NHL Betting Preview (May 20): Oilers vs. Canucks Game 7 Odds
2 months ago
The Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks will battle in Game 7 on Sunday. The winner will play the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Final. This article breaks down the odds and trends that make this matchup worth betting on.
Oilers vs. Canucks Game 7 Odds
- Edmonton Oilers Moneyline Odds: +135
- Vancouver Canucks Moneyline Odds: -160
- Puck Line Odds: Oilers -1.5 (+170), Canucks -1.5 (-205)
- Game Total: 5.5 goals (over -120, under +100)
All odds courtesy of Bet365.
NHL Futures Odds Update
The Florida Panthers are the current favourite to win the Stanley Cup with +240 odds. Dallas has the next best odds (+250), while the New York Rangers are listed at +320. Meanwhile, Edmonton is next up, as the OIlers’ Stanley Cup odds are listed at +370 (21.3 percent implied probability), and that means Vancouver has the lowest odds, at 12/1. Oilers’ captain Connor McDavid has the fifth-best Conn Smythe Trophy odds. He is currently listed at 9/1 to be named MVP of the NHL playoffs.
Handicapping the Oilers (56-37 SU, 41-52 ATS, 42-47 O/U)
With its season on the line, Edmonton played its best game of the playoffs on Saturday. The Oilers dominated Game 6 from start to finish, holding the Canucks to just 15 shots on goal. However, as Connor McDavid alluded to in his post-game interview, many of the shots goaltender Stuart Skinner faced were dangerous. The Oilers outshot the Canucks 27-15, but according to the hockey stats website Natural Stat Trick, high-danger shot attempts were just 9-8 in favour of Edmonton.
The Oilers will face a desperate team on Sunday, though, and one would assume that the Canucks will put forth a strong effort. Limiting Vancouver’s shots will be difficult, but if Edmonton can limit the number of quality shots that Skinner faces, it’ll go a long way toward eliminating the Canucks. Vancouver generated 2.75 expected goals in Game 6, according to Evolving Hockey, which means Skinner played great. However, bettors shouldn’t bank on Skinner being above average in Game 7. The 25-year-old goaltender has gone 11-9-0, with a 3.36 goals against average and an .822 save percentage in 21 career playoff games.
Edmonton must focus on attacking. The Oilers are at their best when they play with pace, and force their opponents to defend. Per Evolving Hockey, the Oilers are 6-2 in the playoff when they generate at least three expected goals in a game. The series has been tightly contested, with each team holding momentum at various points, but the Oilers have looked more dominant, more often, than the Canucks. That has to be the case in Game 7, too.
Handicapping the Canucks (57-37 SU, 51-43 ATS, 46-43 O/U)
Vancouver will be without its top scorer indefinitely, as forward Brock Boeser will not play in Game 7 due to a blood clotting issue. This is a huge blow to the Canucks, as Boeser led the team with 40 goals in the regular season, seven goals in the postseason.
Vancouver is already offensively challenged, having scored 2.56 goals per 60 minutes so far in the playoffs, and the betting market has reacted accordingly. Edmonton opened as a -140 moneyline favourite, but they have since moved to -165 odds. That means Edmonton’s chances of winning Game 7 have improved about five percent, from an implied probability of 58.3 to 62.3 percent. The game total was also adjusted due to Boeser’s absence. Originally, the total was set at six goals, over -115, but now it’s listed at five and a half goals, and the over is priced at -120.
The Canucks registered 35 shots on goal in Game 5, but they’ve generated 24 or fewer shots on goal against Edmonton in every other game in the series. If Vancouver can’t replicate its performance in Game 5, it’s unlikely that the Canucks will score as many goals as the Oilers will, let alone more than Edmonton.
PRESENTED BY BET365
Team Betting Trends
- Being down hasn’t equated to being out in this year’s NHL playoffs. Prior to Edmonton’s win in Game 6, approximately 51 percent of postseason games have ended in comeback wins.
- Chris Rooney and Jean Hebert will be the referees for Game 7. For what it’s worth, the Canucks have not lost a game officiated by Rooney in regulation (11-0-1) in the past three seasons, including their win in Game 3 against Edmonton.
- Vancouver has covered the puck line in nine out of the last 10 meetings against Edmonton. The Canucks are 7-3 straight up in those 10 games, and this matchup is 5-3-2 to the over in the last 10 meetings.
Player Prop Betting Trends
- Leon Draisaitl extended his point streak to 11 games in Saturday’s 5-1 win over the Canucks. Draisaitl is the third active player to register points in 11 consecutive playoff games. He became just the fourth player in NHL history to register 60 assists in 60 playoff games, and he’s only the third player, behind Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemeiux, to register 100 points in that timeframe. Draisaitl leads all Oilers with 23 points in 11 games.
- Connor McDavid bounced back in Game 6 after a poor performance in Game 5. McDavid registered three assists in just over 20 minutes of ice time in the win. He now has two goals and 19 assists in 11 playoff games.
- Evan Bouchard has goals in four out of his last five games and he’s registered 18 points in 11 playoff games this postseason.
- Without Boeser, the Canucks’ next-best scorer has been Elias Lindholm, with five goals in 12 games. Lindholm scored just six goals in 26 regular season games with the Canucks, but he looks to have found some chemistry with his teammates in the postseason.
Best Bets for Oilersnation
Edmonton has played in nine elimination games since the start of the 2022 NHL playoffs, and McDavid has registered at least two points in seven of those games. So, whether it’s the Oilers who are on the ropes, or their opponents, their captain shows up when he’s needed the most. In fact, McDavid has scored at least one goal in six out of the last nine elimination games he’s played in. The Oilers’ captain only has one goal in this series, and as a result, his anytime goal prop is listed at +145. Considering McDavid’s past performance, and the fact that he was priced at +110 to score a goal in Game 5, betting on No. 97 to light the lamp in Game 7 is a smart play.
GAME DAY ARTICLE PRESENTED BY BET365
Recent articles from Andrew MacNeil
