The Edmonton Oilers and scoring goals just kind of go hand-in-hand. During the regular season, they were one of the best offensive teams in the league, and they certainly set the tone in Game 1 of their Western Conference playoff matchup against the Los Angeles Kings.
That said, Game 1 is in the rearview mirror. It’s time to look ahead to Game 2. What are the odds for each team heading into the matchup? What about the over/under? This is your guide for all things Oilers vs. Kings.
Bet on Kings vs. Oilers
Kings vs. Oilers best odds
| Kings Moneyline Odds | +165 @ bet365 |
| Oilers Moneyline Odds | -175 @ Pinnacle |
| Puckline odds | Oilers -1.5 (+140) @ FanDuel Kings +1.5 (-154) @ PROLINE + |
| Total | Over 6.5 goals (+120) @ Bet99 Under 6 goals (+101) @ Pinnacle |
| Time/Date | April 24, 10:00 p.m. ET |
| TV | Broadcast: Sportsnet Stream: Sportsnet+ (How to watch the NHL in Canada?) |
Last matchup
Game 1 started with an offensive flurry from the Oilers, and it was never close from there. Zach Hyman scored just before the seven-minute mark to blow the roof off of Rogers Place. Adam Henrique would score his first of the playoffs just three minutes later to make it 2-0.
Hyman added his second and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins would pick up a power-play tally prior to the nine-minute mark, making it 4-0. The rout was on. Mikey Anderson and Kempe would cut the lead in half before heading into the dressing room, but it never felt close.
The power play wound up being the biggest difference. Leon Draisaitl scored with the extra man just 1:08 into the third to make it 5-2 before Hyman capped off the hat trick on the power play five minutes later. A couple of late goals from the Kings made the score look closer than it really was, the final a decisive 7-4 Oilers victory.
Betting Los Angeles Kings (0-1 SU, 0-1 ATS, 1-0 o/u)
The Kings are going to need to show a lot more fight if they are going to orchestrate an upset. They gave the Oilers a decent fight a year ago, but it has been tough sledding for the franchise. They haven’t won a playoff series since winning the Cup in 2014.
The Kings fell into a 4-0 hole and couldn’t recover, eventually getting buried by the middle of the third period. There is a lot of intrigue on this team, a good mix of youth and veteran presence, particularly Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty, both of whom were on that 2014 team.
The Kings need more out of their bottom six. Trevor Moore led the team in goals while Kopitar and Adrian Kempe tended to drive the offence from the top line. The bottom line, featuring Pierre-Luc Dubois and Quinton Byfield, has to be a factor if the Kings stand a chance.
It is going to be a major uphill battle for the Kings going forward. If they can’t contain the Oilers’ attack, there is little hope of them winning a shootout. They need to be physical, restrict space, and hope that the Oilers get frustrated in the process.
Betting Edmonton Oilers (1-0 SU, 1-0 ATS, 1-0 o/u)
This might be the deepest the Oilers have been since Connor McDavid was drafted in 2015. Still, McDavid is going to remain the focus, and rightfully so. He scored 132 points in the regular season, becoming the fourth player ever to rack up 100 assists in a season. He also had five assists in Game 1 just to illustrate how ridiculous he is.
But he is not the end all, be all of this Oilers team. Draisaitl finished with 106 points in the regular season but has flown a bit under the radar somehow. That’s how good the Oilers are. Hyman, who had a hat trick in Game 1, had his first 50-goal season this past year while riding shotgun with McDavid.
Most of the attention will be on goaltender Stuart Skinner. Goaltending has been a major issue historically and the Oilers hope they have their guy. He finished 36-16-5 with a 2.62 GAA and .905% during the regular season and allowed four goals in Game 1.
The hope is that the depth of the offence, plus the contributions of blueliners Darnell Nurse, Evan Bouchard, and Mattias Ekholm will give the Oilers the answer on defence that they haven’t had before. It’s Cup or bust for the Oilers, but they are off to a great start.
