Is there anything better than a Game 7 in the Stanley Cup Playoffs? Well, it depends on who you ask. If you’re watching tonight’s game between the Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks as a neutral observer, you’re on cloud nine, knowing you’re getting to see two teams with their backs against the wall, fighting for the survival of their seasons. If you cheer for those teams? You’re probably a nervous wreck today, and you’ll either be happy or sad by the night’s end. Either way, this game has the potential to be an instant classic. Let’s dive into the action.
Bet on Canucks vs. Oilers GM 7
The moneyline favourites are the Oilers, coming in between -152 and -170 on the moneyline across the top Canadian sportsbooks.
Canucks vs. Oilers Best Odds
| Canucks Moneyline Odds | +142 @ Betano |
| Oilers Moneyline Odds | -152 @ Tonybet |
| Puckline odds | Oilers -1.5 (+172) @ Pinnacle Canucks +1.5 (-189) @ Proline+ |
| Total | Over 5.5 goals (-118) @ Pinnacle Under 5.5 goals (+105) @ theScore Bet |
| Time/Date | May 20, 9:00 p.m. ET |
| TV | Broadcast: CBC, Sportsnet, TVA Sports Stream: Sportsnet+ (How to watch the NHL in Canada?) |
Last Matchup
The Oilers were in do-or-die mode on Saturday, with the added pressure of a disappointing game five attached to them, and they delivered spectacularly, driving home their first decisive win in weeks at a time when it was needed most. Dylan Holloway opened up the scoring eight minutes into the first period, and while Nils Hoglander quickly tied the game up, it was pretty much all Edmonton from there.
A disallowed goal at the end of the frame delayed Edmonton’s next lead, but Zach Hyman got them ahead for good midway through the second period. Evan Bouchard added some insurance four minutes later, and in the third, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Evander Kane widened the gap further.
Betting Vancouver Canucks (7-5 SU, 9-3ATS, 5-7 o/u)
With an opportunity to head to the Western Conference Finals on the line, it’s safe to say that Saturday’s performance was disappointing for the Canucks. The four-goal loss was their first since February 29th against the Kings and just their second multi-goal loss of the playoffs thus far. A potential positive there is that they responded to both games (the latter being Game 2 against Nashville) with 2-1 victories.
Most disappointing for Vancouver was the lack of a late push to at least make the game respectable, which has been one of their biggest strengths all year. Edmonton outshot them 14-5 in the second period, and while the gap was smaller in the third, only mustering six shots was very disappointing from the team. Whether they were conserving gas for tonight or they’re simply running out of steam, they now find themselves in a tough space.
Betting Edmonton Oilers (7-4 SU, 3-8 ATS, 7-4 o/u)
On the other side, the Oilers delivered exactly how they needed to. Game five had been a disappointing effort from the Oilers’ star players, and they all contributed in this one. Zach Hyman got back on the goal board with the game-winner, Leon Draisaitl picked up two assists, Connor McDavid picked up three assists, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had a goal and two assists, and Evan Bouchard had a goal and two assists. Five guys were asked to step up, and five answered. Needless to say, that’s a massive return on investment.
Also important was that the bet on returning to Stuart Skinner worked out well. In a way, it wasn’t crucial, as he could’ve allowed four goals on the fifteen shots faced and the Oilers still would’ve won, but it sets his confidence up well for tonight.
