In case you had started to doubt them, the Oilers have now officially proved that they have what it takes to beat this Kings team, and to do it handily. By the time Leon Draisaitl scored his second of the playoffs to make it 2-0 Oilers, Game 3 already felt like it was well out of reach for the Los Angeles Kings.
This has been something of a Jekyll and Hyde series for the Oilers. They were offensively dominant in Game 1 and 3, but were all but stifled in a Game 2 loss. With Game 4 coming up on Sunday night, it’s time to take a closer look at the next installment in this series.
Bet on Oilers vs. Kings GM 4
The Oilers are road favourites, coming in at -145 on the moneyline.
Kings vs. Oilers Best Odds
| Kings Moneyline Odds | +132 @ Pinnacle |
| Oilers Moneyline Odds | -145 @ BetMGM |
| Puckline odds | Kings +1.5 (-182) @ Proline+ Oilers -1.5 (+170) @ Bet365 |
| Series odds | Kings +400, Oilers -550 @ Bet365 |
| Total | Over 6.5 goals (+100) @ Bet99 Under 6.5 goals (-110) @ Caesars |
| Time/Date | April 28, 10:30 p.m. ET |
| TV | Broadcast: Sportsnet, CBC, TVA Sports Stream: Sportsnet+ (How to watch the NHL in Canada?) |
Last Matchup
Much like Game 1, the Oilers got on the board early and never looked back. Hyman, who has been unstoppable inside the hashes all season long, continued his run in Game 3. He scored just under seven minutes into the game and it got things going.
Draisaitl and McDavid (his first of the series) both scored about three minutes apart to close out the period, effectively closing out the Kings with just 20 minutes in the books. The two teams traded goals in the second period, keeping that three-goal deficit for the Kings going into the final frame.
The power play would be the story in the third and it shouldn’t be surprising. Hyman and Draisaitl both picked up their second goals of the game, crushing the Kings under a flurry of goals and not allowing them to recover.
Betting Edmonton Oilers (2-1 SU, 2-1 ATS, 3-0 o/u)
Offensively, the Oilers are largely doing as they please. They have tallied 18 goals in the series so far, an average of six per game. Connor McDavid remains untouched, picking up an incredible eight assists and nine points through those three games.
Zach Hyman has been a force as well. He has goals in all three games. While that would be impressive enough, he had a hat trick in Game 1 and a pair of goals in Game 3. His six leads the playoffs by a wide margin so far.
What should be talked about, however, is how well the team is doing at its own end. Sure, they gave up four in Game 1 but much of the damage came in the final five minutes when the game was out of reach. In Game 3, they shut the Kings down, allowing just one goal to Drew Doughty early in the second period.
Though they lost in overtime of Game 2, the Oilers have controlled the series. They get on top of the Kings quickly and their speed and skill are tough to manage. The one area the Oilers need to improve is clogging the middle and preventing transition offence like the Kings managed in the early stages of Game 2.
Betting Los Angeles Kings (1-2 SU, 1-2 ATS, 3-0 o/u)
What can you really say for the Kings at this point? They were heavy underdogs coming into the series and haven’t done much to dispel that notion. Aside from Game 2, they’ve tended to fall behind early and struggle to catch up.
If there is one bright spot, it is the return of Doughty’s offensive game. He hasn’t scored a playoff goal since 2014 but has two in this series after scoring just five minutes into the second period of Game 3.
While it would be easy to say that the Kings should do this or that, there’s only so much to be done. The Oilers will do damage if they get a power play, as evidenced by Hyman scoring his sixth of the series on an early third-period man advantage.
Sure, it would be imperative to reduce space for star players like McDavid and Draisaitl, but if it were that easy, we wouldn’t be here. Even committing to filling every lane and blocking every shot is a tall task against a team with the talent level of the Oilers.
Projected Kings and Oilers Lines
| Today’s Edmonton Oilers Lines | Today’s Los Angeles Kings Lines |
|---|---|
| Forwards Adam Henrique – Connor McDavid – Zach Hyman Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Leon Draisaitl – Warren Foegele Evander Kane – Ryan McLeod – Corey Perry Dylan Holloway – Sam Carrick – Mattias Janmark Defence Mattias Ekholm – Evan Bouchard Darnell Nurse – Cody Ceci Brett Kulak – Vincent Desharnais Starting In Goal Stuart Skinner PO: 2-0-1, 3.31 GAA, 0.890 SV% Season: 36-16-5, 2.62 GAA, 0.905 SV% | Forwards Quinton Byfield – Anze Kopitar – Adrian Kempe Trevor Moore – Phillip Danault – Viktor Arvidsson Alex Laferriere – Pierre-Luc Dubois– Kevin Fiala Carl Grundstrom– Blake Lizotte – Trevor Lewis Defence Mikey Anderson – Drew Doughty Vladislav Gavrikov – Matt Roy Andreas Englund – Jordan Spence Starting In Goal Cam Talbot PO: 1-2-0, 5.30 GAA, 0.861 SV% RS: 27-20-6, 2.48 GAA, 0.913 SV% |
For the Oilers, it’s status quo, and why not? The top six for the Oilers remain dominant, especially with the man advantage. Skinner’s GAA and save percentages are even starting to improve. For the Kings, Byfield moves up and Laferriere down in the hopes that a spark can be found somewhere.
Connor McDavid over 1.5 points
Kings vs. Oilers Injury Concerns
The injury report remains black for both teams. As the series progresses, or at the beginning of the next round, we will no doubt hear about players who are dealing with nagging injuries. But this is the playoffs and you play if you can stand up, so that’s what they are all doing.
NHL Betting Trends
- The Oilers remain hot when it comes to the over. They have hit the mark (6.5 in this one) in every single game of this series so far. In fact, they are almost hitting the over on their own, averaging six goals per game in the series.
- The struggles against the Oilers continue. The Kings gave up six in Game 3 and haven’t given up less than four goals in a playoff game since Game 3 of the Western Conference Quarterfinal last year against the Oilers.
- The Oilers are one of the best teams in the playoffs offensively. Alongside the Colorado Avalanche, the Oilers lead the NHL in goals for with 17 (5.67 per game). Five teams have 11 goals to trail the Avs and Oilers.
NHL Player Prop Trends
- McDavid is as unstoppable as it gets this season. Though his first goal of the series came on the power play in Game 3, he has a playoff-leading eight assists. He also has multiple points in each game of the series, averaging three points per contest.
- As mentioned, Drew Doughty had been on something of a cold streak when it comes to his playoff output. Though his game isn’t offensively driven anymore, it had to be nice to get his first goal since 2014 in Game 2 only to follow it up just one game later with a second.
- Hyman continues to be the best force inside the hash marks in the NHL. Once again, he registered a multi-goal game for the Oilers, following his Game 1 hat trick (and a goal in Game 2) with a pair in Game 3. Even more importantly, he has started the scoring in two games this series (Game 1 and 3).
Kings vs. Oilers Predictions
- The over (6.5, +100 at bet99) continues to creep up but why stop riding the hot streak? Game 3 was the closest it has been so far (seven total goals) and the Oilers are nearly hitting the mark on their own (5.67 goals per game).
- The Oilers have made a habit of starting hot. If they score first, things get ugly before long. A good bet to watch is the Oilers -0.5 in the first period (+165 at DraftKings). Across the first periods of Game 1 and 3, they managed to outscore the Kings 5-0.
- The Kings can’t stop McDavid. He is averaging three points per game in this series, coming off a Game 3 effort that saw him tally a goal and two assists. Take his points over (1.5, -140 at Sports interaction and other books) until he shows that he can even be contained.
