The Edmonton Oilers took care of business against the Los Angeles Kings in the first round for the third straight season, this time in just five games to advance to the second round. Meanwhile, the Vancouver Canucks overcame injuries to both Thatcher Demko and Casey DeSmith to eliminate the Nashville Predators in six games. The Pacific Division rivals now face off in the second round. Let’s get right into our Canucks vs. Oilers odds, picks, and predictions!
NHL Playoffs Odds, Picks, & Predictions: Vancouver Canucks vs. Edmonton Oilers
Canucks vs. Oilers Odds
Vancouver Canucks (+220) | Edmonton Oilers (-260)
Canucks +1.5 Games (+125) | Oilers -1.5 Games (-140)
Over 5.5 Games (-150) | Under 5.5 Games (+140)
The Canucks won the Pacific Division, swept the four-game season series, have home-ice advantage, yet are still massive underdogs against the Oilers. Odds of +220 imply just a 31.25% probability, while -260 implies 72.22%.
Canucks vs. Oilers Picks & Predictions
The Canucks may not have played their best hockey in the first round, getting outshot in four of the six games, but they came out on top where it mattered. Vancouver locked down defensively to limit the Predators to two goals in the final two games of the series and just 12 goals overall.
The injury to Demko was supposed to be a crushing blow for the Canucks, but DeSmith and then Arturs Silovs came up big for Vancouver between the pipes. That was needed given how invisible some of the Canucks’ top players were, namely Elias Pettersson, who had just eight shots on goal and three assists in the series.
It was J.T. Miller (1 G, 5 A) and Brock Boeser (4 G, 2 A) who led the way for the Canucks against the Predators, but it’s safe to say that Vancouver is going to need more offense to keep up with the superstars on Edmonton.
Connor McDavid (1 G, 11 A) and Leon Draisaitl (5 G, 5 A) dominated for the Oilers against the Kings, with Zach Hyman (seven goals) and defenseman Evan Bouchard (1 G, 8 A) helping out as well.
As always, the big question marks for the Oilers is on defense and between the pipes. They outscored the Kings 22-13 in the opening series, with Stuart Skinner allowing just four goals in the final three games.
While the Oilers should win this series, the price is just way too steep. Sprinkle the Canucks at +220, but that’s not the best bet for this series.
Canucks vs. Oilers Pick: Over 5.5 Games (-150)
Canucks vs. Oilers Prediction: Canucks in 7 (+675)