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The LA Kings and Edmonton Oilers meet in Game 2 of their Western Conference, 1st-round series Wednesday. The Oilers lead the best-of-7 series 1-0. Puck drop from Rogers Place is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET (TBS). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Kings vs. Oilers odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
The Oilers (-180) cashed as the favorites in Game 1 on home ice in a wild 7-4 victory as the Over (5.5) easily connected.
Edmonton picked up right where it left off, as the Oilers took 3 of 4 games from LA during the regular season. The favorite, which has been the Oilers each time, has cashed in 3 straight meetings. The Over was a rarity, as the Under had cashed in each of the past 4 meetings while going 7-3 in the past 10 in the series.
Edmonton’s Zach Hyman recorded the hat trick, while superstar Connor McDavid registered 5 assists. Evan Bouchard added 4 helpers, while Leon Draisaitl and Adam Henrique each recorded a goal and an assist. For Los Angeles, Adrian Kempe managed a goal and an assist.
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Kings at Oilers odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 4:15 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Kings +155 (bet $100 to win $155) | Oilers -190 (bet $190 to win $100)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Kings +1.5 (-160) | Oilers -1.5 (+135)
- Over/Under (O/U): 6 (O: -115 | U: -105)
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Kings at Oilers projected goalies
Cam Talbot (27-20-6, 2.50 GAA, .913 SV%, 3 SO in regular season) vs. Stuart Skinner (36-16-5, 2.62 GAA, .905 SV%, 2 SO in regular season)
Talbot was shelled in Game 1, allowing 6 goals on 44 shots, which equates to an .864 SV%, way below his regular-season average. He was 0-1-1 with a 2.46 GAA and .889 SV% in 2 starts against Edmonton in the regular season.
Skinner wasn’t at his best in Game 1, either, allowing 4 goals on 37 shots, although that’s not nearly as poor as his counterpart. He had allowed just a single goal on 32 shots in a 4-1 win against LA in his most recent start against it March 28. The 25-year-old tendy was 3-1-0 with a 1.71 GAA and .936 SV% in 4 regular-season starts against the Kings.
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Kings at Oilers picks and predictions
Prediction
Oilers 5, Kings 3
Moneyline
The Oilers (-190) are a little too expensive straight up for my liking.
Risking nearly 2 times your potential return isn’t a great long-term strategy, as 1 of those kind of losses can negate several victories over time.
It’s just too risky, as both of these goaltenders weren’t at their best in Game 1, and the Kings (+155) could easily steal Game 2 with a couple of bounces going their way.
PASS.
Puck line/Against the spread
The OILERS -1.5 (+135) are a much better value, with much less risk, on the puck line in Game 2.
The Kings +1.5 (-160) were able to cobble together 4 goals against Skinner, but his overall body of work against Los Angeles in the regular season suggests that was an anomaly. Expect much better from the All-Star.
Edmonton has won the past 3 meetings with LA by 2 or more goals, so if you like the Oilers to win, you should also like them to cover.
Over/Under
OVER 6 (-115) is actually surprisingly low for Game 2, so take advantage.
While we’ve seen the Under routinely cash in this series in recent seasons, it’s surprising that the total isn’t 6.5, given the fact we had 11 combined goals in Game 1.
The goaltending should be a little bit better in the 2nd go-around, but it isn’t likely to be a defensive slog by any means.
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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
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