Los Angeles Kings vs. Edmonton Oilers Playoff Series Best Bets

For the second consecutive season, the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings are set to open Round 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against one another. Edmonton ultimately downed the Kings in seven games last year and appeared in the conference final before bowing out to the Colorado Avalanche. Edmonton finished the regular season with 109 points, while the Kings tallied 104. Edmonton Oilers (-245) vs. Los Angeles Kings (+198) 

Edmonton Oilers

If you’re looking for the hottest team in the NHL heading into the playoffs, look no further than the Edmonton Oilers. Connor McDavid and company have won nine straight games entering this season with the Los Angeles Kings and are once again poised to do serious damage in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. When you have two of the game’s best players, that’s always possible, but this version of the Oilers is much more than just two players.

They addressed some significant needs at the trade deadline, and Stuart Skinner’s emergence has given them a trustworthy netminder. Edmonton is a real Stanley Cup contender, and this is the best shot of any that their current core will have to win together. 

Los Angeles Kings 

Even though we’re incredibly bullish on the Oilers, we shouldn’t discount what this Los Angeles Kings team is capable of. There’s a reason they took the Oilers to seven last season, and it’s fair to say that this is a better version of that team. The Kings dealt for Joonas Korpisalo at the NHL’s trade deadline, and he’s given them a reliable starter that at least has the potential to make goaltending a wash in this series.

Los Angeles boasts two of the top shutdown players in the league. Although it’s improbable they can keep McDavid and Leon Draisaitl off the scoresheet for prolonged periods, they can limit them, which will be an integral part of keeping this series close. If Korpisalo can give them better goaltending than Skinner, the Kings have the potential to be a team that can go on a Cinderella run. Goaltending was the biggest letdown for LA this year, and Korpisalo is a big reason they emerged as a contender over the final two months. 

Verdict 

This has the makeup of a series that could go the distance. If Los Angeles can play this similarly to how they did last year in the opening round of the playoffs, there’s no reason they can’t make this a tight series. As good as Edmonton was down the stretch, we still have some reservations about Skinner in goal. If he can perform at least to an average benchmark in this series, the Oilers shouldn’t have an issue advancing.

Edmonton is the better hockey team, and they proved to the masses last year that their superstars can elevate their game to the next level. With that, there are two bets we’re targeting in this series. Draisaitl often gets overlooked with McDavid on his team, but that’s not how we look at him here. The odds for him to lead the series in scoring is underpriced, and we like the prospects of that transpiring. In addition, we also like the Oilers to win this series in six games. 

Best Bets: Edmonton Oilers to Win Series 4-2 (+410), Leon Draisaitl to Lead Series is Scoring (+550) 

All Odds Courtesy of the FanDuel Sportsbook