The Los Angeles Kings visit the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday for Game 2 of the Western Conference quarterfinals. Puck drop from Rogers Place is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET (ESPN). Los Angeles leads the series 1-0. Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Kings vs. Oilers odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
Things opened well enough for the Oilers. C Leon Draisaitl scored an even-strength goal at 6:57 of the 1st period, and D Evan Bouchard notched a power-play goal at 12:31 to make it 2-0.
There wasn’t any more scoring until the 3rd period, and that’s when the dam broke for the Kings offense. C Adrian Kempe scored 2 goals, sandwiching another marker for Draisaitl. The Oilers still led 3-2 until there were just 17 seconds remaining in regulation. That’s when C Anze Kopitar struck for a power-play goal and forced overtime.
In the extra session, LW Al Iafallo took advantage of a tripping call on D Vincent Desharnais at 9:03 in OT, bagging the winner 16 seconds later as the Kings stole Game 1 and seized home-ice advantage.
[gambcom-standard rankid=”3011″ ]
[gambcom-standard rankid=”3012″ ]
Kings at Oilers Game 2 odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 8:53 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Kings +180 (bet $100 to win $180) | Oilers -225 (bet $225 to win $100)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Kings +1.5 (-145) | Oilers -1.5 (+120)
- Over/Under (O/U): 6.5 (O: -105 | U: -115)
Stream the NHL all season on ESPN+, with your team’s out-of-market games, exclusive games, originals and more. Get ESPN+ now!
Kings at Oilers Game 2 projected goalies
Joonas Korpisalo (18-14-4, 2.87 GAA, .914 SV%, 1 SO – regular season) vs. Stuart Skinner (29-14-5, 2.75 GAA, .913 SV%, 1 SO – regular season)
The 28-year-old Finn got off to a great start in Game 1, kicking aside 37 of the 40 shots he faced in the OT win. He has won 3 consecutive starts and 4 of his last 5 outings since the beginning of April.
The All-Star Skinner coughed up 4 goals on 35 shots in Game 1, but the loss shouldn’t be hung on him. The power-play goal with 17 seconds left in regulation was a 6-on-4 situation, and Iafallo’s winner was also on the man advantage.
Play our free daily Pick’em Challenge and win! Play now!
Kings at Oilers Game 2 picks and predictions
Prediction
Oilers 4, Kings 2
Moneyline
The Oilers (-225) will cost you more than 2 times your potential return, and that’s just too risky, especially for a team that fell apart in Game 1.
PASS, and look to the puck line instead.
Puck line/Against the spread
The OILERS -1.5 (+120) are a much better value on the puck line at plus money.
Edmonton needs a bounce-back game on home ice, and it will get it. The Oilers had won 9 straight games to close out the regular season, and they covered 8 of the 9 times on the puck line as a favorite. That includes 2 victories over the Kings, once in Edmonton and once in Los Angeles.
Over/Under
The UNDER 6.5 (-115) is a decent option as I expect Skinner to bounce back and for the Oilers to be a little more disciplined.
The Under is 10-3-1 in the past 14 games for the Kings when playing on a single day of rest and is 7-3 in their last 10 games after a victory.
The Under is also 21-10-4 in the past 35 meetings in Edmonton despite the Over in Game 1, and the Under has cashed in 5 of the past 7 meetings in this series.
[gambcom-standard rankid=”5″ ]
For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1369]