A win by the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday and a Los Angeles Kings loss a day prior have Connor McDavid’s team supplanting the Kings for the second spot in the Pacific Division. The Oilers now have 87 points, while the Kings are stuck with 86. The Oilers are now eyeing to catch the Calgary Flames for the lead in the division, but they can’t look too far ahead as they have Los Angeles on their plate later tonight. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our NHL odds series, which includes our Oilers-Kings prediction, odds, and pick we have laid out below.

Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Oilers-Kings odds:

 

NHL odds: Oilers-Kings Odds

Oilers: -1.5 (+190) (-130 ML)

Kings: +1.5 (-235) (+108 ML)

Over: 6.5 (-108)

Under: 6.5 (-112)

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Why the Oilers Could Cover the Spread 

Who is stopping the Oilers’ win streak? The answer is clearly not the San Jose Sharks who lost to the Oilers Tuesday night in overtime, 2-1. And Edmonton managed to score that W even without Hart Memorial Trophy contender Leon Draisaitl. Fortunately for the Oilers, they still had another MVP contender active in that game in Connor McDavid, who found the back of the net less than a minute into overtime to ensure Edmonton has full momentum heading into Thursday’s showdown with the Kings. Draisaitl sat out the Sharks game due to rest purposes, so he could be expected to be on the ice in an important matchup versus Los Angeles.

Draisaitl is second on the team with 101 points but leads the Oilers in goals with 50. As for McDavid, he now has 41 goals, while also leading the league in points with 106. If Draisaitl gets ruled out again, McDavid shouldn’t be lacking in offensive support still, with guys like Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Evander Kane, and Zach Hyman flying around for the Oilers’ attack that is one of four teams since the start of March that has averaged over four goals per contest.

And even with just a two-goal output against San Jose, Edmonton still has averaged 4.83 goals over the last 12 outings while winning 51.4% of shot attempts during that stretch. The Oilers have defeated LA twice in three meetings this season, including the last two. The last time these teams shared the ice, the Oilers escaped with a 4-3 shootout win at home on Mar. 30. McDavid had a goal and an assist in that game. 

Why the Kings Could Cover the Spread

The Kings are coming off a 3-2 loss to the Calgary Flames at home last Monday, which, as mentioned earlier, helped open the door for Edmonton to take the No. 2 spot in the Pacific Division. Nevertheless, the Kings are within striking distance of supplanting the Oilers and probably just need a bit more luck to get a win later tonight. Los Angeles has found itself playing in extremely close games lately. In fact, the Kings’ last four games have been decided by just a goal. During that span, they defeated the Flames (3-2 SO) and the Winnipeg Jets (3-2), both on the road, before absorbing a loss in the rematch with Calgary.

If that’s going to be the trend again this Thursday evening, the Kings’ ability to win possession battles should keep them in the game against the high-scoring Oilers. The Kings are fifth in the NHL with a 5-on-5 54.1 CF%. They are still pretty good at driving the offense down the ice, as evidenced by a 5-on-5 xGF rate of 158.2 – ninth in the NHL, as of this writing. Even more telling in this matchup is the Kings outshooting the Oilers in all three games between them.

When Los Angeles took down the Oilers in Edmonton last December, they had 40 shots on goal to just 22 by the home team. While a lot has happened since, not much has changed in that department in the last meeting, with the Kings outshooting the Oilers, 41-33, albeit in a close loss. Two days of rest could just be enough for the Kings to get back in the win column. They are 6-1 in their last seven games following that many days off the ice. On top of that, the Kings have won 17 of 21 home games against Edmonton.

Final Oilers-Kings Prediction & Pick

This is an important game for both the Oilers and the Kings who are still neck and neck in their division. The Kings are rested well for this matchup and have been involved in close games a number of times in their recent games. That trend continues tonight. Taking the Kings here to upset the Oilers at home.

 

Final Oilers-Kings Pick: Kings +108 ML