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The Stanley Cup Playoffs officially gets underway Monday night and we're treated to a first-round matchup between the Los Angeles Kings and Edmonton Oilers. The Kings are back in the postseason for the first time since 2017-18, but they'll have a difficult matchup looking to get past the star-studded Oilers. We're back with our NHL odds series with a Kings-Oilers prediction and pick for Game 1 on Monday, May 2.
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Here are the Kings-Oilers NHL Odds, Courtesy of FanDuel
NHL Playoffs Odds: Kings-Oilers Odds
Los Angeles Kings: +1.5 (-150) (+160 ML)
Edmonton Oilers: -1.5 (+125) (-194 ML)
Over: 6.5 (+100)
Under: 6.5 (-122)
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Why The Kings Can Cover the Spread/Win
The Kings are in for a tough matchup with the Oilers, but they have enough talent defensively to fend off the high-octane offense of Edmonton. The Kings will need to rely on their defense in order to take down the Oilers, who simply outmatch them on offense. Los Angeles' defense was one of the best in the league this year, having surrendered just 2.73 goals per game this year. The absence of Drew Doughty is a big loss for the Kings defensively, but Sean Durzi, Alex Edler, Mikey Anderson, Oli Maata, and Jordan Spence are capable of holding it down in his absence. With the veteran Jonathan Quick between the sticks, LA will also have the advantage in terms of experience in goal.
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Defense also happens to be the weak point on this Oilers team, having surrendered 2.95 goals per game, 11th worst in the league. Without a star goalie in the net, the Kings will look to unleash a barrage of shots against Mike Smith in hopes of grabbing an early lead. LA is expecting Viktor Arvidsson to skate tonight despite the veteran not practicing over the past two days. He'll play a big role, alongside Adrian Kempe and Anze Kopitar as the Kings look to unseat the Oilers at home.
Why The Oilers Can Cover the Spread/Win
The Oilers have the two best players in this series, and it's not even remotely close. The tandem of Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid have carried the Oilers to the playoffs and will look to make a deep run this year after failing to make it past the first round in each of their previous two trips. Both McDavid and Draisaitl have enjoyed sensational seasons, again, and will look to carry their strong play into the playoffs.
McDavid is a Hart Trophy candidate for a reason. The Oilers star led the NHL with 123 points this season, scoring a career-high 44 goals, alongside a career-high 79 assists. He registered 48 points in the final two months of the regular season and will be a constant headache for the LA defenders to keep in check. Considering he's only one part of the problem, LA could be in for a long night.
Draisaitl scored a career-high 55 goals this season, adding in the same number of assists to bring his point total to 110. The Oilers duo were joined by Calgary's Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk as the only set of teammates to reach 100+ points this season. With those two constantly needing to be accounted for, the Oilers will have plenty of scoring chances to give themselves the advantage over LA. Not to mention the breakout year from Zach Hyman and a bounce-back showing from Evander Kane since he joined the team after leaving San Jose, the Oilers offense presents a serious threat in any contest, and will be the X-factor on Monday.
Final Kings-Oilers Prediction and Pick
The Oilers Moneyline is too juiced for our liking here, so we're going to stay away from that. While it's the safest play, the bang for your buck is simply nonexistent at -194 odds. With the Oilers starting the series at home, and Draisaitl and McDavid both eager for some playoff success, we're expecting Edmonton to start this series off on a high note and deliver a statement victory in front of their home crowd. It's a bit of a risky play, but we're going to roll the dice on the Oilers -1.5 at +125 odds, hoping that the high-octane Edmonton offense can provide enough of a cushion for the defense to keep LA's goalscorers at bay.
Final Kings-Oilers Pick: Oilers -1.5 (+125)
