Face-off: 2000 ET, 05/12/2021
Arena: Rogers Place
Los Angeles have just come off a dreadful homestand as they head north to face Edmonton at Rogers Place.
The Oilers have seen provincial rivals Calgary Flames pull three points clear at the top of the Pacific Division standings and will be hoping to move closer.
We think this is a prime game for the hosts to start eating into that Calgary lead and 3.0 for them to win by more than 2.5 goals heads up our Edmonton Oilers v Los Angeles Kings predictions.
Edmonton Oilers Odds
Edmonton suffered a disappointing 4-3 defeat in their last outing at Seattle but their record of 9-1-0 on home ice gives some cause for optimism.
Conor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have largely paced the Oilers offence all season and in our NHL predictions we expect that trend to continue with both getting at least one point.
Draisaitl, who leads the NHL in scoring with 43 points, hopes the Oilers’ record can intimidate their out-of-form visitors.
He said: “You want teams to come in, look at your home record and be like, ‘Wow, this team plays well at home.’ We’re looking to keep it at one loss.
“At the same time, you’re at home and in front of your fans. They help you. You want to have a good showing.”
The Oilers could be boosted by the return of top defenceman Darnell Nurse, but it will be a game-time decision whether he draws back into the line-up.
Edmonton’s strong record and the Kings’ lack of confidence after a poor run suggests that a strong start from the hosts could be likely.
Looking at the NHL odds for this game, the Oilers to win the opening period offers some interest at 2.25.
Los Angeles Kings Odds
Los Angeles might be relieved to get away from Staples Center following a poor homestand that saw them go down in six of seven games.
The only points came from a win over Ottawa Senators, an overtime loss to Arizona Coyotes and a superleague defeat to Buffalo Sabres.
But the journey north will be a daunting one for Todd McClellan’s squad, who have struggled to put the puck in the net.
With dependable goaltending so far this season, we like No in the ‘both teams to score two or more goals in regular time’ market at 2.35.
The Kings will have some changes to their line-up, with fourth-line centre Blake Lizotte unavailable as he is on the Covid protocol list.
Centres Jaret Anderson-Dolan and TJ Tynan are called up from the AHL’s Ontario Reign, with at least one of them set to play.
One player who will not be playing is defenceman Kale Clague, who is heading to Montreal after the Canadiens claimed him over waivers.
Special teams have played a significant role in the Kings’ struggles, especially on the road, and their record of allowing eight powerplay goals from 23 times shorthanded for a 65.2 per cent penalty kill is the worst in the NHL.
A two for 26 tally on their own powerplays for a paltry 7.7 per cent is only good enough for 30th. That needs to improve for them to have any chance.
Additional stats
Last result:
Seattle 4-3 EDMONTON
LOS ANGELES 2-3 Calgary
Head-to-head: Los Angeles 2-4 Edmonton, Edmonton 2-1 Los Angeles, Los Angeles 5-1 Edmonton, Edmonton 6-5 Los Angeles
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