Free NHL Hockey Prediction: Oilers vs. Avalanche NHL Odds
Looking for Edmonton Oilers vs. Colorado Avalanche free hockey plays & NHL Odds? NHL betting sees the Oilers taking on the Avalanche on Tuesday, May 31st at Ball Arena in Denver. Cappers Picks provides complimentary expert handicapping picks on all NHL Hockey games all season long so stay tuned for more FREE daily NHL hockey predictions like this Oilers Avalanche matchup.
(49-27-6) Edmonton Oilers vs. Colorado Avalanche (56-19-7)
Date: Tuesday May 31st 2022
Time: 8:00 PM ET
Venue: Ball Arena, Denver, Colorado
NHL Hockey Moneyline Odds: Oilers +160 | Avalanche -180 (Bet Now!)
NHL Hockey Puck Line Odds: Canucks +1.5 -150 | Avalanche -1.5 +130
NHL Betting Total: 5.5
Well well well folks. It has been a roller coaster of a season for my beloved Edmonton Oilers. They started with one of the best records in the NHL and on a dime it turned into a “memes being circulated about us hunting the Habs down for the 1st overall pick” kind of year.
There were also calls from the public to fire their GM and coaching tandem Ken Holland and Dave Tippett, respectively, after they stood idly by and did not execute even one transaction or lineup change to mix things up.
Then, on January 27th they signed Evander Kane as a free agent which was seen by most as a desperate and risky reclamation project considering Kane’s checkered past.
After a few more weeks of abysmal play, and coach Tippett apparently becoming a stale voice and subsequently losing the room, he was relieved of his duties and management promoted assistant coach Jay Woodcroft as the interim.
After that, it was all downhill for this Oilers squad. The seemingly calm, collected players coach approach he took worked like a charm. They went 26-9-3 and sling shot themselves back into contention and finished the year 2nd in the pacific only to their arch rival Calgary Flames.
And here we are now, facing the perennial contending Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Finals for a shot to advance and compete for the Stanley Cup.
For those of you who have read my column here before you know I am a lifelong Oilers fan, I promise I will not advise you irresponsibly and give the Oilers an eye test with rose colored glasses on.
I am very aware of how great of a hockey team the Avalanche are and not many people think we can get past them. My expectations are realistic and I am just very excited to watch what is guaranteed to be an electrifying series.
That being said, from a purely objective standpoint I also think that this matchup is a bit tighter than the lines might indicate. Darcy Kuemper believe it or not heading into this series has a much worse save percentage than the frequently shaky and always unorthodox Mike Smith.
Nobody had these Oilers making quick work of the Flames. The Oilers effectively shut down the likes of Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk who were virtually non-existent after Game 1.
“They’re a lot deeper than people give them credit for, for sure.” Nathan Mackinnon said today of the Oilers in their final media availability before the series gets underway. General manager Joe Sakic and head coach Jared Bednar were also present and discussed their team’s issues getting past the proverbial hump that has been the second round for them.
“We don’t look at it that way. Each time and each series was a different set of circumstances, different teams we were playing. We don’t think of it as the third round now we’re playing the Edmonton Oilers who are a great team. They’ve been one of the best teams in the NHL the last three months.” Joe Sakic’s comments when asked about the previous playoff failures.
So before we dive into Game 1 of what is sure to provide us viewers with incredible speed and skill, let’s take a quick gander at the series odds and how this matchup could go in the best of 7.
The Avalanche are pretty heavy favourites at -260 for obvious reasons. They have home ice, they were second to only the Panthers all season in goals for per game, they also have considerably more depth especially on the blueline.
They are also the favorites to win outright which undoubtedly impacts how this is priced.
The Edmonton Oilers however have the top two scorers of the playoffs in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, Evander Kane has also put up a respectable 12 goals and 3 assists which will definitely play a factor in this series. McDavid and Draisaitl both have 26 points in 12 games which is just absurd.
Draisaitl potted 17 points in just 5 games against the Flames which is legitimately video game numbers.
I can’t advise anyone to bet the Oilers to win this series, it’s an uphill battle for them unless you think it’s worth betting on the 2 best players in the world as a flier to will them to victory.
I also would not take the Avalanche at their price so do with that what you will.
Now without further ado, let’s dig into Game 1. Stay tuned folks as this is just the first installment of the entire western conference finals which I will be covering.
Edmonton Oilers
We have already touched on the magic of Leon and Connor and you have probably heard the non-stop coverage about them already so I do not want to continue on about them too much here.
Instead, let’s focus on other parts of the roster and where they are getting contributions. Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins have both stepped up to the plate and come up with big games when needed and have not gotten a ton of credit due to the large shadows cast by their teammates.
Rookie Ryan Mcleod has also gained the trust of his bench boss and has been a massive factor on the penalty kill which is quite good at the moment at 85.7%.
And as much as Mike Smith and the Oilers defensive core do not pass the eye test very well, their underlying numbers are really not bad at all. After game one of their series against the Flames, the numbers for their big line were;
Gaudreau 1g, 2a, –5
Lindholm 1g, 1a, -5
Tkachuk 0g, 1a, -5
Darnell Nurse and Cody Ceci were particularly good in their shut down roles but the effectiveness of McDavid and Draisaitl 5on5 had much to do with the Flames big lines’ statlines.
The question no doubt is an obvious one, but can they keep that up against this avalanche team that has Mackinnon and Landeskog on their top line, with Kadri and Raantanen playing together on the second.
It’s going to be without question the most difficult string of games the Oilers have played all year and perhaps in this core’s existence.
Colorado Avalanche
The Avalanche are the favorites to win the cup for a very good reason(s). They were consistently great all season long, swept the Predators who “wasted eight days” as Flames head coach Darryl Sutter famously prophesied.
They then dispatched the Blues in 6 but did run into some trouble with them. They were tested with the Blues depth, physicality and their ability to make adjustments on the fly.
They still got incredible performances from their stars, Cale Makar most notably who is the current odds on favorite to win the Conn Smythe.
NHL Betting Trends:
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of Edmonton’s last 5 games.
- Edmonton are 6-1 SU in their last 7 games.
- Edmonton are 2-4 SU in their last 6 games against Colorado.
- Edmonton are 5-2 SU in their last 7 games on the road.
- Edmonton are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games against an opponent in the Western Conference conference.
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of Edmonton’s last 6 games played in May.
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Edmonton’s last 5 games played on a Tuesday when on the road.
- Colorado are 8-2 SU in their last 10 games.
- Colorado are 10-4 SU in their last 14 games at home.
- Colorado are 8-3 SU in their last 11 games against an opponent in the Western Conference conference.
- The total has gone UNDER in 12 of Colorado’s last 16 games against an opponent in the Pacific Division division.
- The total has gone OVER in 10 of Colorado’s last 14 games played in May.
Overview 4* Free NHL Betting Pick: Avalanche ML, PL and the Over
I HATE betting against my Oilers I really do, and I also truly believe the Oilers have a puncher’s chance to win this series given how much offence they are able to produce game by game so far in these playoffs.
I think we’ll see the same fate as the previous two series where the Oilers drop the first one, getting a bit surprised early on and being perhaps a little unprepared just as they were against LA and Calgary.
I think the Avalanche will utilize the last change expertly at home and get some mismatches.
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