The Edmonton Oilers have steamrolled the Los Angeles Kings in the last two games in this first-round playoff series. Now they are looking to take a commanding 3-1 lead, and be a game away from advancing to the second round.
Los Angeles is trying to find a way to stop the high-scoring Oilers, and may go with a goalie change to see if it can win at home and even up the series before heading back to Edmonton for Game 5.
Will the Oil keep putting the puck in the net and win big for the third straight, or will L.A. get the upset? Find out in our free NHL betting picks and predictions for Oilers vs. Kings, on May 8.
Oilers vs Kings odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
The Oilers opened at -164 and surprisingly the odds have come down from that number. They are now anywhere from -159 to -152. The Kings have gone the other way, opening at +135 and bumping up to +140 at select books. The total opened at 6.5 and stayed there, with the Over is -105 and the Under at -110.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right until puck drop and be sure to check out the full NHL odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.
Oilers vs Kings predictions
Predictions made on 5/8/2022 at 9:20 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Oilers vs Kings game info
• Location: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
• Date: Sunday, May 8, 2022
• Puck drop: 10:00 p.m. ET
• TV: TBS, Sportsnet
Oilers vs Kings series odds (EDM leads series 2-1)
Oilers: -600
Kings: +425
Oilers vs Kings betting preview
Key injuries
Oilers: No injuries to report.
Kings: Viktor Arvidsson F (Questionable), Carl Grundstrom F (Questionable), Sean Walker D (Out), Drew Doughty D (Out).
Find our latest NHL injury reports.
Oilers vs Kings head-to-head record since 2018
Oilers: 9-4 SU 51 goals for.
Kings: 4-9 SU. 39 goals for.
Betting trend to know
The Oilers are 8-2 in their past 10 games as road favorites. Find more NHL betting trends for Oilers vs. Kings.
Oilers vs Kings picks and predictions
Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.
Moneyline analysis
In the last two games, the Edmonton Oilers have made the Los Angeles Kings look like they don’t belong in the playoffs. They have beaten them by six goals in both Games 2 and three and it hasn’t even looked that close.
The Kings might be starting Cal Petersen in goal, but would that make that much of a difference? Petersen replaced Jonathan Quick in the third period of Friday’s game after the Oilers scored four goals. Quick had stopped 13 of 17 shots, but Petersen didn’t fare much better, stopping 16 of 20.
There is no way Los Angeles can keep up with Edmonton scoring more than six goals and expect to win. L.A. failed to record seven or more goals at any point in the regular season, and only scored six four times.
Coach Todd McLellan talked about getting his team to play their game, but without two key defensemen — Drew Doughty and Sean Walker — playing grind it out, physical hockey becomes much more difficult.
It also doesn’t help that the Oilers’ top units have been skating circles around the Kings. The first line of Evander Kane, Connor McDavid, and Jesse Puijujarvi have crushed Los Angeles. Kane has five goals and an assist, McDavid has a goal and five helpers, and Puijujarvi has chipped in with two points.
The second line of Leon Draisaitl (three goals, one assist), Zach Hyman (two goals, one assist), and Kailer Yamamoto (one goal, one assist), have been equally effective.
Look for another dominating offensive performance from the Oilers to take home the win.
Prediction: Oilers moneyline (-152 at BetRivers)
Over/Under analysis
Since getting upset in the first game — where the Over hit — the Oilers have scored a combined 14 goals in the last two contests. The two teams are 4-2-1 on the Over this season.
The Over has been trending for both teams, as Edmonton is 6-1 on the Over following a win, and 7-1-1 when their opponent allows five or more goals in the previous game.
Despite the Kings’ offensive woes — two goals in last two games — the Over is prevalent with them. Los Angeles is 4-1 that way when allowing five or more goals in the previous game and 4-1 when it is a home underdog.
One area that has been helping the Over is Edmonton’s power play. It was third in the regular season, converting 27.3% of the time, but has been on another level in the playoffs.
The Kings aren’t giving them a whole lot of extra-man advantages, but when they do, the Oilers are converting. They have been on the power play 11 times, scoring five goals for 45.5%.
They scored six or more goals 11 times in the regular season and twice so far in the playoffs. I see another embarrassing loss for the Kings on Sunday where the Over should hit once again
Prediction: Over 6.5 (-105 at BetMGM)
Best bet
The Kings have a problem. They can’t score any goals and they are unable to stop the Oilers from lighting the lamp. That’s not going to win you many hockey games.
Oilers' goalie Mike Smith has been great between the pipes. He has faced 105 shots and stopped all but six for a save percentage of .946, good for fifth-best among goalies in the playoffs.
The Kings are averaging two goals a game in the playoffs, while the Oilers are the best team in the postseason in goals for at 5.67.
Not only have the Oilers been able to win against the Kings this season, they've flat out dominated, winning by two or more goals in four of the last six matchups.
Another intangible is not wanting to return to Los Angeles. If Edmonton wins Sunday, it can wrap up the series on Tuesday at home and avoid a Game 6 across the border. It will also allow the team to rest up and await the winner of the Dallas Stars vs. Calgary Flames series, which the Stars currently lead, 2-1.
The Oilers are 4-0 in their last four trips to Crypto.com Arena, and will make it 5-0 after Sunday in a blowout.
Pick: Oilers -1.5 (+164 at FanDuel)
