Edmonton Oilers and the Los Angeles Kings will wrap up the NHL playoffs first round on Saturday evening. The home side got the chance to fight for the conference semi-finals in front of its fans. The visitors missed a great opportunity on Thursday evening, and they will seek improvement in this one.
Edmonton managed to bounce back after two straight defeats and gran the home-ice advantage back. They need one more victory to secure their place in the next round. On the other hand, Los Angeles wasted the first match point, and they will have a much more challenging task in this encounter. However, the away side has already shown that it’s capable of stunning the rivals.
Edmonton Oilers – Will they capitalize on the home-ice advantage?
The Oilers were in a tough situation ahead of Game 6, but they returned from Los Angeles with a vital 4-2 win on Thursday evening. They controlled the game in the first two-thirds, however, Edmonton let their rivals equalize ahead of the final period. Nevertheless, the Oilers made another effort to get the lead, and they scored two more times in the last 20 minutes. Edmonton had five shots more than their rivals while winning four faceoffs more. The hosts need another confident display to extend their campaign in the post-season.
Connor McDavid has dominated the Oilers’ offense with 12 points, including a team-high nine assists. Evander Kane tops the team’s scoring charts with seven goals while producing nine pts. Leon Draisaitl has chipped in with eight points, while Evan Bouchard, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Cody Ceci have five apiece. On the other hand, Mike Smith has been the first-choice goaltender with six appearances, having a .931 save percentage and allowing 2.67 goals per contest.
Expected Line-Up: Mike Smith, Tyson Barrie, Evan Bouchard, Connor McDavid, Warren Foegele, Leon Draisaitl
with best odds
Los Angeles Kings – Can they produce another win on the road?
The Kings were very close to an upset in this series, but they failed to win at home and eliminate the Oilers. Nevertheless, they will have another chance, but this time, in front of the opposition’s fans. Despite having 32 shots in Game 6, Los Angeles couldn’t secure a positive result. They needed to chase the rival’s advantage, and when they succeeded in equalizing, their performance dropped again. The Kings eventually lost 4-2, and they need to go for a win in this one.
Adrian Kempe leads the Kings’ offense with a total of six points, being at the same time the team’s best assistant with four. Phillip Danault and Trevor Moore have contributed to Los Angeles’s offense with five pts each, while four more skaters managed to chip in with four points apiece during the post-season. Regarding the goaltending, Jonathan Quick has been pretty good in six games of this series. He has a .893 save percentage and concedes 3.66 goals per contest.
Expected Line-Up: Jonathan Quick, Tobias Bjornfot, Matt Roy, Adrian Kempe, Anze Kopitar, Phillip Danault
Expert Pick #1 – Under 6.5 @-120
Edmonton has a very explosive offense, which they have already shown in this series. However, Jonathan Quick should keep the defense tight, and the importance of this match should keep it under a 6.5 margin. Give me the Under as the first pick.
Expert Pick #2 – Kings to win @+180
The Oilers were a better team in the regular season, but I think the game is closer than the odds indicate. Backing the Kings could bring us nice profits, and this bet provides a very good value. Therefore, I’ll take my chances with it as the second pick.
Expert Pick #3 – Oilers Under 3.5 @-105
Consequently, I believe Los Angeles is capable enough of keeping its rival’s offense under a 3.5 margin. It’s another risky bet but worth a try, in my opinion. I’m going to back it as my second alternative for this matchup.
