New York Islanders vs. Edmonton Oilers Prediction, Preview, Picks & Odds - 2/11/2022

Time: 9 p.m. ET

Venue: Rogers Place, Edmonton, AB

Where to watch: TVAS, SNW, MSG+

DraftKings: Oilers -160, Islanders +140

WynnBet: Oilers -150, Islanders +130

Caesars: Oilers -145, Islanders +125

Islanders: 17-17-6

Oilers: 23-18-3

What a time to be a fan of the Edmonton Oilers. 20 games into the season it looked like Edmonton had finally figured it out. This was supposed to be the year that Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl would lead a stacked team with more depth to a deep playoff run.

 

We can now forget all of that noise because the Edmonton Oilers are once again being the Edmonton Oilers. Dave Tippett was fired on Thursday, and yet was somehow the more surprising firing of this week’s shenanigans, and the Oilers now find themselves in ridiculous territory.

 

Coming out of the All-Star break with two losses in dominant fashion to the Vegas Golden Knights and the Chicago Blackhawks, the Oilers now find themselves trying to right the ship in what seems like impossible waters. The New York Islanders are next on the schedule for Edmonton and I can't for the life of me look at Edmonton and believe that the Oilers will win this game on Friday at home.

 

Edmonton replaced Tippett with Jay Woodcroft, who is well-respected within the hockey circles. But being well respected within the hockey world doesn't do anything for the Oilers when they are currently fifth in the Pacific division entering the second half of the season.

 

It almost boggles my mind that the Oilers have the weapons on offense that they do, and yet somehow find a way to score only one goal in their first two games out of the break. Draisaitl Is there a leading scorer with 33 goals to go along with 31 assists, and McDavid is off to his normal stuff with 61 points right behind his teammate.

 

But the problem for the Oilers, as it has been for however many years now his secondary scoring. There are only four players on this roster that have scored double figures in goals. Zach Hyman and Jesse Puljujarvi have combined for 23 goals. Do the math, and that's the same amount that McDavid has this season.

 

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins Is the only other player on this team with 30 points. We can point to the lack of goaltending when it comes to the Oilers, and that is very valid but when you have those two leading your team in scoring, and necessarily the league in scoring, and you cannot even come close to getting one more player to reach that point, that is a huge problem. 

 

The Oilers can hope that Evander Kane is that guy, with two goals in his first four games since signing with Edmonton, but if you're betting on Evander Kane to help you in that department with as much drama as he's carrying right now, you should find another avenue to explore.

 

It hasn't been the greatest season either for the Islanders, months removed from making the Eastern Conference Final. But there is a bright spot, that being Ilya Sorokin. The goalie is having a tremendous season going 14-8-5 with a 2.34 GAA and .924 save percentage. Even backup Semyon Varlamov has been great. It’s just the lack of scoring that’s been the issue, with the Islanders far and away not close to a playoff spot.

 

But given how the Oilers continue to not score, this favors the goaltending. Mike Smith has been the starter for Edmonton and he’s been blitzed the last two games. Maybe a new coach changes things, but life is not fun in Oil Country and I can’t expect them to figure things out now against someone like Sorokin. Islanders win 3-1

The Islanders are 17-25 in non-conference games the past three seasons.

The Oilers are 31-20 following a loss of two goals or more the previous game.

Islanders:

Anders Lee -- Mathew Barzal -- Josh Bailey

Anthony Beauvillier -- Brock Nelson -- Kieffer Bellows

Zach Parise -- Jean-Gabriel Pageau -- Oliver Wahlstrom

Matt Martin -- Casey Cizikas -- Cal Clutterbuck

Adam Pelech -- Scott Mayfield

Zdeno Chara -- Noah Dobson

Andy Greene -- Ryan Pulock

Ilya Sorokin

Oilers:

Evander Kane -- Connor McDavid -- Kailer Yamamoto

Ryan McLeod -- Leon Draisaitl -- Zack Kassian

Zach Hyman -- Ryan Nugent-Hopkins -- Jesse Puljujarvi

Warren Foegele -- Devin Shore -- Derek Ryan

Darnell Nurse -- Evan Bouchard

Duncan Keith -- Cody Ceci

William Lagesson -- Tyson Barrie

Mike Smith