Edmonton Oilers vs Vegas Golden Knights Game Two Preview

Once again, game two odds favor the Edmonton Oilers (-120) to tie the series despite dropping game one, 4-2. Vegas topped the Oilers in the NHL standings this season but the oddsmakers are confident that the Oilers are the right side after opening as a -155 series favorite. After game one, the Knights vs Oilers odds have flipped with Vegas currently a -130 series favorite. Let’s take a deeper look into both teams heading into game two followed by our game two selection.

Oilers Need More Than Draisaitl, McDavid

We talked about it before game one, the Knights needed to own the neutral zone in an effort to slow down the high-octane Oilers. Outside of a four-goal effort by Leon Draisaitl, the Knights were able to contain Connor McDavid who finished with two assists but finished with just four shots. It was also mentioned that depth wins playoff series and if the Oilers are to advance they must get contributions from someone not in the top six.

In their last five games in the postseason, the Oilers have scored 17 goals. 11 of those tallies have come from their top line. Why is this a big deal? Because as a series or postseason continues, fatigue will become a factor. If Jay Woodcroft can’t rely on the Hopkins, McLeod, or Bjugstad lines to give their top line a boost, then it’s likely Woodcroft will shorten the bench, especially if Edmonton falls in a 2-0 hole.

Teams that can roll three or four lines with confidence almost always have a red carpet laid out to hoist the Stanley Cup. Let’s see how the Oilers rebound after losing to the Knights for the first time in regulation this season while suffering their first loss since March 11th. Let’s shift our Knights vs Oilers odds attention to the Golden Knights.

Vegas Wins, but PK Is A Concern

To put it mildly, the Edmonton Oilers power play is lethal and they showed that once again with a pair of goals with the extra man. The Oilers were 2-3, increasing their power play percentage to an unthinkable 57.9%. To give that perspective, the second best is the Winnipeg Jets at 41.7%. Vegas was able to counter with two of their own power play tallies after finishing 18th in the NHL regular season.

The concern for VGK fans is, if the Knights who were the least penalized team in the NHL, continue to give Edmonton three to four chances a night with the extra man, will the Knights have enough to consistently match? We stick by our pick for the series behind the Knights because we believed that Bruce Cassidy would figure out how to slow the Oilers through the neutral zone which would lead to transition chances for the Knights and that’s exactly what happened with Vegas owning a 18-7 takeaway advantage. We conclude our Knights vs Oilers odds preview with our official game two selection.

Game Two Total Most Attractive Option

Our NHL pick for game two is to expect the opposite of what we just saw to open the series. Both coaches will look at game one and know that they must play better defensively. Edmonton gave up four goals and one empty netter, while the Knights know that they can’t give up four goals a night.

Both Cassidy and Woodcroft will work on a defensive scheme to slow the other. We saw the total open at 6.5 (o -115) but that has moved to -130 (over). That means we’re going to get a small amount of plus money with the under with that being our official selection on game two. That does it for our Knights vs Oilers odds preview we wish you the best with your playoff wagers.

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