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The Edmonton Oilers continue their road trip as they face the Philadelphia Flyers. It is time to continue our NHL odds series with an Oilers-Flyers prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.
Last time out, the Edmonton Oilers took a win over the Nashville Predators. The Oilers lost the first two games of the season to the Canucks and struggled to score in the process. They scored just four goals in the first two games of the season. Then, last time out, the offense started to click. Leon Draisaitl scored on the power play to open the game, and the Oilers would score four times in the first period. Draisaitl would score another power-play goal in the second period, and the Oilers would win the game 6-1.
Meanwhile, the Flyers come in at 2-1 on the season. They opened the season with a victory over the Blue Jackets before falling to the Ottawa Senators. Last time out they faced the Vancouver Canucks. The Flyers scored 1:45 into the game with an Egor Zamula goal. Then, Sean Couturier scored on a penalty shot to make it 2-0. That would be the only scoring of the game, as Carter Hart stopped all 26 shots in a 2-0 victory.
Here are the NHL Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Oilers vs. Flyers Odds
Edmonton Oilers: -1.5 (+112)
Philadelphia Flyers: +1.5 (-134)
Over: 6.5 (-140)
Under: 6.5 (+114)
How to Watch Oilers vs. Flyers
Time: 7:30 PM ET/ 4:30 PM PT
TV: ESPN+/Hulu
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Oilers Will Cover The Spread
Leon Draisaitl has led the Oilers offensive attack so far this year. He has scored four goals and had three assists this season already. Three of the goals and one of the assists have come on the power play this year. Joining him on the top line is Connor McDavid. McDavid is one of the best goal scorers in the NHL, and he does have two of them this season. McDavid also has three assists on the season as well, with all three of them coming on the power play.
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Meanwhile, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has been solid this year for the Oilers as well. He has scored twice and has four assists on the season as well. As a team. the Oiles have been solid on the power play this year, and that needs to continue. They have scored five of their ten goals this year on the power play, converting five of 14 chances so far this season. They have also been good at getting shots off, with totals of 27, 40, and 30 shots this year.
Still, there are some major defensive concerns. First, they allowed 43 shots last time out, which is the second time this year they have allowed 32 or more shots. Both of those games came on the road when the only game they limited shots was at home. Second, they need to step up on the penalty kill. The Oilers have allowed five goals on the man-down this year in 12 chances.
The Oilers are expected to start Stuart Skinner in goal in this one. He came in for relief in the first game of the year and then started the second one of the year. So far, Skinner is 0-1 with a 5.33 goals-against average and a .750 save percentage. In both of his appearances, he gave up four goals on 16 shots.
Why The Flyers Will Cover The Spread
The Flyers have been led by Travis Konecny this year on offense. Konecny is the only player on the Flyers this year with more than one goal. He has three goals and five assists this year, with one of them coming on the power play. Konecny is joined on the second line by Scott Laughton, who has three assists this year. He has 11 shots as well but has yet to score.
The top line is made up of Owenn Tippett, Sean Couturier, and Cam Atkinson lead the top line. Couturier has a goal and an assist this season, while Atkinson has a goal as well. Owen Tippett has not yet scored this year but does have seven shots on goal this year. Overall, the Flyers have shot well in the two wins this year, while not shooting well in the loss. The Flyers shot 37 and 42 times in the two wins, with over one-third of their shots in high-leverage scoring areas. Meanwhile, they shot just 21 times in the loss, with only seven high-leverage shots.
They have also struggled on the power play this year. The Flyers have scored just one time on the power play this year on 13 attempts. The Flyers also need to continue to be solid on the penalty kill. In the one loss, they allowed three goals on five penalty-kill opportunities. In the other two games, they killed all seven opportunities.
The Flyers are starting Carter Hart in goal in this game. He is 2-1 with a 3.53 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage this year. He was solid in the game with Columbus to start the season. Hart saved 31 of 33 shots in the first game to get the win. The next time out, he let in five goals on 31 shots but would rebound. Last time out, he saved all 26 shots he faced in the shutout victory. Hart had just two shutouts all of last year, so this is a nice start to the season for him.
Final Oilers-Flyers Prediction & Pick
The Oilers have won just one of their first three games this year. Still, the loss was to the same team, and they were much better in the second game overall. They moved the puck better in their second loss, and it was clear they were close to a breakthrough. Meanwhile, thye already have a top-level power play unit, that should get plenty of opportunities tonight against the Flyers. The Flyers give up four chances per game on average. That should lead to at least one goal for the Oilers if not two. Taking a play for a goal to be scored in the first ten minutes would be a solid play here, but still, expect the Oilers to cover with ease.
Final Oilers-Flyers Prediction & Pick: Oilers -1.5 (+112)
