The Edmonton Oilers have won six games on the spin and now find themselves two wins away from heading to the Western Conference finals for the third time in four years.
The Oilers took both games in Vegas and now return home as -550 favorites to advance at the time of writing.
Game 2 wasn’t without controversy – the Knights were miffed about a missed tripping call that eventually led to Leon Draisaitl’s overtime winner – but it’s hard to argue that Edmonton doesn’t deserve this 2-0 series lead.
The Oilers have had to mount comebacks in both games, but they’ve outscored the Knights, 8-3, at 5-on-5, and they’ve created more expected goals, high-danger scoring chances and shots on goal at full strength.
Golden Knights vs. Oilers Game 3 betting preview
The Oilers have some well-known flaws. Their goaltending situation is messy, their depth at forward is questionable and their blueline has struggled at times this season.
So far, none of those issues have come back to bite the Oilers in this series.
In fact, you could argue that they’ve all been strengths through the first two games of this best-of-seven, and the last four of Round 1 against the Kings.
Edmonton’s blueline has stabilized with John Klingberg, Brett Kulak and Darnell Nurse all in terrific form. Mattias Ekholm’s presence will be missed until he returns but, for now, the Oilers seem in good hands with their current six rearguards.
Their depth forwards are also doing a great job of pushing play in the right direction and staying above water until Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl hop back over the boards.
McDavid and Draisaitl have been terrific.
As for the goaltending, Calvin Pickard has done exactly what his team is asking of him right now. Pickard has won all six of his starts this postseason despite owning a .892 save percentage.
Betting on the NHL?
Golden Knights vs. Oilers Game 3 pick
You have to really tilt the ice to beat the Oilers when they’re in this kind of form.
Edmonton’s star players can win a game on their own even when they’re being outplayed, and their job gets much easier if the rest of the team is pulling its collective weight.
Right now, it’s hard to see Vegas owning enough of the play to justify a play, even as the underdogs.
You’re getting a decent discount on the Oilers because the Knights are in a must-win spot Saturday night.
The Play: Oilers -140 or better (bet365)
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Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.
