Edmonton Oilers vs Los Angeles Kings Game 1 Prediction, Pick & Odds (Apr. 21)

• The LA Kings are -120 home favorites in Game 1 of their Round 1 Stanley Cup Playoff series against the Edmonton Oilers
• This will be the fourth straight year these teams meet in the opening round
• Read below for Oilers vs Kings prediction, odds and prop pick for Monday’s game on ESPN2

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Like a broken record, it’s the Edmonton Oilers (48-29-5, 30-52-0 ATS) vs the LA Kings (48-25-9, 41-41-0 ATS) in Round 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. After three consecutive flameouts, the Kings hope to at least change the tune in the fourth straight opening-round series between these teams. Game 1 goes Monday from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles at 10pm ET, with ESPN2 carrying the broadcast coverage.

The Kings took three of four during the regular season, and tied for the most wins at home this season. Can they get off to a winning start in their quest to finally down the Oil?

Check our Oilers vs Kings Game 1 prediction below.

Edmonton Oilers vs Los Angeles Kings Odds

Edmonton has +100 odds on the moneyline Monday, so if you’re banking on the Oilers upset, it would net you a cool $100 profit for a $100 wager. Taking the favorite will cost slightly more, $120 to be exact, to win $100 if you wager on the Kings. The total is set at 5.5 goals, and these teams topped that total just once in four regular season games.

Odds as of April 21 at Bet365 Sportsbook. Browse the available NHL betting apps for Monday’s games.

LA’s propensity to lose in Round 1 is a big reason they are just 10th in Stanley Cup odds at +1800 over at BetMGM. Edmonton made it all the way to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final a year ago, only to fall to the Florida Panthers. They have the fifth-best Cup odds, at +950 at Caesars.

Oilers Mostly Healthy For Game 1

The most encouraging news for Oilers fans is their two-headed scoring monster of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, sidelined down the stretch of the regular season with injuries, have a clean bill of health to start this series.

Those two were a wrecking ball in last year’s opening round series. McDavid picked up a goal and 12 points across the five games, while Draisaitl lit the lamp five times and totaled 10 points.

On top of that duo, it’s expected that forwards Zach Hyman, Trent Frederic and Evander Kane could all be in for Game 1, as well as defensemen Jake Walman, with fellow D-men John Klingberg and Troy Stecher potentially getting back into the lineup at some point in this series.

It’s a crazy thing to say, because we expect Edmonton to be so potent offensively, but they will need to score some goals against the Kings to be successful. They have just one goal in the last three meetings, getting shut out in the final two matchups of the year.

McDavd and Draisaitl were not in the lineup for both those contests.

Kings Hope to Make Home Ice Count

While it’s the same matchup with most of the same key players, the biggest difference in this series than in the previous meetings is LA holds home ice advantage.

That’s especially valuable for the Kings, who were tied with the most home wins this season, going a stellar 31-6-4 at crypto.com Arena.

A team that ranked 14th in goals scored during the regular season at 3.04 goals per game, that number jumps to 3.46 at home, which ranks seventh in the league.

Already second in the league in goals against at a stingy 2.48, that number dips below two goals when they play at home.

Oilers vs Kings Prediction

The Oilers lost a ton of man games this year, including a combined 26 alone from McDavid and Draisaitl, so forget that this is a team that finished 11th in scoring at 3.16 goals per game.

So long as those two are healthy — and, despite the secrecy still bestowed on injuries in the NHL, all signs indicate they are — consider this lineup one of the most potent in the playoffs.

Oilers vs Kings Head-to-Head Stats

The books have the line at a generous 5.5 goals, as the Oilers scored a total of just four goals across four games against the Kings.

Darcy Kuemper also had a monster year, going 31-11-7 with a miniscule 2.02 GAA, and a .922 save percentage, which both rank inside the Top 3 in the NHL.

But these teams went over the total in four of five playoff matchups last year, and have only gone Under four times in the last 18 posteason games.

Look for that trend to continue Monday

• Oilers vs Kings Pick: Over 5.5 goals (+100 at Bet365)