The New York Islanders will be hosting the Edmonton Oilers tonight from Nassau Coliseum on Long Island.
The Edmonton Oilers are in New York to take on the Islanders tonight. Recently scoring trends suggest that it will be the home team that wins this game.
The Islanders' attacking prowess, which has seen them score four goals or more in their last two clashes is in sharp contrast to the Oilers' recent problems up front. They haven't scored a single goal on the road for over seven periods now and were woefully impotent in attack against Boston at the weekend, producing just 19 shots on the way to a 2-0 defeat.
To highlight the disparity between the two sides' attacking fortunes, consider that Islander Jeff Tambellini, who has played a higher number of games in the AHL than the NHL and is yet to score more than seven goals in an NHL season, has notched up six goals in his team's last five clashes. Edmonton's players, on the other hand, have only managed to score one more goal than that between them over the same period.
Worryingly for Edmonton, there is nothing unlucky or unrepresentative about their lack of recent goals. Stunning performances from opposition defenses haven't caused their problems in attack; they simply haven't been creating chances. You can't expect to score and win games when you don't shoot on goal. They seem to be playing with a lethargy and lack of confidence that will need to change soon if they're to turn around their current form. They need to inject a burst of energy from somewhere and hope that it inspires their attack.
With regards to the Islanders, it hasn't all been about the reversal in form that Tambellini has experienced. John Tavares has been an important part of New York's revival this season and the same can be said of Josh Bailey, who turned in a top performance against Buffalo.
Form is certainly with the Islanders, who are 4-1-2 in their last seven games, which does not bode well for a side which has failed to win on the road since October 12th. In fact, the stats simply add up in the Islanders' favor; Edmonton's Nikolai Khabibulin has a 3.90 GAA in 17 starts against New York and is likely to be kept busy tonight.
Given recent form and long-term history between these two sides when they meet at Nassau Coliseum, the odds available to back the Islanders offer great value. Edmonton haven't won at Nassau Coliseum since late 1999 and the signs don't look good for this trend to come to an end. The wise money tonight certainly lies with the Islanders at odds of +142 in the Game Winner Market and -112 in the Money Line market.
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