KINGS Vs OILERS
Dave Covers Spreads, NHL FREE PICKS
The Los Angeles Kings head to Edmonton to take on the Oilers in one of three game 7’s on Saturday Night! Can the Oilers and McDavid take care of business at home?
It was somewhat of a surprise to see this series go to seven games, a lot of people expected the Oilers to take care of this series in 5 or 6 games (myself included). The Kings snagged a great 4-3 victory in game 1 that really put things into perspective. The series looked back on track as the Oilers took games 2 and 3, before the Kings surged back and won games 4 and 5. The Oilers dominated in LA to take this to a game 7.
Home Ice is a big deal, we have seen this time and time again in this playoffs already. This is why the regular season is so important.
The story for the Kings is goaltender Jonathan Quick. He has a 3.66 GAA and a .893 save percentage, which doesn’t say much, but he also has a shutout as well as three victories. He has made a number of big saves when his team needed him most, and with the way playoff hockey is played, goaltenders are so important.
The Oilers have arguably the two best offensive players in the entire NHL with McDavid and Draisaitl who combined for over 200 points this season.
After a shaky performance in the loss on Tuesday, Mike Smith rebounded with a solid performance in Game 6, stopping 30 of 32 shots. He has looked very good over his last five outings, holding Los Angeles to two goals or fewer in three of those games and has allowed 12 total goals over his last five starts.
The penalty kill has looked great for the Oilers in this series, killing off 87.5% of situations where they are shorthanded.
I am trusting with the star-power and home-ice advantage of the Oilers to get this one done. The Moneyline is steep but it’s the safest play. Take the Oilers.
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