Edmonton Oilers vs. Florida Panthers Prediction, Betting Odds, and Our Best Bet

The Edmonton Oilers will try to snap their 4-game losing streak when they visit the Florida Panthers tonight. Florida won the first meeting of the season back in December when they edged out Edmonton 6-5 in a high-scoring battle.

This time around, the Panthers are coming in as slight home favorites at -118 on the moneyline, while the Oilers sit at -102. With odds that close to even, this game feels like it’s going to be as close as the last one. 

As for the total, it is set at 8.5 goals, with the under juiced a bit to -118.

The Oilers have struggled since returning from the 4 Nations Face-Off Tournament break. They’ve lost 4 straight and getting outscored 17-7 in the process. Defensive issues and inconsistent goaltending have undoubtedly fueled their slump, allowing 4+ goals in each loss.

On the other end of the ice, Florida has won 4 of its last 6 games and continues to rely on solid goaltending from Sergei Bobrovsky and Spencer Knight — both of which are having solid seasons.

Oilers Struggling, Panthers Playing Tight Defense

Edmonton’s offensive firepower just hasn’t been enough to overcome its defensive struggles. The Oilers have allowed at least 4 goals in each of their last 4 losses, and their team save percentage is a dismal .888. Even though Leon Draisaitl with his 87 points and Connor McDavid with his 73 points continue to produce as you’d expect, Edmonton’s overall defensive structure has been a glaring weakness.

None of this means that the Oilers aren’t a good team, because they are, but they’re unquestionably slumping right now and they’ll need to fix it as they head into the final stretch of the season. They were holding the top spot in the Pacific Division but the Golden Knights recently took that from them. With the Kings hot on their heels, if Edmonton doesn’t clean up this play, they’ll find themselves 3rd in the Division.

Florida, on the other hand, is coming in fairly hot and getting the job done defensively. Bobrovsky has a solid .903 save percentage, and the Panthers have allowed just 6 total goals in their last 4 games. Of course, these teams weren’t the best in the NHL, but it just goes to show that their defense is clicking. They bounced back from a 2-1 loss to Seattle with a 4-1 win over Nashville, showing they can shut down teams with weak defensive lines — like Edmonton.

Adding to Edmonton’s struggles, the Oilers are 0-4-1 in their last five games against Eastern Conference opponents. Florida, on the other hand, has been fairly steady, ranking just 4th in the NHL in goals against per game at 2.85.

Oilers vs Panthers Prediction and Best Bet

The Panthers moneyline (-118) is the best bet in this matchup despite oddsmakers thinking this will be a close game.

• HelloRookie’s Prediction: Panthers 3, Oilers 2
• Best Bet: Panthers ML

Edmonton is simply in bad form, especially defensively and we don’t think the Panthers are the team they’re going to fix this with. The Panthers’ recent defensive consistency and home-ice advantage easily makes them the better pick here. While the Oilers can score in droves considering who they have in their top 6, they’re also giving up too many goals to be trusted.

With Bobrovsky and Knight playing well and Florida’s ability to control play in the defensive zone, we expect the Panthers to contain Edmonton’s attack and grind out a home win. It might not be pretty, but they should walk away with the 2 points to over take the Maple Leafs in the Atlantic Division.