An elite matchup with tons of scoring is on tap tonight as the Tampa Bay Lightning take on the Edmonton Oilers. It is time to check out our NHL odds series where our Lightning-Oilers prediction and pick will be made.

Entering play, Tampa Bay has experienced great success late as they have won five in a row in impressive fashion. Looking for a sixth consecutive victory, the Lightning have scored at least four goals during their winning stretch and appear to be clicking on all cylinders offensively.

Certainly, the Oilers also know how to score the puck in flurries, as Edmonton was able to score five times against a solid Kraken defense. Also on a winning streak with four-straight victories, the Oilers are  25-18-3 through 46 games on the season-long campaign.

Here are the Lightning-Oilers NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel

NHL Odds: Lightning-Oilers Odds

Tampa Bay Lightning: +1.5 (-260)

Edmonton Oilers: -1.5 (+205)

Over: 6.5 (-115)

Under: 6.5 (-105)

How To Watch Lightning vs. Oilers

TV: ESPN+

Stream: ESPN+

Time: 9:00 ET/6:00 PT

*Watch NHL games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why The Lightning Could Cover The Spread

There is a reason why the Lightning entered the season as three-time Eastern Conference defending champions, and even after losing a couple key pieces on the roster during the offseason, Tampa Bay has proved that they are still here to stay.

The biggest aspect that the Lightning need to combat the Oilers with will be to outscore Edmonton by giving them a taste of their own medicine. On paper, Tampa Bay is averaging just as many goals per game than Edmonton at 3.63 scores per contest and will prove to be difficult to slow down, especially how electric the Lightning have been playing offensively.

After it was longtime veteran Steven Stamkos that is able to score his 500th career goal against the Canucks last night with an exhilarating hat-trick performance, the 32-year-old from Ontario may be in more of a giving mood when he laces up the skates for play this evening. Alas, be on the lookout for Stamkos to get his teammates involved with crisp passes in the seams of the ice that will eventually lead to a plethora of scoring opportunities.

Most importantly, stopping the Oilers entirely offensively will be nearly impossible, but finding ways to slow down that ferocious attack is doable. Taking a glimpse at Tampa Bay's defense, they only surrender only 2.86 goals per game and remains one of the more feisty defensive units that the league has to offer. Of course, all of this depends on goalie Andrei Vasilevsky's ability to make some big-time saves. Fortunately, Vasilevsky is a generational type of talent in net and is more than able to stop the Oilers dead in their tracks.

Why The Oilers Could Cover The Spread

When comparing this roster's offense to the one that Tampa Bay possesses, the Oilers do have the advantage simply because they arguably have the top player on the face of the planet in center Conor McDavid. On pace for one of his best seasons yet, McDavid has scored a league-high 38 goals so far this year and has also bafflingly recorded 41 assists on his way to a whopping total of 84 points. In highly-completive games like this one where even one fortunate bounce of the puck can pave the way to victory, having a future Hall-of-Famer on the roster like McDavid is a huge boost for Edmonton's chances of covering the spread.

In addition to McDavid putting up mind-blowing stats through the first half of the regular season, the recent return of Evander Kane will also prove to pay dividends in his second game back. Although Kane was not particularly efficient in his first taste of action in 31 games, Kane will add another element to an already explosive offense at the forward position. Don't be surprised if tonight's high stakes versus a team like the Tampa Bay Lightning bring out the best in a guy like Evander Kane.

All in all, Edmonton has to figure out a way to play better in front of their home fans. With their home record sitting at a measly 11-11-2 record, the Oilers have surprisingly been better out 0n the road for whatever reason. Clearly, Edmonton has showcased a tremendous home-ice advantage over the years, and getting off to a fast start versus the Lightning tonight will no doubt send the Rogers Place Arena into a full-blown frenzy.

Final Lightning-Oilers Prediction & Pick

One of the many intriguing matchups that the NHL has to offer on this Thursday, it is hard to imagine that this contest won't come down to the wire. With that being said, side with the Lightning and their ability to cover the spread.

Final Lightning-Oilers Prediction & Pick: Lightning +1.5 (-260)