Edmonton Oilers vs. Vegas Golden Knights Game 5 Prediction, NHL Playoff Odds
Edmonton’s quest to return to the Stanley Cup Final took another step forward on Monday in arguably their most impressive game of the playoffs, a 3-0 win in Game 4. The Oilers now have a 3-1 series lead as Vegas looks to stay alive with their backs against the wall.
The Golden Knights are -125 favourites to win Game 5 on the NHL odds, with the total pegged at 6.5.
Oilers vs. Golden Knights NHL Betting Odds
Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised with Edmonton’s big series lead as they have been dominant in head-to-head action, winning five of their last six games against Vegas. History is shouting loud and clear to back the Oilers in this series as they are 16-1 all-time when leading a series 3-1, while the Golden Knights are 2-7 all-time when trailing 3-1.
Edmonton enters Game 5 as a heavy -1000 favourite to win the series on the NHL futures board, while Vegas is a +650 underdog. The favoured exact series result is an Oilers win in six games (+185), followed by a Golden Knights win in seven games (+600) and Edmonton in seven (+700).
Believe it or not, the soon-to-be-40-year-old Corey Perry, who has three goals against Vegas, is a +200 favourite to lead the series in goalscoring. With two goals in the series, I still lean toward Leon Draisaitl at +240. This year’s Rocket Richard winner could easily go off for a three or four-goal game.
Don’t look now, but as of Tuesday afternoon, Edmonton is the current Stanley Cup favourite at +300. If you still believe the hockey gods will shine down on the Golden Knights, you can get Vegas at +2500 to win the Cup.
Edmonton Oilers
Game 4 was easily the Oilers’ most complete game of the series for their first shutout of the playoffs. Depth scoring was key, with Adam Henrique potting two goals, while Evander Kane also found the back of the net. Connor McDavid’s assist on Kane’s goal stretched the captain’s point streak to eight games. While McDavid and Draiaitl have combined for eight goals and 24 assists through 10 playoff games, the Oilers’ depth has resulted in the team outscoring opponents 29-22 at even-strength when the dynamic duo isn’t on the ice.
Stuart Skinner was also a great story in Game 4 after he made 23 saves for his first win of the playoffs and his second career playoff shutout. Skinner started the first two games in Round 1, but he was replaced by Calvin Pickard after giving up 11 combined goals on 57 shots for an .810 save percentage. With Pickard, who is 6-0 in the playoffs, still sidelined by injury, Skinner’s Game 4 shutout does a lot for the confidence of this team.
Vegas Golden Knights
Vegas had a big opportunity to tie the series in Game 4, but fell flat in an uncharacteristically sloppy performance. The Golden Knights’ power play was a big letdown as they went scoreless on three opportunities. The top line of Jack Eichel, Mark Stone and Ivan Barbashev was effectively shut down by the Edmonton trio of Draisaitl, Kasperi Kapanen and Vasily Podkolzin. Stone was actually a game-time decision because of an upper-body injury, so that could have played a factor in his struggles on Monday.
Like the Oilers, Vegas had their own questions surrounding their goaltender ahead of Game 4. Adin Hill has been far from dominant in this series, giving up three or more goals in all four games, while posting a 3.61 goals-against average and .872 SV. He’s generally struggled all playoffs, going 5-5 with a 3.15 GAA and .876 SV.
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