Projected Canucks vs. Oilers Lines
| Today’s Edmonton Oilers Lines | Today’s Vancouver Canucks Lines |
|---|---|
| Forwards Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Connor McDavid – Zach Hyman Dylan Holloway – Leon Draisaitl – Evander Kane Warren Foegele – Ryan McLeod – Derek Ryan Mattias Janmark – Sam Carrick – Connor Brown Defence Mattias Ekholm – Evan Bouchard Darnell Nurse – Vincent Desharnais Brett Kulak – Cody Ceci Starting In Goal Stuart Skinner PO: 6-2-1, 2.97 GAA, 0.881 SV% Season: 36-16-5, 2.62 GAA, 0.905 SV% | Forwards Nils Hoglander – Elias LIndholm – Elias Pettersson Pius Suter – JT Miller – Brock Boeser Dakota Joshua – Teddy Blueger – Conor Garland Phil Di Giuseppe – Nils Aman – Vasily Podkolzin Defence Quinn Hughes – Filip Hronek Carson Soucy – Tyler Myers Nikita Zadorov – Ian Cole Starting In Goal Arturs Silovs PO: 5-3-1, 2.89 GAA, 0.898 SV% RS: 3-0-1, 2.47 GAA, 0.881 SV% |
The Oilers are more or less sticking to the lineup they brought into Saturday. How can you blame them? Everything went just about perfectly in Game Six. Sam Carrick came in for Corey Perry and it’s likely he’ll remain in his bottom-six spot tonight.
The Canucks are shaking up their lines. The top line has been loaded up, with Elias Pettersson and JT Miller being put together along with Ilya Mikheyev. Dakota Joshua comes up to the second line to make up a matchup line with Elias Lindholm and Connor Garland, and Nils Hoglander comes down to the fourth line despite scoring on Saturday. Sam Lafferty returns to the Vancouver lineup tonight.
Hey, wait a second, someone important is missing…
Canucks vs. Oilers Injury Concerns
By far, the biggest news tonight is the sudden end to the series – and likely the end of the season – for Brock Boeser. Those who were watching on Saturday and didn’t notice an injury would be correct to be confused, and the result is quite unfortunate.
Boeser had a blood clot develop in his leg, which the Canucks medical staff discovered following game six. Given the dangers of playing through it, the team has taken him out of the lineup and placed him on a blood-thinning medication regimen.
Beyond that news, nothing much is expected to change. Adam Henrique seems close for the Oilers – should they win tonight, we’ll likely see him in the Conference Final – but we don’t expect him tonight.
NHL Betting Trends
- The Canucks are 7-3 against the Oilers in the last ten games between each other, all in this season. Vancouver has the 9-1 edge on the puckline (Game 6 being the exception), and the total goals line has been hit in five of ten games.
- Vancouver is 6-4 straight-up in their last ten games, with an 8-2 record against the puckline. They’ve hit four total goals overs in those ten games.
- Edmonton is also 6-4 straight-up in their last ten, with an opposite 2-8 record against the puckline. They’ve hit six overs in their last ten.
NHL Player Prop Trends
- J.T. Miller leads the Canucks lineup with eleven points in Vancouver’s last ten games. He’s also the team leader in assists with eight, and shots on goal with 25. Elias Lindholm leads the active lineup with four goals in that time.
- Leon Draisaitl is a force to be reckoned with for the Oilers, co-leading the team in goals (7) and assists (14) over their last ten games. He has the outright lead in points with a whopping 21 and shots on goal with 39.
- Draisaitl shares his goals lead with Zach Hyman (7G 1A in Edmonton’s last ten) and his assist lead with Connor McDavid (2G 14A).
Canucks vs. Oilers Predictions
- Leon Draisaitl is firmly in “consider him hot until he’s not” territory now. His best value on a goal is at +125 on Fanduel, his best on an assist is at -190 on betMGM, and his best over 1.5 points is at +100 on theScore Bet.
- If the Canucks are going to pull this one out, they’re going to need a hero performance out of someone to step into Boeser’s void. I’d love for it to be Elias Pettersson, who has started to shake his struggles off a little bit (best value on an anytime point: -146 at FanDuel). My dark horse would be Dakota Joshua, who has been great for much of these playoffs – you can get him for a point at +155 on Pinnacle.
- While I personally would like to see the Canucks move on, I have to stick to my initial guns and lean on the Oilers moneyline. They were the underdogs going into this series, they haven’t pulled away with a game yet, and the Boeser injury hurts. It’ll take a storybook effort for them to win tonight, so the sensible money is on Edmonton. Catch them on the moneyline at -154 on Betano.
