Dallas Stars host Edmonton Oilers Wednesday for Game 1 of Western Conference Finals rematch
For the second consecutive season, the Dallas Stars and Edmonton Oilers are set to face off in the Western Conference Final with a trip to the Stanley Cup Final on the line.
The Stars, making their third straight appearance in the conference finals, punched their ticket by eliminating the Winnipeg Jets in six games, capped off by a dramatic overtime win in Game 6 by Thomas Harley.
With a deep, veteran-laden lineup and a strong defensive structure, Dallas is aiming to finally break through after falling short in their previous two trips. They’ll also carry the psychological edge of having ousted Edmonton at this same stage last season.
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But the Oilers arrive with momentum and a score to settle after losing in game seven of the Stanley Cup Finals last season. Edmonton shocked the always-feisty Vegas Golden Knights in the second round, dispatching them in just five games with a tense 1-0 overtime win in Game 5, proving the Oilers can win tight, defensive battles.
Still, goaltending remains a question mark, with inconsistency from netminder Stuart Skinner creeping in at times this postseason. Whether that vulnerability will be exposed or masked against a Stars team that has struggled to find consistent depth scoring could define the series.
All betting lines are from FanDuel Sportsbook and are subject to change. Hockey is a difficult sport to predict so please gamble responsibly.
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Dallas Stars vs Edmonton Oilers Best Bets:
- Over 5.5 goals (-156)
- Wyatt Johnston Over 0.5 points (-132)
- Ryan Nugent-Hopkins Over 0.5 points (-111)
When these two faced off last postseason, it was a bit of a slugfest with five goals in the first game (with no goals scored in the first period) followed by three of the next five games totalling under five goals.
The goaltenders really showed up and I expect this to completely flip as the Oilers will be looking to stay on the offensive and keep the Stars away from Stuart Skinner or at least limit quality chances like they did versus the Golden Knights in the second round.
I would expect the kind of game where we see a high number of goals, typical for a series-opening game as both sides will be trying to feel each other out, but not a lot of shot attempts.
The lines for most of these playoff games have been lowered to 5.5 most of the time and the unders have been hitting towards the end of rounds as teams start to solve the other but this is an early game and the sportsbooks have it set at a high 6.5 and for good reason.
When on the fence, its safe to go with what the oddsmakers are telling you and that’s this one will be a high-scoring affair that’s why they have such a high odd for the under cause they want to trap people into believing a defensive showdown is coming.
This bet would work even better if you wait a few minutes into the game before taking as the odds may drop without an early goal plus some sportsbooks like FanDuel occasionally provide bet boosts for bets taken live during the game.
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I expect a big game from Wyatt Johnston, who Stars insider Taylor Newby recently referenced in one of our recent stories as being due for a big series.
Mmmm
The 22-year-old youngster has points in just one of the last five games and should bounce back in a big way against an Oilers team he has a great history against. With five goals and two assists for seven points over his last eight games versus the Oilers, Johnston should continue to mash.
For the Oilers, we have seen a lot of scoring from their depth forwards with 19 goals from their bottom six so far this postseason. I expect the top end forwards to show what they are made of in this one and have a sizeable performance, starting with Connor McDavid’s winger Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.
The former first overall pick in 2011 has played exceptionally well alongside one of the league’s best players in McDavid with points in seven of the Oilers’ 11 playoff games so far.
Nugent-Hopkins proved to be a gamer against the Stars with two goals in game five of the conference finals last postseason and put his team firmly in the driver seat of the series with a 3-2 lead.
He should play a pivotal role once again and comes in at a great value as he plays the third-most minutes of any Oilers forward as he centres the first power play unit.
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