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The Edmonton Oilers and LA Kings meet in Game 3 of a best-of-7 Western Conference 1st-round series Friday. Puck drop from Crypto.com Arena is scheduled for 10:30 p.m. ET (TBS). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Oilers vs. Kings odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
Playoff series: Tied 1-1
The Oilers picked up a 7-4 win in Game 1 as Zach Hyman had the hats flying and Connor McDavid picked up 5 assists. It was an offensive clinic, which also saw Evan Bouchard collect 4 helpers. That was more than enough offensive support for Stuart Skinner, who made 33 saves on 37 shots.
The Kings turned the tables in Game 2, however, stunning the home crowd with a 5-4 OT win. Adrian Kempe scored the first 2 goals of the game in 14:57 of ice time, and Anze Kopitar sent everybody home sad with the OT winner at just 2:07 of the extra session. Skinner was dinged for 5 goals on just 26 shots.
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Oilers at Kings odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 11:55 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Oilers -145 (bet $145 to win $100) | Kings +120 (bet $100 to win $120)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Oilers -1.5 (+170) | Kings +1.5 (-210)
- Over/Under (O/U): 6.5 (O: +100 | U: -120)
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Oilers at Kings projected goalies
Stuart Skinner (36-16-5, 2.62 GAA, .905 SV%, 2 SO in regular season) vs. Cam Talbot (27-20-6, 2.50 GAA, .913 SV%, 3 SO in regular season)
Skinner has allowed 9 goals on just 63 shots through the first 2 games in this series, going 1-1-0 with a 4.42 GAA and .857 SV%. He also allowed 4 goals on just 13 shots in a period of work in his final regular-season showing against the Colorado Avalanche April 18. He is going to need to get untracked in a hurry, or the Oilers could be facing an early exit.
Talbot has coughed up 10 goals on 75 shots, going 1-1-0 with a 4.96 GAA and .867 SV% in 2 games in this series. The goaltenders have struggled on both sides, which has been music to the ears of Over bettors in this series so far.
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Oilers at Kings picks and predictions
Prediction
Oilers 4, Kings 3
Moneyline
The OILERS (-145) are a solid play for the bounce-back game after getting tripped up in overtime in Game 2.
The Kings (+120) have a solid offense, but they don’t have McDavid. Expect the superstar to carry his Edmonton teammates on his back in a special Game 3 performance, snatching back home-ice advantage in the process.
Puck line/Against the spread
The Oilers -1.5 (+170) are a tempting play on the puck line, but it’s just a little bit too risky. Both games have been high-scoring free-for-alls, and after losing outright as a heavy favorite in Game 2, Edmonton is a risky enough play on the road just to win straight up.
AVOID.
Over/Under
OVER 6.5 (+100) is a strong play, especially at even money. We’ve seen a total of 20 combined goals in the first 2 games of the series, or 10.0 goals per game.
Even if we have much, much better defense in Game 3 with the shift of the series to Southern California, does that mean suddenly that the defenses are going to show up? That’s asking a lot, as it shouldn’t take much to get to at least 7 total goals in Game 3, and it could be in the bag by the end of 2 periods with the way these snipers are scoring.
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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
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