Canucks vs. Oilers Game 6 Prediction: Stanley Cup Playoff Odds
The Oilers have struggled to gain any traction against Vancouver as Edmonton faces elimination while having failed to lead the series at any point. The Canucks are in a great spot ahead of Game 6 on Saturday night as they look to make their first Western Conference Final appearance since 2011.
The Oilers opened as -200 favourites to win on the NHL odds, with the total sitting at 6.0.
Canucks vs. Oilers NHL Betting Odds
There’s virtually no room for error in this series as every game has been decided by a single goal, including Vancouver’s 3-2 win in Game 5 on Thursday. There’s actually been a pretty unique playoff rematch over the last two games. Vancouver’s Arturs Silovs and Edmonton’s Calvin Pickard faced off in the first round last year’s AHL playoffs, with Silovs’ Abbotsford Canucks winning the series 2-0 over Pickard’s Bakersfield Condors.
It took the first five games of this series, but oddsmakers are finally done disrespecting the Canucks. Vancouver hasn’t been favoured to win the series at any point, despite winning the Pacific Division, until Game 6. They’re now-185 on the series line, with Edmonton at +150. The NHL futures board isn’t giving the same respect, with the Oilers at +800 to win the Stanley Cup and the Canucks at +900.
For what it’s worth, when a best-of-seven series is tied 2-2, the winner of Game 5 has gone 231-61 in the series all-time and Vancouver is 3-1 in that situation.
Vancouver Canucks
J.T. Miller came in clutch for Vancouver in Game 5, scoring the winning goal with 33 seconds left in the third period for his sixth point of the series. Carson Soucy tied the game in the opening period in his return from a one-game suspension and Phillip Di Giuseppe tied it again in the second after missing the previous two games due to the birth of his son. Silovs made 21 saves, improving to 5-3 in the playoffs with a 2.62 goals-against average and .907 save percentage. No. 1 goalie Thatcher Demko is reportedly close to returning from injury, but for the time being the net will remain Silovs’.
The Canucks went scoreless on four power play opportunities in Game 5, but they still won the night on special teams. Vancouver completely shut down the Oilers’ power play, forcing Edmonton to go 0-for-5 with the man advantage while generating just three shots. The Oilers entered Thursday with the best power play in the playoffs, going 14-for-30 (46.7 per cent), including 5-for-10 against the Canucks. If Vancouver continues to stifle Edmonton’s power play, it could be the difference in the series.
Edmonton Oilers
Evander Kane and Mattias Janmark had the goals for Edmonton in Game 5, but it was a demoralizing effort overall that saw the team blow two different one-goal leads. Leon Draisaitl assisted on the Kane goal to extend his playoff-opening point streak to 10 games. Connor McDavid was held off the scoresheet for the second time in three games, but remains second in playoff scoring with 18 points (2G, 16A), just behind Draisaitl who has 21 points (8G, 13A). McDavid will need to have more of an impact in Game 6.
Besides getting the power play back on track, the other big question for the Oilers entering Game 6 is who to play in net. Pickard has allowed just five goals over his two games, but he’s a career-backup who has never started three straight pressure games. The flip-side is going with regular starter Stuart Skinner, who gave up the net to Pickard after posting a .793 SV through the first three games of the series. It could be a make-or-break goaltending decision for rookie head coach Kris Knoblauch.
VAN
EDM