Dallas Stars vs. Edmonton Oilers Game 4 Prediction, NHL Odds
Edmonton took a crucial split in the first two games of this series in Dallas before immediately capitalizing at home with a 6-1 blowout win in Game 3 on Sunday afternoon. Can the Oilers push the Stars to the brink of elimination in Game 4 or will Dallas head back to the Lone Star State with the series tied?
Edmonton is a -170 favourite to win on the NHL odds, with the total set at 6.5.
Stars vs. Oilers NHL Betting Odds
It’s been a masterclass from the Oilers over the last two games, with Edmonton winning Games 2 and 3 by a combined score of 9-1. With that in mind, it should be no surprise that four of the last five head-to-heads between the teams have hit the Over, while the Over has also hit in six of the last seven matchups in Edmonton.
Edmonton is now a -375 favourite to win the series on the NHL futures board, with Dallas at +300. The favoured exact series result is a repeat of last year’s Western Conference Final, which is the Oilers winning in six games at +180. The biggest long shot is the Stars winning in six at +1100.
If you’re looking for player props, you can grab Mikko Rantanen at +360 to record 2+ goals in any game this series. The big Finn has been relatively quiet this series, but he still leads the playoffs with nine goals, including a two-game stretch of back-to-back hat tricks.
Looking further into the future, Edmonton has the second-shortest Stanley Cup odds at +140, trailing defending champion Florida at -110. Dallas had the third-shortest Cup odds at +700, ahead of Carolina (+4000), who have lost 15 straight conference final games.
Dallas Stars
The offence has dried up for the Stars at the worst possible time. Jason Robertson had the lone Dallas goal in Game 3, but the loss of top line centre Roope Hintz has clearly thrown a wrench into the forward group. Hintz is dealing with a lower-body injury and he’ll likely be a game-time decision on Tuesday.
That puts a bigger spotlight on fellow Finn Mikko Rantanen, who entered the series as the leading scorer in the playoffs. Rantanen has managed just two assists in three games against Edmonton and his lack of production has put a spotlight on Dallas’ lack of depth scoring. Only Rantanen (21), Hintz (11) and Thomas Harley (11) have accumulated double-digit points for Dallas during this year’s playoff run.
One of the Stars’ biggest strengths coming into this series is now becoming a bit of a question mark. Goaltender Jake Oettinger was tagged for all six Edmonton goals on 24 shots in Game 3 and he’s riding a subpar .842 save percentage in the series. Going back even further, Oettinger has a 5-10 career record with a 3.26 goals-against average and .881 save percentage in conference final games.
Edmonton Oilers
The big guns got it done for the Oilers in Game 3. Connor McDavid and Zach Hyman each had two goals, while Evan Bouchard and John Klingberg also scored. Evander Kane and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins each finished with three assists. Bouchard has become a huge factor for Edmonton in the playoffs for the second straight year, leading all defencemen in playoff scoring with 17 points.
No player’s performance has been more scrutinized than Stuart Skinner, who stood tall with 33 saves on 34 shots in Game 3. Skinner has been incredibly hot or cold this postseason, but he’s on a great stretch at the moment, posting three shutouts over his last five starts. This series, and the Oilers’ Stanley Cup hopes as a whole, really could come down to Skinner’s ability to have more good games than bad.
DAL
EDM