The Edmonton Oilers head down to Vegas to visit the Golden Knights for Game 1 of their playoff series beginning tonight from T-Mobile Arena.
All Odds Courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook
Edmonton Oilers (-115) vs. Vegas Golden Knights (-104) Total: 6.5 (O -118, U -104)The top two teams in the Pacific Division are set to do battle in this much-anticipated playoff matchup. The Oilers took down the Los Angeles Kings in six games in their opening round of the postseason, while the Golden Knights got by the Winnipeg Jets in five. These teams separated themselves from the rest of the Western Conference during the season, and this series has the potential for fireworks. The Oilers are listed as slight road favorites on the moneyline at -115, while the Golden Knights are at -104.
During the first round, they both scored at a high rate, sitting top three of the sixteen qualifying teams.
Looking toward the projected goalie matchup, the visiting Oilers will continue riding Stuart Skinner in the net, while the Golden Knights will do the same with Laurent Brossoit. The Oilers netminder has a 3-2 record with a .890 save percentage, while Brossoit is 4-1 with a .915 save percentage. Even though Brossoit had the better numbers in the opening round, we think Skinner has the edge in this series.
Edmonton has one of the scariest offenses in the NHL, consistently hard to stop in transition. Vegas must adapt to that throughout the series, but it’s hard to envision them doing that off the hop. As a result, we’re backing the Oilers on the moneyline in Game 1.
Best Bet: Oilers moneyline (-115)
This series has the potential to be high-scoring. The Oilers sit first in goals per game in the postseason, and the Golden Knights weren’t far behind in third. In addition, these teams were both average regarding goals allowed per game. The total for Game 1 is set at 6.5, with the over priced at -118 and the under at -104. When these teams met in the regular season, all four matchups saw seven or more goals scored. As a result, there’s value in expecting the series to kick off on a high-scoring note.
Best Bet: Over 6.5 (-118)
The easy thing to do is to target one of the Oilers’ superstar forwards, but the value isn’t there because of how good they’ve been. Meanwhile, Evander Kane gives their high-end talent more space on the ice and has tallied three goals over the first six playoff games. Kane is listed at an appetizing price of +160 to light the lamp tonight.
Best Prop: Evander Kane to Record Over 0.5 Goals (+160)
