Two teams that each played a day ago, the Edmonton Oilers and the Tampa Bay Lightning collide at Amalie Arena in a cross-continent showdown. The action gets going at 5 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 18 and it’s being shown live on Fox Sports Sun.
Edmonton Oilers at Tampa Bay Lightning Odds
Tampa Bay is 48-23 straight up (SU) and has netted 11.4 units for moneyline bettors this season. That win percentage, ranked first in the NHL so far this season, is a solid improvement compared to how the team performed during last year’s regular season (42-40). Of its 71 games this season, 45 have gone over the total, while 24 have gone under and just one has pushed. The team’s 25-10 SU at home this season.
The Lightning have converted on 24.1 percent of their power play chances this year, a figure that places them in the top-5 among NHL teams. On the other hand, their penalty kill is ranked 27th overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 76.3 percent of all penalties.
The Lightning, as a collective unit, have been penalized 4.0 times per game overall this season, 3.6 per game over their past five contests total, and 3.6 per game over their last five at home. The team’s had to kill penalties for 9.0 minutes per contest over their last five home games.
Averaging 29.5 saves per game with a .922 save percentage, Andrei Vasilevskiy (40-18-3) has been the top option in goal for Tampa Bay this season. Vasilevskiy did just play yesterday, however, so Tampa Bay might decide to rest him and go with Louis Domingue instead (5-10-10 record, .884 save percentage, 3.67 goals against average).
Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos will both be focal points for the Lightning. Kucherov (91 points) has tallied 34 goals and 57 assists and has recorded multiple points in 29 different games this year. Stamkos has 27 goals and 55 assists to his name and has recorded a point in 49 games.
Edmonton is 31-40 straight up (SU) and has lost 17.4 units for bettors taking the moneyline this year. A total of 34 of its games have gone under the total, while 33 have gone over and just three have pushed. The Oilers are 15-20 SU as the visiting team this season.
The Oilers have converted on just 14.8 percent of their power play chances this season, a mark that’s ranked 32nd in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 29th overall and it’s successfully killed off 75.3 percent of all penalties.
Edmonton’s players have been penalized 3.7 times per game in total this season, 4.0 per game over their past five games total, and 4.2 per game over their last five games as the visiting team. The team’s been forced to kill penalties 8.7 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Cam Talbot (27.7 saves per game) has been the primary choice in goal for Edmonton. Talbot has 27 wins, 30 losses, and two overtime losses to his credit, and has registered a .908 save percentage and 2.98 goals against average this year.
Connor McDavid (34 goals, 55 assists) has been one of the most vital facilitators on offense for the visiting Oilers.
Edmonton Oilers at Tampa Bay Lightning Betting Predictions
NHL Prediction: SU Winner – Lightning, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Trends
Power plays and penalty kills could have a critical role in this game. The Oilers are 13-9 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 21-30 in games where they serve fewer than 10 penalty minutes, in total. The Lightning are 25-12 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 28-14 in games where total penalty minutes are in the single digits.
Four of Tampa Bay’s last ten games have gone to a shootout. The team is 4-0 in those games and 6-2 overall in shootouts this season.
The over has hit in four of Tampa Bay’s last five outings.
Tampa Bay has averaged 8.4 giveaways per game (ranked 10th overall).
Edmonton is ranked 30th this season with 12.6 giveaways per game. That figure has trended higher lately, as the team’s averaged 15.2 giveaways over its last 10 games and 14.8 giveaways over its last five.
Edmonton skaters have accounted for the league’s second-most hits per game (27.0), but the team’s recorded just 21.2 hits over their last five away games.
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