Nashville Predators vs Edmonton Oilers Picks and Predictions October 17th 2024

Oilers Visit Winless Predators in Battle of Slow-Starting Squads

The Edmonton Oilers and Nashville Predators both expect to turn their sluggish beginnings around when they go head to head on Thursday night in Nashville. The Oilers, new off snapping a three-game series of failures with an extra time victory against the Philadelphia Flyers, will hope to get consecutive wins interestingly this season. In the mean time, the Predators are as yet looking for their most memorable success after three continuous misfortunes to open the season.

Oilers Seek Momentum After Ending Skid

The Oilers are coming off a 4-3 overtime win against the Flyers, which provided some much-needed relief after a rough start to the season. Leon Draisaitl played the hero, scoring just 56 seconds into overtime to seal the win. Edmonton also got goals from Evan Bouchard, Adam Henrique, and Connor Brown in the victory. While Connor McDavid has yet to score this season, he continues to play a key role, tallying two assists in the win over Philadelphia.

“Our best players really came up clutch,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said after the game. “Leon makes a play on the wall, McDavid makes a pass and Bouchard scores. Those guys were on the ice again for the game-winning goal. We need those guys to make key plays in key moments, and they definitely did.”

McDavid leads the Oilers with four assists, but the team will be looking for more offensive contributions from the superstar as they head into their two-game road trip. Draisaitl, who has two goals and an assist in four games, continues to be a key factor in Edmonton’s offense.

Goaltender Stuart Skinner has had a rocky start to the season with a 1-2-0 record, an .845 save percentage, and a 5.40 goals-against average (GAA). However, Skinner is coming off a win and will be looking to build on that momentum when he faces the Predators.

Predators Struggling to Find Their Identity

The Predators are coming off a rough 7-3 loss to the Seattle Kraken, their third straight defeat to start the season. After entering the third period tied 3-3, Nashville fell apart in the final frame, allowing four unanswered goals.

“We’re trying to play fire wagon hockey here, and we’ve kind of lost a little bit of our identity with how we’re supposed to play,” Predators coach Andrew Brunette said after the loss. “We’re kind of playing how we want to play a little bit. I think there’s still a lot of summer hockey in our game, and a lot of trying to be cute and make plays instead of being direct.”

Nashville will need to rediscover their structured, gritty style of play if they hope to snap their losing streak. Filip Forsberg has been a bright spot for the Predators, notching one goal and two assists in three games. Tommy Novak has also contributed with two goals, but the team needs more offensive output to complement these performances.

One of the Predators’ key offseason acquisitions, Steven Stamkos, is still searching for his first point in a Nashville uniform. After starting the season on left wing, Stamkos moved to center in the latest game, and the team will hope the shift helps ignite his offensive production.

Join for Winning Strategies! Register Now.

Goaltender Juuse Saros, normally a stalwart for the Predators, has struggled out of the gate with an 0-2-0 record, an .855 save percentage, and a 4.20 GAA. Saros will need to return to form quickly for Nashville to have a chance against a high-powered Oilers offense.

Recent History and What to Watch

Edmonton won two of three gatherings against Nashville last season, and the Oilers will hope to proceed with that outcome in their most memorable matchup of the new season. Last year, the Oilers guaranteed a predominant 6-1 victory in their most memorable gathering with the Predators, while Nashville got a 5-2 win in the subsequent challenge. Edmonton finished off the season series with a 4-1 victory.

Thursday’s game denotes the first of three gatherings between the teams this season. The Oilers will get back to Nashville for one more challenge on October 31, and the last gathering will happen in Edmonton on November 14.

With the two teams hoping to find consistency, the matchup vows to be cutthroat. The Oilers will expect to expand on their new win, while the Predators are frantic to acquire their most memorable victory of the time and abstain from falling further behind.

The key to the game could lie in which group figures out how to straighten out protectively. In the event that the Oilers can get strong goaltending from Skinner and keep getting ideal commitments from their top players, they’ll have a decent opportunity to broaden Nashville’s horrible streak. Then again, in the event that Saros can find his mood and the Predators work on their game, they could at long last score their most memorable success.