. The 29-year-old tied the game to send it to overtime with his 50th goal of the season, then scored the game-winner.
Draisaitl also added an assist in the game and is now third in league scoring, just six points behind Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche. However, he holds a nine-goal lead in the Rocket Richard Trophy race.
Edmonton ended a two-game slide with the win and now sets out on a four-game Pacific Division road trip that kicks off in Vegas on Tuesday. The Oilers are still without captain Connor McDavid and defenseman Mattias Ekholm, though both players might join the team at some point. They are not currently traveling with the team.
Defenseman John Klingberg and goaltender Stuart Skinner will also stay behind, but like McDavid and Ekholm, they could join the Oilers on the trip. Meanwhile, newly acquired forward Trent Frederic and Evander Kane will travel and skate with the team.
It remains to be seen whether 2018 second-round pick Olivier Rodrigue will make his first start in goal on the trip. Since the Oilers won’t be playing back-to-back games, the crease belongs to Calvin Pickard for now. Pickard is 18-8-1 with an .899 save percentage and a 2.71 goals against average, but he has been below average according to Evolving Hockey’s goals saved above expected metric.
The Oilers are currently two points behind their likely first-round opponent, the Los Angeles Kings, and nine points behind the Pacific Division-leading Golden Knights. All three teams have played 73 games, so Edmonton will almost certainly meet the Kings for the fourth postseason in a row.
Handicapping the Golden Knights (45-28 SU, 44-29 ATS, 35-34-4 O/U)
Vegas will look for its seventh win in a row on Tuesday. The Golden Knights swept a three-game homestand against Atlantic Division teams before winning all three games on a three-game road trip against Central Division teams. Vegas has gone 2-1 against the Oilers this season but lost the last meeting in Edmonton on Dec. 14 by a score of 6-4.
Like Edmonton, Vegas is also missing key players due to injury. Forward Tomas Hertl, who has 31 goals and 59 points in 70 games this season, has missed the last three games with a shoulder injury and will not be available this week. It’s unclear when he will return. This is a big loss for Vegas, as Hertl is tied for the team lead in goals and ranks third on the team in scoring despite playing just 58 games.
Defenseman Alex Pietrangelo has also missed the last three games due to a lower-body injury. While he practiced on Monday, he was paired with Ben Hutton, who is typically a healthy scratch, so he could miss Tuesday’s game. Backup goaltender Ilya Samsonov is considered day-to-day, but he likely wasn’t going to start against the Oilers anyway.
After all, Aiden Hill has gone 10-1-1 with a .932 save percentage and a 1.83 goals against average since Feb. 6. In six regular season meetings against Edmonton with Vegas, Hill has gone 3-2-1 while posting a 3.03 GAA and a .894 save percentage. He allowed six goals on 34 shots in his last meeting against Edmonton but earned a shutout in the previous matchup.
According to Evolving Hockey, Vegas ranks seventh in both expected goals and shot attempts at five-on-five this season. In all situations, the Golden Knights rank fourth in goals and fifth in goals against per 60 minutes. Only three teams have generated more shots on goal per 60.
Best Bet for Oilers vs. Golden Knights
Shea Theodore Over 0.5 Assists (+116) at Pinnacle
Shea Theodore hadn’t played since the 4 Nations Face-Off due to injury, but he’s registered three assists in three games since returning. The 29-year-old now has 44 assists in 58 games this season and given his first pairing role and the fact that he’s a fixture on the top power play, he should have an opportunity to contribute on Tuesday.
