Tip: Out-of-form favorites clash in Nashville!

Nashville Predators, who bolstered their roster with several high-profile signings before the season, are still winless in the early rounds. Edmonton Oilers managed to turn the game around against Flyers, securing their first win of the season. The question now is whether they can build on that success.

The Oilers' Super Line

After the initial rounds, Kris Knoblauch had seen enough and decided to reshuffle the lines. In an effort to ignite the Oilers' offense, he moved Leon Draisaitl to the top line alongside Connor McDavid and Zach Hyman. I probably don’t need to explain just how ridiculously offensively strong that line looks. However, in principle, I’m not a fan when the Oilers opt for this setup as it has previously led to significant imbalance in the team. The advantage Oilers has now, compared to previous seasons, is even better forward depth, so perhaps it will work better this time. In any case, it led to their first win of the season. But it was far from a clinical victory for the Canadians. The game started in the worst possible way as the Oilers racked up penalties, which the Flyers capitalized on twice. The rest of the game felt disjointed, and it didn’t help that the Oilers continued down the same path, collecting penalties. Despite this, they managed to come back twice and clinch the win in overtime.

The win was crucial for Edmonton, who likely got some flashbacks to how last season started—something they’d rather not repeat. It was also important that the line shuffle paid off, with McDavid and Draisaitl each registering two points in the game. The overtime winner came from none other than Draisaitl, assisted by McDavid. Hopefully, the Oilers can build on this win as they now face a Nashville Predators team that cannot be happy after their recent 7-3 loss to Seattle Kraken.

Where Are the Performances?

Nashville Predators have very different expectations for this season. It’s not surprising for a team that has added Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei. However, this has yet to have an immediate effect on the team's performances. The second line with Stamkos and Marchessault has struggled to get going, and the play, especially at 5-on-5, has looked extremely flat. Stamkos already showed a noticeable decline in 5-on-5 play last season with the Tampa Bay Lightning, and that might be one of the initial issues here. Last season's successful line featuring Filip Forsberg, Ryan O'Reilly, and Gustav Nyquist hasn’t had a great start either; instead, it has been the third line with Novak and Evangelista that has been a bright spot. That’s certainly not enough, and in the long run, I believe the Predators will get their game together and quickly climb the standings, but it might take some time before we see them fully hit their stride.

Conclusion and Betting Tip

Predators will surely get their game in order, but right now, they don’t look as good as they should. Especially in 5-on-5 play, they've been extremely flat. However, the Oilers need to watch out for Nashville's power play, which features plenty of high-quality PP specialists. In other words, stay out of the penalty box, Edmonton Oilers! It remains to be seen if the Oilers can build on their recent win. Regardless, I find it hard not to lean towards the Canadians ahead of tonight's matchup. They are, overall, the better team and were ranked as the best team heading into the season for good reason. When Dallas Stars visited last week and closed at -128, I can’t see how a healthy Edmonton Oilers team would stand higher today.

The play is Edmonton Oilers ML @ -120 on FanDuel!