The Vegas Flu seems to have rubbed off on the Golden Knights as they’ve dropped six of their last nine games and now head to Alberta to face the Edmonton Oilers. The Knights have dropped eight of their 11 road games this season and look nowhere near as good as they did during the Stanley Cup Finals run last season. That being said, the Oilers have had their share of struggles to start the year and have lost five of their last six contests while averaging 2.3 goals per game in that stretch.
The Knights opened as -120 favorites with a total of 5.5.
- The Knights are 3-8 SU in 11 road games this season.
- The Oilers rank 22nd in goals per game this season.
- The UNDER has hit in five of the Knights’ last seven games.
Golden Knights vs Oilers Game Center
Expansion Blues Finally Hitting the Knights
Expansion teams usually have growing pains and last year was the ultimate exception to the rule with the Golden Knights. Winning their division and making it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final will put the Knights in history as the greatest expansion team in North American sports but the tables have turned. This season, the Knights have the look of a new franchise at 9-11 SU and for a team that finished with only 24 losses last season, that mark could be reached by the New Year at this rate.
Vegas is ranked 29th in goals per game despite outshooting its opponents by nearly eight shots per contest. Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury can stop all the shots he wants but if the Knights don’t put pucks in the net, even the greatest goalies will get hung up to dry. To be fair, Fleury’s save percentage is down to .901 this season and in seven games this month, he has allowed three or more goals in five of them.
Since the goaltending and defensive efforts haven’t been as reliable for the Golden Knights, I don’t feel confident they can go into Rogers Place and dominate which is why I won’t back them to win. Considering they’re 3-8 SU in 11 road games this season, I’m sure bettors likely share my opinion.
McDavid’s Presence Not Enough to Lift Oilers’ Offense
Connor McDavid is a joy to watch with how effortlessly he glides around the ice and his breakaway speed when he gets the puck. McDavid is second in the NHL in scoring with 11 goals and 27 points but even this great talent can’t push the Oilers into becoming a scoring machine. Edmonton is ranked 22nd in goals per game this season and is only averaging 2.3 goals per game over their last seven where it’s gone 1-6 SU.
The defense has been a bit of a work in progress for the Oilers as they allow 3.16 goals per game and 3.25 goals in November. Goaltender Cam Talbot has lost four straight starts and allowed 14 goals in those games on 98 shots. He may not be the answer between the pipes long-term for Edmonton and with a .895 save percentage in 13 starts, he could be out of the league sooner rather than later.
UNDER ALERT for Knights' Games
The total opened at 5.5 and when the Knights’ take the ice, the UNDER seems to follow. The UNDER has hit in five of the Knights’ last seven games with an average combined score of 4.5 goals per game. The Knights’ have been one of the best UNDER teams in the NHL this season with 13 of their 20 games going UNDER and the average combined score in all of their games is 4.7.
My Pick Is…
To take the UNDER. I don’t like either side to actually win the game and project that this will be a grind’em game where goals are hard to come by. If you don’t feel confident in betting either side of the total, I would lean to the Oilers only because they’re the home team which honestly isn’t a great reason to back a team.
