The Edmonton Oilers will look to get back on track and even their best-of-seven series at a game apiece with the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday night at Rogers Place.
Los Angeles stunned Edmonton with a come-from-behind 4-3 overtime victory in Game 1 of the series on Monday. Alex Iafallo scored 9:19 into the overtime period to seal the road victory for the Kings and take away home-ice advantage from the Oilers in the series. With the Kings trailing 3-2, Anze Kopitar levelled the score at 3-3 with just 17 seconds remaining in the third period to send the contest to overtime.
The Oilers led 2-0 and 3-1 in the game, but they couldn’t hang on to seal the victory in front of their home fans. Edmonton has now lost six straight playoff series openers dating back to 2020.
Despite the loss in Game 1, the Oilers are big -225 favourites on the moneyline in Game 2 and the total is set at 6.5 goals.
| Kings Moneyline Odds | +185 |
| Oilers Moneyline Odds | -225 |
| Series odds | Oilers (-145), Kings (+125) |
| Over/Under | 6.5 goals (over -105, under -115) |
| Time/Date | Wednesday, April 19, 10:00 p.m. ET |
| TV | Broadcast: Sportsnet, CBC |
All odds courtesy of 
Previous matchups
The Kings have now taken three of the five meetings between the teams this year (four regular season games and one playoff game). The two teams have played under the total in three of the five meetings.
| Date | Home Team | Result | Total |
| Nov. 16 | Edmonton | 3-1 Kings | 6.5 (under) |
| Jan. 9 | Los Angeles | 6-3 Kings | 6.5 (over) |
| March 30 | Edmonton | 2-0 Oilers | 6.5 (under) |
| April 4 | Los Angeles | 3-1 Oilers | 6.5 (under) |
| April 17 (Game 1) | Edmonton | 4-3 Kings (OT) | 6.5 (over) |
About the Kings (1-0 SU, 1-0 ATS, 1-0 o/u)
Kopitar notched a game-high four points (one goal, three assists) in Game 1 to lead the way for the Kings, who have now recorded series-opening victories in back-to-back seasons against the Oilers. The 35-year-old forward now has three goals and seven assists over his last five games and is -160 to record at least a point and +220 to score on Wednesday night.
The Kings made the most of their power play opportunities in Game 1, converting on two of their six chances with the man advantage. Both of those power play goals came at the most opportune times late in the third period and then in overtime.
Joonas Korpisalo stopped 37 of the 40 shots he faced on Monday to pick up his fourth career playoff victory. In 10 games between the pipes in the postseason, the netminder owns a sparkling 1.98 GAA and .939 save percentage.
Player to watch: Adrian Kempe
Kempe recorded two goals and eight shots in Game 1 to continue his stellar play of late. He has seven goals and two assists over his last four games while firing 30 shots on goal during that span (7.5 per game average!). Kempe is +110 to record over 3.5 shots on Wednesday.
About the Oilers (0-1 SU, 0-1 ATS, 1-0 o/u)
The Oilers took seven penalties and spent a total of 14 minutes in the box in Game 1, which ultimately led to their late-game collapse. Evan Bouchard’s tripping penalty with less than two minutes remaining in the third period led to Kopitar’s equalizer and Vincent Desharnais’ tripping minor in overtime resulted in Iafallo’s game-winning goal. Edmonton will have to be much more disciplined in Game 2 in order to draw even in the series as the scene shifts to Los Angeles for Game 3.
However, perhaps the biggest surprise of the game was that scoring machine Connor McDavid was held pointless in Game 1. McDavid recorded 64 goals and 89 assists in 82 regular season games, and he’s only been held pointless in eight games (including Game 1) this season. In fact, McDavid has just three points in five games against Los Angeles this season.
Despite McDavid’s struggles against the Kings, bettors will still be paying a premium on his player props. McDavid is +100 to score and -160 to record over 1.5 points (+120 under 1.5 points) in this one.
Player to watch: Leon Draisaitl
Draisaitl carried the Oilers offensively in Game 1 with a pair of goals. He’s +100 to score in Game 2 and +120 to record two or more points.
Evan Bouchard over 0.5 power play points
Probable goaltenders
Los Angeles: Joonas Korpisalo (1-0, 2.65 GAA, .925 SV%) – unconfirmed.
Edmonton: Stuart Skinner (0-1, 3.46 GAA, .886 SV%) – confirmed.
Noteworthy absences
Kevin Fiala (lower body) is questionable, but Gabriel Vilardi (upper body) is expected to return to action after missing Game 1. Edmonton will only be missing defenceman Ryan Murray due to a back injury.
Betting trends
- The Kings are 4-1 in their last five road games.
- The over is 4-1 in the Kings’ last five games.
- The favourite is 37-15 in the past 52 meetings.
Wagers to consider
- Evan Bouchard over 0.5 points: +100. He’s manning the point for the league’s best power play and has a point in each of his last four games and eight of his last 10. If you want to get more specific and find added value, he’s +160 to record at least one power play point.
- Bet Boost – Same Game Parlay – Oilers to win, Connor McDavid to score two or more goals: +750. McDavid is surely pissed off with his performance in Game 1, and he’ll be hungry for goals on Wednesday. He’s only been held pointless in back-to-back games once this season (Oct. 22, 24).
- Viktor Arvidsson over 0.5 assists: +165. Arvidsson has five helpers over his last two games and loves playing against the Oilers. The Kings forward has two goals and six assists in five games against Edmonton this year.
