NHL Best Bets: Oilers vs. Golden Knights Game Picks

Two Pacific division rivals are set to collide tonight from T-Mobile Arena, with the Edmonton Oilers paying a visit to the Vegas Golden Knights.

All Odds Courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

The Oilers are set to take the ice for the second consecutive night after blowing out the San Jose Sharks 7-1 yesterday. They’ve compiled a 5-4-1 record over their past ten games and have won a pair of matchups in a row. The Golden Knights have also brought some solid consistency to the table, posting a 6-3-1 record over their past ten games. 

These teams have already met once, which saw the Oilers defeat the Golden Knights 4-3 on November 19. Vegas enters this matchup nine points ahead of the Oilers in the Pacific. It’s certainly been a nice bounce-back year for the Golden Knights, who had an injury-plagued season one year ago but have retooled some of their roster and started to play at a contending level. The same can’t be said for the Oilers, who’ve relatively underachieved after making the Western Conference Finals last year. 

Looking toward the projected goalie matchup tonight, the visiting Oilers are expected to start Jack Campbell, while the Golden Knights should do the same with Logan Thompson. The Oilers netminder has posted an 11-8-1 record, paired with a .883 save percentage, while Thompson is 18-10-1, along with a .914 save percentage. It’s hard not to be impressed with what Thompson has done for the Golden Knights this season after taking over the starting role in net. 

With the Oilers playing for the second night in a row and the Golden Knights simply proving to be the better team in this matchup, it’s hard to fade the home side tonight. There’s definite value built into the Golden Knights odds on the moneyline, which are currently priced at an appetizing -140. 

Best Bet: Golden Knights moneyline (-140) 

The Golden Knights and Oilers are built relatively differently, with Edmonton having more offensive success and Vegas leaning more on their goaltending and defense. The Oilers scored at the fourth-highest clip in the NHL, while the Golden Knights sit just outside the top ten in both goals scored and allowed per game. Over the Golden Knights past five games, two have seen seven or more goals scored, while the Oilers have seen that transpire in three straight games. Even with these teams combining for seven goals in their first matchup, there’s value in expecting the Golden Knights to dictate the pace tonight and keep this a low-scoring affair. 

Best Bet: Under 6.5 (-102) 

There are a lot of highly skilled players dressing for this contest tonight, but there’s also merit in targeting some of the better-priced players that are flying somewhat under the radar. One of those players is Golden Knights forward Reilly Smith, who’s tallied 18 goals on the campaign. With a more prominent offensive role on the horizon for Smith with some injuries for the Golden Knights, he’s a player that should provide genuine value on this slate. Smith is currently priced at +200 to light the lamp tonight, and that’s a number bettors should feel comfortable siding with. 

Best Prop: Reilly Smith to Record Over 0.5 Goals (+200)