The Edmonton Oilers are dealing with something of a hangover after reaching the Stanley Cup Final and losing in Game 7, and they'll look to turn things around at home against the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday.
It has been a miserable start for the Oilers though, with three straight losses on home ice.
They will be fired up for the visit of a young Flyers team who are playing their third in a four-game West Coast road trip.
As was the case last year, it has been a rough start for the Edmonton Oilers at 0-3-0, but they get another chance to put a win on the board in front of their own fans as they close the season-opening home stand against the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Oilers are starting to show some reasons for optimism. They took the lead against the Flames last time, and then saw two goals disallowed before Calgary hit back with four of their own.
That result will have Edmonton fired up. They are currently showing a meagre shooting percentage of three percent, and their star forwards Connor McDavid, Zach Hyman and Leon Draisaitl have managed just one goal between them so far. That won't continue for long.
However, the Flyers may not be a pushover.
They beat Vancouver in a shootout to start the season before a 6-3 loss to the Flames in which Philadelphia outshot Calgary 40-32 and were right in the game until deep into the third period.
Despite their slow start, Edmonton's target is still very much the Cup while the Flyers will be happy just to make the playoffs. But this game comes at a good time for Philadelphia and they look worth supporting to cover the spread.
Edmonton have scored just three goals on 94 shots through their first three games, which is verging on unbelievable given their embarrassment of offensive riches.
At this level, such a poor shooting percentage is largely down to a lack of puck luck and the floodgates will surely open soon for McDavid and co.
Philadelphia aren't great defensively, and their two goalies, Ivan Fedotov and Samuel Ersson boast only 68 games of NHL experience between them.
That should give the Oilers confidence to attack, but Edmonton themselves tend to be in trouble when teams get in behind them. And a young speedy team like Philadelphia should certainly get plenty of chances in this game.
Russian teenager Matvei Michkov was the Flyers' first-round pick in 2023, going seventh overall, and the forward has found a home on Philadelphia's top line.
Michkov put four shots on goal against the Canucks and registered his first NHL point with an assist against Calgary.
He has yet to score a goal in the big league but netted three times in four pre-season appearances including a game-tying goal and overtime winner against the Boston Bruins.
Michkov is a quick player with good hockey sense, and Edmonton is just the kind of defense he should be most effective against.
The 19-year-old also plays on the man-advantage, which makes his odds to score all the more attractive considering Edmonton have already let in five power play goals this season.
Read more betting picks and predictions for the NHL on site.
PHI Flyers | +190 ML |
EDM Oilers | -230 ML |
Puck Line | EDM Oilers -1.5 |
Total | O/U 6.5 |
Leon Draisaitl (EDM Oilers) | -110 |
Connor McDavid (EDM Oilers) | +100 |
Zach Hyman (EDM Oilers) | +120 |
Travis Konecny (PHI Flyers) | +150 |
Owen Tippett (PHI Flyers) | +180 |
Matvei Michkov (PHI Flyers) | +220 |
Read the latest NHL news on site.
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.