The Nashville Predators (27-14-3) travel to meet the Edmonton Oilers (20-16-2) Thursday at Rogers Place. Puck drop is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the Predators vs. Oilers odds and lines, and make our expert NHL picks, predictions and bets.
The Predators doubled up the Seattle Kraken Tuesday in the first game of a two-game road trip. Nashville has won three straight outings and outscored the opposition 13-5 in the process.
The Oilers picked up a 5-2 victory at Rogers Place in their first meeting with the Predators Nov. 3. The Oilers have rattled off consecutive wins against the Calgary Flames at home Saturday and Vancouver Canucks on the road Tuesday after an 0-5-2 slide from Dec. 29-Jan. 20.
Predators at Oilers odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 7:49 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Predators +102 (bet $100 to win $102) | Oilers -125 (bet $135 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Predators +1.5 (-250) | Oilers -1.5 (+180)
- Over/Under (O/U): 6.5 (O: -102 | U: -122)
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Predators at Oilers projected goalies
Juuse Saros (23-11-2, 2.37 GAA, .926 SV%, 2 SO) vs. Mikko Koskinen (14-8-1, 3.24 GAA, .899 SV%)
Saros has picked up three consecutive victories, allowing a total of 5 goals on 102 shots. He has posted an 8-2-1 record, 2.55 GAA and .931 SV% in 11 starts since flipping the calendar to January.
Koskinen has won back-to-back starts, allowing just 5 goals on 74 shots in wins over the Flames and Canucks. He stopped 31 of 33 shots Nov. 3 in the first meeting with the Preds.
Predators at Oilers odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Oilers 3, Predators 2
Money line
The OILERS (-125) are worth playing on home ice, as they look to have it figured out after an ugly skid to start the new year. Koskinen was sharp in the first meeting with the Preds back in November, and he has been solid lately, too. Saros is always a tough nut to crack, but if anybody can do it, it’s C Connor McDavid, C Leon Draisaitl and company.
Against the spread
The Predators +1.5 (-250) are a bit on the expensive side if you don’t trust them straight up and would like a little insurance, so you should just play them straight up if you like Nashville. I don’t recommend it, though, as Edmonton has won four straight in this series, and Nashville is 1-4 in its last five as a road ‘dog.
PASS.
Over/Under
UNDER 6.5 (-122) might be the best play on the board in all NHL games.
Yes, all trends point to the Over lately for Nashville — it’s 5-0 in the Preds’ past five road outings, and 10-4 in their last 14 games overall. However, the Under is 11-4-4 in the past 19 meetings in this series, including 6-1-3 in the past 10 battles at Rogers Place.
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