NHL Playoffs: Edmonton Oilers at Los Angeles Kings Game 3 Odds
Kings Can Take Series Lead After Game 2 Stunner
The job of any underdog in a best-of-seven playoff series is to win one of the first two games on the road by any means. By doing so, you flip the home-court/ice/field advantage and get the favorite on its heels.
That’s exactly what the Los Angeles Kings did in winning Game 2 of their series against the Edmonton Oilers 5-4 in overtime on Wednesday night in Edmonton.
The Oilers vs Kings odds still like the Oilers’ chances of winning Friday’s Game 3 and the series but it’s much closer now because of Los Angeles’ critical win.
After Edmonton cruised to a 7-4 win in Game 1, the pressure was on the Kings to even the series and prevent the high-powered Oilers from totally running away with it. While they made it tougher than it should have been — blowing a 3-1 first period lead — Los Angeles made it to overtime where the veteran Anze Kopitar beat Stuart Skinner on a partial breakaway to get the Kings on the board in the series.
There are only two NHL games today, both in the Eastern Conference, so Game 3 will have to wait for tomorrow.
The Oilers did a great job to come back in Game 2, getting second period goals from Dylan Holloway and Zach Hyman (on the power play) to tie things up. After Kevin Fiala gave the Kings a 4-3 edge just under two minutes into the third period, Holloway scored again a minute and a half later.
But, Cam Talbot kept Edmonton out of the net for the rest of the night and the Oilers’ vaunted top scorers couldn’t put one through in the extra period.
Edmonton Oilers vs Los Angeles Kings 
Day/Time:
Location: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California
Streaming: TBS
Pressure Is On Edmonton
While the Oilers are still in a decent position as the better team in this series, they certainly are feeling more of the pressure right now. Edmonton is a -130 moneyline favorite on the Oilers vs Kings odds (Los Angeles is +110) and is a juicy +180 as a puckline favorite at -1.5 goals.
Still, the Kings’ impressive Game 2 performance should have the Oilers and their fans feeling a bit nervous heading into Game 3. You can’t expect to sweep every series as a favorite yet failing to take advantage at home where the Oilers were so good this year is a huge missed opportunity.
They need to get a lot more from Connor McDavid, who had five assists in Game 1 but just one helper and one shot on goal in Game 2. Los Angeles did a good job of getting in front of him and being a bit more physical. When McDavid gets to the net or just is able to work in the open ice, he’s deadly.
The Kings also scored the first and second goals — both by Adrian Kempe, one on an incredible highlight-reel play with the puck in mid-air — which is critical against the Oilers, who are a very difficult team to play from behind against in the NHL scores.
Edmonton also needs a better game from Skinner in goal. He wasn’t the reason the Oilers lost but five goals on 26 shots is barely better than a .800 save percentage. That won’t cut it in the playoffs against a group like the Kings that is sound defensively and does have some offensive playmakers of its own.
While the Oilers have the ability to score seven goals a night, they can’t expect to do so and win every game in the series that way. In playoff hockey, the game tends to slow down, fewer penalties are called and NHL teams can get away with more physicality.
Kings’ Penalty Kill Was Solid
Normally, a 33% effective penalty kill would be seen as a disaster. But, considering how good Edmonton is with the man advantage, the Kings holding them to one power goal in three opportunities was crucial for Los Angeles escaping with a win.
The Oilers vs Kings odds always have to factor in Edmonton’s success on the power play and that manifested itself in Game 1, as the Oilers scored three goals on four power plays.
In Game 2, the Kings were more disciplined and did a much better job limiting power play chances. How the penalty kill unit does in Game 3 might swing the entire series. Edmonton usually doesn’t have much trouble generating offensive chances at even strength but the Oilers are incredible a man or two up, boasting the league’s fourth-best power play during the regular season.
On the flip side, Los Angeles had the second-best penalty kill in the league and can really flip the Stanley Cup bracket on its head if the Kings win Game 3 and really put the Oilers in trouble.
It’s much easier said than done to contain Edmonton’s special teams units but if any team is capable of doing so, it’s the Kings who have lost to the Oilers in the first round in two-straight years and are extremely familiar with their game.
With that said, after the goal total went way over in the first two games of the series, it has been bumped up to 6.5 goals. Even if the Kings can lock in on the penalty kill, it’s a good bet to expect seven or more goals to be scored on Friday. Take the over at even-money.
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