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Oilers vs Golden Knights Game 1 Prediction, Game Preview, Live Stream, Odds and Picks
Edmonton Hopes to Continue Road Success in Sin City
Defense Key for Vegas
The Edmonton Oilers go after their 10th win in 11 road games when they visit the Vegas Golden Knights for Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinal series on Wednesday night.
The Oilers have won in their last four trips to Vegas, including a rousing 7-4 triumph on March 28 in which Edmonton got five points from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and scored three times on the power play.
Vegas finished the regular season with the most points in the West (111) and won the last four games to finish off the Winnipeg Jets 4-1 in the first round of the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Oilers won the last three to dispatch the Los Angeles Kings in six games.
The key to the series may be special teams, where Edmonton led the league on the power play during the regular season (32.4%) and the first round of the postseason (56.3%). Vegas was the least penalized team during the regular season, registering just 599 penalty minutes.
The Oilers are the favorite to win the West in live betting at +175, while the Golden Knights are +250.
Draisaitl Leads Oilers
Hart Trophy frontrunner Connor McDavid continues to do his thing in the playoffs, but his sidekick Leon Draisaitl recorded seven goals in the first-round series against the Kings.
Draisaitl has 11 points and McDavid 10 in the first six games of the playoffs, but 23-year-old defenseman Evan Bouchard is also coming up big with a pair of goals and eight assists.
It’s always possible Edmonton scores its way to a Stanley Cup, but it will have to play sharper on defense and receive better goaltending than the last two postseasons. The addition of solid defenseman Mattias Ekholm helps that process, but goaltending is still a question mark.
Stuart Skinner had a .890 save percentage in the first round, while Jack Campbell came in relief to win the critical Game 4 in overtime 5-4. Skinner had a strong regular season (29 wins, .914 SP) and should get the first chance.
The over is 50-29-9 in Oilers games this season at the sportsbook after going 3-0-0 in the last three and 4-2-0 in the series versus Los Angeles.
Brossoit Key For Vegas
Laurent Brossoit got the call in the net over veteran Jonathan Quick in the first-round series, stopping 140 of 153 shots (.915 SP).
The 30-year-old British Columbia native beat one of his former teams in the first round and will face the other in the next.
Chants of “You’re a backup!” came at Vegas Golden Knights goalie Laurent Brossoit during Game 4 at Winnipeg in front of the same Jets fans who not that long ago cheered him on. https://t.co/sqIpJkDI5K
— KSNV News 3 Las Vegas (@News3LV) May 2, 2023
Top-six defensemen Shea Theodore (undisclosed) and Brayden McNabb (upper body) are questionable for Game 1, but dynamic two-way forward Mark Stone is back after missing the last three months of the regular season due to injury.
Stone had eight points in the first round, sharing the team lead with forward Chandler Stephenson. The two helped the over go 4-1-0 in the Winnipeg series, according to NHL betting lines.
Oilers vs Golden Knights Game Injuries
Oilers vs Golden Knights Head-to-Head
The Oilers are 4-0-1 in the last five meetings, only losing a 4-3 overtime contest at home on March 25.
Nugent-Hopkins finished the regular season with nine points against Vegas, while Draisaitl had five goals (eight points) and McDavid six assists (seven points). Forwards Jack Eichel and Brett Howden each had five points versus Edmonton to lead Vegas in the season series.
Power plays were at a premium in the matchup this season as the Golden Knights were 1-for-10 and the Oilers 5-for-9 in the four games.
“Their power play is setting all kinds of records,” Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy told reporters. “If you’re going to beat the Oilers, you have to find a way to slow them down.”
The over was 3-0-1 in NHL odds during the season series.
Oilers vs Golden Knights Game Information
- Game: Oilers vs Golden Knights
- Day/Time: Wednesday, May 3, 9:30 p.m. ET
- Location: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV
- Oilers vs Golden Knights Live stream: NHL.TV
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Oilers vs Golden Knights Betting Lines
Oilers vs Golden Knights Picks and Prediction
This could be the year for McDavid and Draisaitl, but Vegas has been finding ways to win games all season.
Both teams were actually better on the road than at home during the regular season, as Edmonton went 27-11-3 and Vegas 26-7-8. The two have also combined to go 4-1 away from home in the playoffs.
The Oilers are the road favorite in Game 1 and are currently listed at -160 to win the series if you are online gambling, while the Golden Knights are +140. With Boston and Colorado out of the playoffs, Toronto is now the favorite in Stanley Cup odds at +350 and Edmonton is next at +400.
However, favorites have not done well this NHL postseason if you are betting online.
The Oilers are listed at -115 in our Vegas NHL odds. This means that if you wager $100 on Edmonton, you have a chance to win $87. The Golden Knights are -105, offering a chance to win $95 on a $100 wager.
The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives the Oilers a 53.49% chance to win, with Vegas at 51.22%.
Oilers vs Golden Knights Trends
Oilers vs Golden Knights Edge
Oilers vs Golden Knights Results
Oilers vs Golden Knights Game Summary
