Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby has just one goal on the season and could be due for a big game versus the Oilers
Friday caps off the week with an exciting four game slate to get you excited for an action packed weekend. Some of the best games on the slate are the Senators traveling to Sin City to take on the Golden Knights while the Penguins cap off the night with all-time matchup between Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid when taking on the Oilers.
Hopefully we can get hot and go on another run like our 9-2 start to the season. Over our last nine picks, we've managed a 5-4 record that we would love to improve on.
All betting lines are from Bet365 and are subject to change. Hockey is a difficult sport to predict so please gamble responsibly.
Bet: Dawson Mercer Over 0.5 points (+140), Devils ML (-130) Devils Islanders Over 6.5 goals (-110)
The Devils have lost three straight with bad losses to the Red Wings and Capitals. They are looking to bounce back in a big way and see a very favorable spot going up against the Islanders at home. New York has one of the oldest rosters in the league and it's shown as they've been beat by younger, quicker teams like the Utah Hockey Club, St. Louis Blues and the Montreal Canadiens.
New Jersey has a team with a lot of star power which will need to show up in this one as Jake Allen is expected to start for the Devils. Allen has a horrible history versus the Islanders with three or more goals allowed in all but one of his seven career starts versus New York.
The Devils will be desperate to get a win and should receive some help from Dawson Mercer, who should bounce back after a slow start to the season with just a pair of goals and one assist for three points over their first ten games.
He does play on the team's top line and the second power play unit, which means he will see plenty of chances. Mercer's first line placement has him playing alongside captain Nico Hischier and Timo Meier, who are first and second on the team in points this season with ten each.
Bet: Filip Forsberg anytime goal (+125)
The Predators have started off the season on a very wrong note as they lost their first five straight games but are coming off their first win of the season after they downed the Boston Bruins in a 4-0 rout on Tuesday.
They will look to continue building the momentum in what appears to be a favourable spot against the Blackhawks. Chicago has averaged just 2.57 goals per game this season and are allowing 3.43 goals against on average.
It should prove to be a great spot for Nashville's Filip Forsberg to finally start scoring some goals. The Swedish winger has just two goals on the season so far after being known as a prolific goal scorer.
His last game against the Blackhawks was a big one as he scored a hat trick and over his last eight games versus Chicago, Forsberg has four goals and seven assists for 11 points. It's hard to say if the Predators will falter or not but it appears Forsberg likely won't.
Bet: Penguins +1.5 (-135), Sidney Crosby anytime goal (+170)
The Oilers have hardly looked like the fierce team they were on their Stanley Cup final run. They started off the season with three straight losses where they looked miserable, allowing 15 goals and only scoring three in response.
Over their last four games, they've started to even out but certainly aren't the world-beaters they once were with a 2-1-1 record but still allowed three or more goals in three of the four games.
They've struggled to figure out their defensive pairs and it's shown with some of their key players on the blue line, like Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard, had impressive plus/minus ratings last season at +44 and +34, respectively. However, both have experienced hardships to start the season, currently sitting at -1 so far.
The Penguins old roster has shown to be feisty at times with Evgeni Malkin currently tied for ninth in scoring with a pair of goals and nine assists for 11 points in eight games. Hockey legend Sidney Crosby has also remained a factor with a goal and six assists for seven points through eight games.
They should both have an effect on the game with one of them getting on the scoresheet. Crosby has just one goal on the season so far and has three goals over his last nine matchups versus Edmonton.