Oilers Positioned as West Favorites Ahead of Kings Series
Edmonton Favored To Win Opener Per Kings vs Oilers Odds
The Edmonton Oilers’ Stanley Cup chase will pick up steam when it opens the Western Conference playoffs on Monday (10 p.m. ET) against the Los Angeles Kings at Rogers Place. The first round is a best-of-seven series.
Edmonton is a -1.5 (+160) favorite on the puck line and -166 on the moneyline for Game 1, with Los Angeles +1.5 (-192) on the spread and +140 to win outright.
Meanwhile, the projected total is 6, with a slight edge to the under at -120. Bettors can get the over at +100. The Oilers are also -190 favorites to win the series, compared to +160 for the Kings.
What can bettors expect? Read on as we assess the Kings vs Oilers odds and break down the NHL playoff picture.
Kings vs Oilers 
Records: Los Angeles Kings (44-27-11), Edmonton Oilers (49-27-6)
Day/Time:
Location: Rogers Place, Edmonton, AB
Streaming: ESPN2
Kings vs Oilers Betting Trends
The Los Angeles Kings are 39-43 against the puck line, but 22-15 away from home. A majority of Los Angeles’ games have trended toward the Under, as the Kings are 30-50-2 against the over/under. Meanwhile, the Edmonton Oilers are 38-44 ATS, including 28-9 at home. As for the Over/Under, the Oilers are 37-43-2.
It’s important to remember these betting trends when assessing the Kings vs Oilers odds.
Goaltending Flourishing for LA
Los Angeles returns to the NHL playoffs for the third consecutive season after going 44-27-11. The Kings earned 99 points to finish third in the Pacific Division, outlasting wild card qualifiers Nashville (99 points) and Vegas (98).
After firing Todd McLellan midseason, the Kings went 21-12-1 under interim coach Jim Hiller. That includes 6-4 over the last 10 games.
The Kings remain longshot contenders despite their recent success, with oddsmakers pricing them +1300 to win the Western Conference and +3000 to win the Stanley Cup. At the moment, only three teams have longer Cup odds: Predators (+4000), Islanders (+5000), and Capitals (+15000).
Los Angeles is serviceable offensively, ranking 16th in scoring (3.10 goals/game) and 11th in power-play rate (22.6%), with Adrian Kempe its top scorer (75 points).
The Kings are also skilled in goal, fashioning the third best goals against average (2.56) in the NHL. Cam Talbot is their No. 1 option in goal, with a 2.50 GAA and .913 save percentage per NHL player stats.
Bettors will know that Los Angeles went under the total in 50 of their 82 goals at a rate of 60.9%, second highest in the NHL ahead of only Florida (63.4%). That trend was even more pronounced away from home, where the Kings were 12-27-2 against the Over/Under. Be sure to keep that in mind when analyzing the Kings vs Oilers odds.
McDavid Still Edmonton’s Main Attraction
Edmonton went 49-27-6 to return to the playoffs for the fifth straight season. The Oilers earned 104 points, fifth-most in the Western Conference.
They overcame a 3-9-1 start under Jay Woodcroft to go 46-18-5 with Kris Knoblauch behind the bench on an interim basis.
The Oilers have been up-and-down of late, going 4-4-2 over their last 10 games. However, with superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl heading things, they have enormous potential.
They are priced accordingly from a betting perspective: +350 to win the West and +700 to win the Stanley Cup. Across the NHL, only the Hurricanes (+650) and Panthers (+700) have better Cup odds.
McDavid enjoyed another MVP-caliber season, though he will likely finish behind Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon for the league’s top honor. He registered 132 points in 76 NHL games while hitting the 100-assist threshold for the first time in his spectacular nine-year career. Draisaitl also surpassed 100 points, finishing with 41 goals and 65 assists.
As an NHL team, the Oilers were fourth in scoring (3.56 goals/game) and power-play percentage (26.3). They also ranked third in the West with a plus-57 goal differential.
The biggest concern — as is usually the case with Edmonton — was defensively. Stuart Skinner has given up multiple goals in 10 of his last 12 appearances. The Oilers will need more consistency there to execute a deep run.
Handicapping the Game
Edmonton is 2-1-1 in four meetings against Los Angeles this NHL season, including a 4-1 victory on March 28 at home. Talbot missed two of those games, leaving well-traveled backup David Rittich to pick up the slack.
Goaltending is always a concern for Edmonton, but the Oilers can overcome that by overwhelming teams offensively. McDavid is the NHL’s most dynamic player, and his ability to change games is what separates him.
If Edmonton plays to its potential, this could be a relatively quick series. Still, oddsmakers expect it to last six or seven games. The likelihood of either happening is +210.
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