Edmonton Oilers vs Lightning Odds & Preview

Our NHL picks and parlays portion of this preview starts with a deeper dive into tonight’s Oilers vs Lightning odds, starting with the Oilers. The Lightning is 7-5 this season but that hasn’t been good enough for bettors, losing 75 units.

Tampa is currently a -160 favorite, but the public sent a clear message after the opening number was bet down from -180. Jon Cooper’s team has played six games against teams that made the playoffs last season, managing to win just two of those match-ups. Edmonton is 7-6 on the young season, costing bettors 62 units. Tampa hasn’t been much better (-75 units).

Oilers Focused on Breaking Losing Streak

Edmonton will be playing their second of two games in two days as they continue their road trip against the defending Eastern Conference champions. Last night, the Washington Capitals got the better of Edmonton, 5-4, at a pace that usually favors Jay Woodcroft’s team. From a betting perspective, teams that play poorly the night before on their own end the night before, usually come back with a focus on playing better defensively.

This will prove true tonight with the Oilers on a short 4-game road trip. The focus of going on the road is always to at least split your games. With games coming up against the Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers, you can bet defensive detail will be paid attention to more than it was against the Caps.

Jack Campbell is the likely starter in net, but double-check the morning skate to see who’s the first one off the ice. Let’s continue our Oilers vs. Lightning odds preview by taking a closer look at the home team.

Lightning Hope to Continue Home Streak Against Oilers

December 9th, 2009 was the last time the Edmonton Oilers won at Amalie arena. That adds up to nine straight losses, taking 884 units from Oiler’s bettors. It’s one of the three kryptonite teams for Edmonton, with the Dallas Stars (8-20, -884 units) and Minnesota Wild (10-28, -1271 units) being the other two.

Current NHL standings show that perhaps there should be some sense of urgency for the Oilers. With 13 games played, the Vegas Golden Knights already own an 8-point advantage over Edmonton, who are sitting in fourth place after losing three straight.

Jon Cooper’s team, who will likely have Andrei Vasilevskiy between the pipes, trail the Boston Bruins by seven points in the Atlantic Division. It seems every year Tampa comes up with new talent and that’s the case in 2022 with the play of 24-year-old defenseman

Nick Perbix who is playing second-pairing minutes alongside veteran Mikhail Sergachev. Perbix got the game-winner, his first NHL goal, against the Buffalo Sabres, Saturday. He’s part of a defensive core that has produced 25 points in 12 games. It will be interesting to see if they can contain the Oiler’s top-six speed.

Ticket Count Doesn’t Tell The Story

The betting public has jumped on the Tampa Bay Lighting (68% of total tickets) with a little more confidence in the (over) (79%).

57% of the total money bet is on Tampa, so why has that number come down after a -180 send-out? Simple, bookmakers didn’t agree with the number, forcing them to make an adjustment, one that appears to be right on the mark.

The total money bet percentage is in an area that makes them happy, meaning, equal action on both sides. To conclude our Lightning and Oilers odds preview, our official selection is to play the under (7, -125).

With Tampa cashing four straight over tickets and Edmonton on a three-game over streak with a push mixed in, the public will continue to bet the over. Bookmakers have also factored their opinion in by baiting the public with plus money (+105) on an over wager. We’ve seen this trap before, run the other way.

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