by Chuck Sommers
Thursday, Feb 23, 2023
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Venue: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, PA
Where to watch: ATTSN-PT, SNW, SNO, SNE, TVAS
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Oilers -115, Penguins -105
FanDuel: Oilers -115, Penguins -105
BetMGM: Penguins -115, Oilers -105
Caesars: Even
Season record
Oilers: 31-19-8
Penguins: 27-20-9
The All-Star break is over, the second half of the NHL season can officially begin, and we're bound for what should be a very exciting second half of the hockey season. Basketball and hockey are about to rule the roost in the sports betting world once the Super Bowl is done with, and we should all be very excited for what's to come. When the trade deadline hits and players switch teams, you know things are about to get hectic over these final 30 games or so. One way you can stay tuned with the action is following what our champion handicappers are doing in the world of the NHL. Look at ASA, Inc., reeling in a $6,750 profit off a 17-9-0 run. Al McMordie is also doing well on the ice with a 13-5-0 run and a net profit of $6,050. Scott Rickenbach has also been hanging strong with a lot of betting action, in what's been an unusual year, with a 24-18-0 run and reeling in $5,950. You know this action is going to be great now that games are back and a busy second half if on the horizon. All you need to do is head to our BEST BETS page at bigal.com to find out all of what we're trying to tell you. Make sure you're locked in at bigal.com and go to our Best Bets page to find out what our champion handicappers have to say in the world of the NHL!
Oilers - Penguins preview, prediction and analysis
The Edmonton Oilers will be playing the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday, February 23 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The Edmonton Oilers won against the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday, February 21 at Rogers Place in Edmonton with a score of 4-2. The Edmonton Oilers currently rank 3rd in the Pacific Division.
Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl each had three points for the Edmonton Oilers. McDavid had two goals and an assist, and Draisaitl had a goal and two assists for the Oilers (31-19-8), who had lost four straight (0-1-3). Stuart Skinner made 24 saves.
"We didn't really have our stuff. We were pretty flat," McDavid said. "Only 10 shots through 40 [minutes], that isn't good enough. But I thought we had a great response. Give them credit, they played us hard. They're a stingy team that keeps everything to the outside. I thought we did a good job of generating offense in the third."
Noah Cates gave Philadelphia a 1-0 lead at 10:01 of the first period, taking a pass from Wade Allison behind the net and scoring on a wraparound. Tyson Barrie tied it 1-1 at 19:57, scoring glove side from the point following a face-off win by Draisaitl. The goal came three seconds into a power play.
Owen Tippet put the Flyers back in front 2-1 at 11:37 of the second period, chipping a centering pass from Kevin Hayes over the shoulder of Skinner. Draisaitl tied it 2-2 with a power-play goal at 6:49 of the third period. He shot into an open net from the bottom of the right circle off a backdoor pass from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.
McDavid put the Oilers ahead 3-2 at 12:39 when his backdoor pass deflected in off Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim. McDavid then scored a short-handed goal into an empty net at 17:35 for the 4-2 final.
"[McDavid and Nugent-Hopkins] are two of the best players in the world, plain and simple," Draisaitl said. "It is so much fun sharing the ice with these two. I feel very fortunate and very honored that I get to play with these two for a long time. We were a little sluggish, maybe, for the first two periods. Weren't very sharp with the puck and couldn't create too much in any way, so coming out with two points and playing a pretty good third period is big for us."
The Edmonton Oilers have won four of their last 10 games.
The Pittsburgh Penguins lost against the New York Islanders last Monday, February 20 at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with a score of 4-2. The Pittsburgh Penguins currently rank 5th in the Metropolitan Division.
Jake Guentzel and Jason Zucker scored for the Penguins (27-20-9), who have lost three in a row. Jarry made 28 saves in his return after missing nine games with an upper-body injury.
"It's obviously tough this time of year to come back in," Jarry said. "You don't have many practices, you don't have many opportunities to skate, so I think that's the toughest thing is just getting back into game action. It's always tough when you've almost had two months off."
Guentzel put the Penguins in front 1-0 at 6:12 of the first period, tapping the puck into an open net at the left post after Sidney Crosby's backhand pass deflected off the stick of Horvat. Brock Nelson tied it 1-1 at 5:19 of the second period, electing to shoot the puck blocker side from the right circle on a 2-on-1 for his 25th goal of the season.
Zucker responded for the Penguins on a power play to make it 2-1 at 12:26. He banked a shot off Sorokin from the right post after Jeff Petry's slap shot ricocheted to him off the crossbar.
Kris Letang came close to extending the lead with a backhand into a seemingly open net at 17:15, but Sorokin reached back with his stick to make a highlight-reel save.
"We had a couple of chances to extend the lead, we didn't," Crosby said. "You're one mistake away from it being a tie game and momentum shifting. Couldn't find a way to build on the lead. … It's not ideal when you lose games and you have leads. The only way out of it is to find a way to win one."
New York was outshot 37-24 in the first two periods before scoring three times in the third.
Bo Horvat tied it 2-2 at 8:34 when he scored from a sharp angle below the right circle after Hudson Fasching jumped up to keep the puck in at the blue line. New York scored two more goals with a final score of 4-2.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have won four of their last 10 games.
Prediction
Oilers 5, Penguins 3
The Edmonton Oilers won against the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday, February 21 at Rogers Place in Edmonton with a score of 4-2. The Edmonton Oilers currently rank 3rd in the Pacific Division.
Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl each had three points for the Edmonton Oilers. McDavid had two goals and an assist, and Draisaitl had a goal and two assists for the Oilers (31-19-8), who had lost four straight (0-1-3). Stuart Skinner made 24 saves.
"We didn't really have our stuff. We were pretty flat," McDavid said. "Only 10 shots through 40 [minutes], that isn't good enough. But I thought we had a great response. Give them credit, they played us hard. They're a stingy team that keeps everything to the outside. I thought we did a good job of generating offense in the third."
Noah Cates gave Philadelphia a 1-0 lead at 10:01 of the first period, taking a pass from Wade Allison behind the net and scoring on a wraparound. Tyson Barrie tied it 1-1 at 19:57, scoring glove side from the point following a face-off win by Draisaitl. The goal came three seconds into a power play.
Owen Tippet put the Flyers back in front 2-1 at 11:37 of the second period, chipping a centering pass from Kevin Hayes over the shoulder of Skinner. Draisaitl tied it 2-2 with a power-play goal at 6:49 of the third period. He shot into an open net from the bottom of the right circle off a backdoor pass from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.
McDavid put the Oilers ahead 3-2 at 12:39 when his backdoor pass deflected in off Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim. McDavid then scored a short-handed goal into an empty net at 17:35 for the 4-2 final.
"[McDavid and Nugent-Hopkins] are two of the best players in the world, plain and simple," Draisaitl said. "It is so much fun sharing the ice with these two. I feel very fortunate and very honored that I get to play with these two for a long time. We were a little sluggish, maybe, for the first two periods. Weren't very sharp with the puck and couldn't create too much in any way, so coming out with two points and playing a pretty good third period is big for us."
The Edmonton Oilers have won four of their last 10 games.
The Pittsburgh Penguins lost against the New York Islanders last Monday, February 20 at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with a score of 4-2. The Pittsburgh Penguins currently rank 5th in the Metropolitan Division.
Jake Guentzel and Jason Zucker scored for the Penguins (27-20-9), who have lost three in a row. Jarry made 28 saves in his return after missing nine games with an upper-body injury.
"It's obviously tough this time of year to come back in," Jarry said. "You don't have many practices, you don't have many opportunities to skate, so I think that's the toughest thing is just getting back into game action. It's always tough when you've almost had two months off."
Guentzel put the Penguins in front 1-0 at 6:12 of the first period, tapping the puck into an open net at the left post after Sidney Crosby's backhand pass deflected off the stick of Horvat. Brock Nelson tied it 1-1 at 5:19 of the second period, electing to shoot the puck blocker side from the right circle on a 2-on-1 for his 25th goal of the season.
Zucker responded for the Penguins on a power play to make it 2-1 at 12:26. He banked a shot off Sorokin from the right post after Jeff Petry's slap shot ricocheted to him off the crossbar.
Kris Letang came close to extending the lead with a backhand into a seemingly open net at 17:15, but Sorokin reached back with his stick to make a highlight-reel save.
"We had a couple of chances to extend the lead, we didn't," Crosby said. "You're one mistake away from it being a tie game and momentum shifting. Couldn't find a way to build on the lead. … It's not ideal when you lose games and you have leads. The only way out of it is to find a way to win one."
New York was outshot 37-24 in the first two periods before scoring three times in the third.
Bo Horvat tied it 2-2 at 8:34 when he scored from a sharp angle below the right circle after Hudson Fasching jumped up to keep the puck in at the blue line. New York scored two more goals with a final score of 4-2.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have won four of their last 10 games.
Prediction
Oilers 5, Penguins 3
Betting trends
Oilers are 12-12 in non-conference games this season.
Oilers are 61-46 after a home game the last 3 seasons.
Penguins are 15-9 in non-conference games this season.
Projected lines
Oilers:
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins -- Connor McDavid -- Zach Hyman
Mattias Janmark -- Leon Draisaitl -- Kailer Yamamoto
Devin Shore -- Ryan McLeod -- Warren Foegele
Derek Ryan -- Jesse Puljujarvi
Darnell Nurse -- Cody Ceci
Brett Kulak -- Tyson Barrie
Philip Broberg -- Evan Bouchard
Vincent Desharnais
Stuart Skinner
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins -- Connor McDavid -- Zach Hyman
Mattias Janmark -- Leon Draisaitl -- Kailer Yamamoto
Devin Shore -- Ryan McLeod -- Warren Foegele
Derek Ryan -- Jesse Puljujarvi
Darnell Nurse -- Cody Ceci
Brett Kulak -- Tyson Barrie
Philip Broberg -- Evan Bouchard
Vincent Desharnais
Stuart Skinner
Penguins:
Jake Guentzel -- Sidney Crosby -- Rickard Rakell
Jason Zucker -- Evgeni Malkin -- Bryan Rust
Brock McGinn -- Jeff Carter -- Kasperi Kapanen
Drew O'Connor -- Teddy Blueger -- Josh Archibald
Brian Dumoulin -- Kris Letang
Marcus Pettersson -- Jeff Petry
Pierre-Olivier Joseph -- Chad Ruhwedel
Tristan Jarry
Jake Guentzel -- Sidney Crosby -- Rickard Rakell
Jason Zucker -- Evgeni Malkin -- Bryan Rust
Brock McGinn -- Jeff Carter -- Kasperi Kapanen
Drew O'Connor -- Teddy Blueger -- Josh Archibald
Brian Dumoulin -- Kris Letang
Marcus Pettersson -- Jeff Petry
Pierre-Olivier Joseph -- Chad Ruhwedel
Tristan Jarry
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
