Stars to Win Tight Game 1 vs Oilers
There will be no rookie goalie trying to stop Connor McDavid’s quest to lead the Edmonton Oilers to the Stanley Cup title for the first time since 1990. The Dallas Stars are calling on elite goalie Jake Oettinger in the Western Conference finals. The NHL odds have Dallas as the home favorite in Game 1.
The Stars knocked the Oilers out of the playoffs four times in a span of five years with Edmonton winning just five of 21 games, but they haven’t met in the postseason since 2003. Dallas won two of the three matchups in the regular season and that includes a 5-0 victory in the most recent clash. Six of the previous seven games between the teams had gone over the total before that April 3 meeting fell under the 6 ½ -goal total.
The NHL betting line has Dallas priced at -130 to win Game 1 with the Stars at +190 to cover at -1½ on the puck line. Edmonton, which hasn’t been favored on the road against the Stars since 2015, has +110 odds to win the game outright.
The shortest odds in the series are +450 for either Dallas to win the series in six games or for the Oilers to win it in seven games. Dallas is priced at -135 to win the series while the Oilers are at +115 in the series odds.
When looking at the NHL championship odds, the Stars are tied with the Florida Panthers at +225 for the best odds of winning the Stanley Cup.
Oilers vs Stars Game Information
- Game: Oilers 49-27-6 (25-20-4 on the road) at Stars 52-21-9 (29-13-6 at home)
- Date/Time: Thursday, May 23, 8:30 p.m. ET
- Location: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
- Oilers vs Stars Live Stream: NHL.com
Oilers vs Stars Odds and Spreads
One-Goal Games the Norm for Oilers
With Edmonton heading into the series against the Dallas Stars with the top four scorers in this year’s playoffs, it would be easy to assume that the Oilers haven’t had many games coming down to the final whistle.
However, each of the last five road games for the Oilers have been decided by one goal.
It began in the series with Los Angeles when an Evan Bouchard goal was the difference in a 1-0 win in Game 4 even though the Oilers were outshot 33-13.
After squandering a three-goal lead in the opening game of the series with Vancouver, Bouchard scored in overtime to tie the series. A goal by Vancouver’s J.T. Miller with less than a minute to play gave the Canucks a 3-2 series lead before a three-goal first period in Game 7 was enough for Edmonton to punch its ticket to the Western Conference finals.
Seven of the last 10 games for the Oilers against Central Division teams landed under the total.
What a Difference a Year Makes for the Stars
When Dallas faced the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2023 Western Conference finals, Wyatt Johnston had no goals and no assists to go with a defensive rating of -5 while defensemen Miro Heiskanen and Thomas Harley combined for one goal and four assists with a -10 plus/minus number. If that happens again, this could be a short series.
⏰ WE’VE GOT GAME TIMES! ⏰
Times are set for games 1 through 4 of the Western Conference Final 🫡 pic.twitter.com/MnWHCHYfbr
— z – Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) May 21, 2024
Johnston leads Dallas with seven goals in the postseason while Heiskanen is the top point producer for the Stars with five goals and eight assists.
The 21-year-old Logan Stankoven has three goals in 13 games after scoring six times in 24 contests during the regular season, so Dallas has some talented youngsters to call upon in this series.
The last time these teams met, that quartet combined for a goal, four assists 10 shots and a +6 rating while the high-scoring Oilers were shut out with Leon Draisaitl, Evan Bouchard, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Evander Kane all posting negative plus/minus numbers.
Twelve of the last 17 games for the Stars went under the total.
Stars Falter at Home in ATS Betting Trends
Dallas is 10-4-1 outright as the home favorite this season but has covered in just one of the last eight games as the favorite on home ice. Edmonton is 7-4 in its last 11 games as the road underdog. The Oilers have been outscored 23-8 in the four losses.
Here are some numbers for those who bet online to consider as Dallas and Edmonton meet in the postseason for the first time in 21 years.
- Six of the last eight games between the Oilers and the Stars went over the total.
- Dallas is 53-26-8 as a favorite this season.
- Edmonton is 3-5 as an underdog.
- The Oilers are only 16-31 against the puck line on the road but Dallas has covered in just 15 of 48 home games.
- The Stars have seen 29 games on home ice land over the total.
- Nine of the last 13 home games for the Stars went under the total.
Oilers vs Stars Injury Update
Forward Roope Hintz is questionable for the series opener for the Stars while defensemen Jani Hakanpaa and Jared Rosburg are out. Fifteen skaters for the Oilers have appeared in every playoff game and with Adam Henrique returning after missing six games, Edmonton is in good shape from an injured department.
What to Look for
Dallas has lost more games at home that it has won in the postseason but that hasn’t stopped the Stars from advancing.
The Stars lost the opening game at home in each of the last two series while Edmonton dropped the opener in the series with Vancouver, so neither team will overreact regardless of the Game 1 outcome.
The Stars have won 10 of the last 15 home games against Edmonton.
The Oilers lead the playoffs by connecting on 37.5% of their power plays while the Stars have killed off just 69% of the opposing power plays, so Dallas would like to keep this at 5-on-5 for as long as possible.
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Oilers vs Stars Game 1 Prediction
Questions of the Day
What happened the last time the Oilers and the Stars met in a playoff series?
Dallas won 4-2 in the first round of the 2003 Stanley Cup playoffs with the Stars winning two of its three games at home.
What are good player prop options for Game 1 of the Oilers-Stars series on May 23?
Zach Hyman leads the playoffs with 11 goals in 12 games. He has +100 odds to score a goal in Game 1. Joe Pavelski has -102 odds to have at least one point for the Stars.