The Tampa Bay Lightning (29-13-1) continue their Northern road trip with another Canadian stop against the Edmonton Oilers (25-18-3). Puck drop will be another late one scheduled for 9:00 p.m. ET on ESPN in a second game of a back-to-back for the Bolts. FanDuel has the odds set at -120 for the Oilers and -102 for the Lightning, paired with an over/under set at 6.5.
This is the second and final game between these two teams this season, with Edmonton getting the better of Tampa Bay 3-2 in Tampa on November 8th. Jack Campbell made 35 saves against the Lightning and looked great all night, with stars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl both adding goals to aid the Oilers win. Tampa Bay’s offense has looked much better as of late and a strong offensive performance will certainly be needed against the high-flying Oilers.
The Lightning are currently in the midst of a five-game heater after exploding for a 5-2 win last night. Steven Stamkos had a hat-trick on the night, including his 500th career goal scored just 4:40 into the game. He now joins Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby as the only active players to reach the milestone. Goalie Brian Elliott also came up huge for the Bolts last night in their first game of the back-to-back with 37 saves on 39 shots from Vancouver. Andrei Vasilevskiy will likely draw the start in net tonight against a more consistent Edmonton team.
No. 5️⃣0️⃣0️⃣
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) January 19, 2023
Congrats, Captain 🫡 pic.twitter.com/3CNt54zaJY
The Oilers have been heating up themselves, rattling off four-straight wins coming into this matchup. Connor McDavid has certainly played a part in keeping Edmonton in a tight Pacific division race this season. He leads the league in goals, assists, and points as he continues to show why he’s the best player in the NHL right now. McDavid’s talent paired with the phenomenal play of Leon Draisaitl will surely be a tough test for the Bolts, given both players scored against Tampa Bay in their first meeting.
INJURIES: Lightning LW Rudolfs Balcers continues conditioning with the Syracuse Crunch. D Nick Perbix was not active for last night’s game and is considered “day-to-day,” hopefully with the possibility of playing tonight.
Oilers Defensemen Ryan Murray & Oscar Klefbom, along with G Mike Smith and RW Kailer Yamamoto, are on Long-Term IR.
Odds (Courtesy of FanDuel): TBL -102 ML/EDM -120 ML, O 6.5 -114/U 6.5 -108
Where to watch: ESPN
Where to listen: Lightning Radio 24/7, 102.5 MHz-FM
Rogers Place, Edmonton, AB
January 19, 2023, 9:00 p.m. ET