Coming off a Game 7 victory over the Vancouver Canucks in the battle for Canada, the Edmonton Oilers travel to Dallas for the NHL Western Conference Final.
The Oilers are a short road +105 underdog at FanDuel, while the Stars come in at -126 odds. Oddsmakers are projecting the total to come in at 5.5, with heavy juice towards the over (-140).
Dallas has a significant rest coming into this series, having not played in six days, while the Oilers grabbed a Game 7 win Monday night.
Edmonton has been putting on offensive shows for much of the season since firing coach Jay Woodcroft and bringing in Rangers AHL coach Kris Knoblauch.
Knoblaugh’s group led the league in expected goal percent through the regular season (58.72 percent) and has maintained those strong numbers through the playoffs.
The Oilers boast two of hockey’s most prolific scorers in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
Where things could get dicey for Edmonton is turnovers. They turned it over the fourth most in hockey during the regular season in the 5-on-5, which could be a problem against a well-rounded Stars team.
Oilers vs. Stars Game 1 prediction
(8:30 p.m. ET, TNT)
The Stars generate tons of high-danger scoring opportunities and have looked to be the best team in the NHL playoffs up to this point.
Dallas ranks No. 1 in Expected Goals For in the playoffs and No. 2 in High Danger Shots For — and No. 1 among the four remaining teams.
Interestingly enough, the Canucks ranked third in that category, showing how the aforementioned turnovers by the Oilers lead directly to offensive opportunities.
Dallas is going to be in a good spot in this series based on that alone.
Then we get to the goaltending matchup, where the Oilers are throwing out Stuart Skinner, whom they benched last series before reintroducing him to the lineup.
Betting on the NHL?
Dallas’ Jake Oettinger ranks second in goals allowed during the playoffs and third in goals saved above expected.
The line is pretty generous here, as money comes in on the shiny-looking Oilers.
Grab the Stars at -126 odds.
PICK: Stars moneyline (-126, FanDuel)