Zach Hyman to score two or more goals
Projected Kings and Oilers lines
| Today’s Los Angeles Kings Lines | Today’s Edmonton Oilers Lines |
|---|---|
| Forwards Alex Lafferiere – Anze Kopitar – Adrian Kempe Trevor Moore – Phillip Danault – Viktor Arvidsson Kevin Fiala – Blake Lizotte – Trevor Lewis Quinton Byfield – Pierre-Luc Dubois – Carl Grundstrom Defence Mike Anderson – Drew Doughty Vladislav Gavrikov – Matt Roy Andreas Englund – Jordan Spence Starting In Goal Cam Talbot 27-20-6, 2.50 GAA, 0.913 SV% | Forwards Adam Henrique – Connor McDavid – Zach Hyman Ryan Nugent Hopkins – Leon Draisaitl – Warren Foegele Dylan Holloway – Ryan McLeod – Corey Perry Evander Kane – Sam Carrick – Mattias Janmark Defence Mattias Ekholm – Evan Bouchard Darnell Nurse – Cody Ceci Brett Kulak – Vincent Desharnais Starting In Goal Stuart Skinner 36-16-5, 2.62 GAA, 0.905 SV% |
Top to bottom, the Oilers are superior. Their top six is dominant and they have a great combination of skill, grit, and experience with Perry, Kane, and McLeod on the bottom two lines. Defence may be the biggest difference as the Oilers’ top four far outshine the Kings.
Kings vs. Oilers injury concerns
Both teams have clean injury reports heading into Game 2. At this stage of the season, everyone is battling some kind of nagging injury. That said, it is the Stanley Cup Playoffs and it is going to take a debilitating injury for someone to be out of the lineup.
NHL betting trends
- The Oilers have owned the Kings in the playoffs the last two seasons. In addition to trouncing the visitors 7-4 in Game 1, the Oilers are 8-5 against the Kings going back to 2022. They won that series 4-3 and easily dispatched the Kings a year ago, winning the series 4-2.
- The Kings have had a tough go in the playoffs. They have lost their last four games, all of them to Edmonton. In that stretch, they have given up 23 goals (nearly six goals per game). Their last playoff win came in Game 3 of last year’s first-round matchup, a 3-2 overtime triumph.
- The over/under for this game is set at six goals. The over easily hit in Game 1, the two teams combining for 11 goals. Using that total, the two teams have gone over that mark in five of the seven games going back to last year’s first round. They combined for six goals in Game 2 last year for a push and had just five total in Game 3 as well.
NHL player prop trends
- The focus may be on McDavid, but Draisaitl is a playoff monster. He has 79 points in 50 career playoff games, including a pair in Game 1. Though he finished without a point in three of his last four against Vegas in last year’s playoffs, he had nine straight games with a point before that.
- Kopitar has been solid against the Oilers going back to last season. In seven games against the Oilers, Kopitar has points in four of them. He has 77 points in 93 career playoff games, but just 24 goals during his time with the Kings.
- How can we not talk about McDavid? He’s been virtually unstoppable in the playoffs. Including Game 1 against the Kings, he has 10 points across his last four games. In 13 games going back to the Kings series of a year ago, McDavid has points in 11 of them (25 points in total).
Kings vs. Oilers predictions
- McDavid has been an assist machine this year, so he might not be the best pick for anytime goalscorer. A better pick would be Draisaitl (+145 – FanDuel), who has 32 goals in 50 career playoff games and was actually outscoring McDavid prior to Game 1 when talking about career playoff points.
- We talked earlier about the over/under. Given how explosive this Oilers group is and the recent history between the two teams, it feels like a slam dunk to take the over 6.5 goals (+120 – Bet99) for the foreseeable future.
- Though he is very unlikely to pick up another hat trick, Hyman to score two or more goals (+900 – Sports Interaction) is intriguing. He’s having an otherworldly season as McDavid attempts to show that he can outscore the league without scoring. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Hyman have another multi-goal game at home in Game 2.
