Golden Knights vs. Oilers Picks, Predictions & Odds

sportsbookreview.com

08 May 2023

Golden Knights vs. Oilers Picks, Predictions & Odds

It’s a standalone special in the NHL on Monday, as the Edmonton Oilers host the Vegas Golden Knights in a pivotal Game 3 showdown between two of the Western Conference’s best. Sportsbook Review betting analyst Neil ParkerNHL odds from our best sportsbooks.

The Vegas-Edmonton matchup might be the lone game on the ice Monday, but the 2023 NHL Draft Lottery is also garnering plenty of attention with Connor Bedard being billed as hockey’s next young superstar.

Rewind eight years, and there were two prospects set to change the faces of the two franchises that would select them one-two in the 2015 NHL Draft: Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel.

McDavid has established himself as an annual Hart Trophy candidate, and while Eichel hasn’t had the same statistical success, the Vegas center has developed into a top contributor and was a major reason the Golden Knights earned the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.

The duo go head-to-head in Game 3 on Monday, and here are our top Golden Knights vs. Oilers player prop picks for the two stars (odds via our best NHL betting sites; pick confidence is based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Golden Knights vs. Oilers picks

Player prop: Jack Eichel Over 3.5 shots (+106 via FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐
Player prop: Connor McDavid Under 0.5 power-play points (+155 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐

Not intended for use in MA
Affiliate Disclosure: Sportsbook Review may receive advertising commissions for visits to a sportsbook

Golden Knights vs. Oilers odds

The Vegas center is leading the team in both shots (27) and attempts (46) during the postseason, and he’s also showing an uptick in volume on the power play.

Eichel has become the go-to shooter with the man advantage for the Golden Knights with seven shots and 11 attempts through the past five games. After registering 14.2 shots and 24.3 attempts per 60 minutes on the power play during the regular season, he’s up to marks of 17.8 and 28.9, respectively, during the playoffs.

The Oilers have also allowed the fifth most shots per 60 during the postseason, and the most of any team in Round 2 – albeit across a short two-game sample.

At first glance, there might not appear to be a big difference in the +106 price through FanDuel and the -105 number via PointsBet. Landing the best odds presents a sneaky positive expected value of 5%, though. It’s also the difference of an added $1.08 of profit on a winning $10 ticket.

Player prop: Connor McDavid Under 0.5 power-play points (+155 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐

I’m definitely donning the no-fun badge with this recommendation, but I’m expecting Vegas to be more disciplined in Game 3 on Monday.

The Golden Knights took the fewest minor penalties at five-on-five and averaged the fewest shorthanded minutes per game (3:47) during the regular season. Their shorthanded time has skyrocketed to 6:42 per game through the past two meetings with the Oilers in this series, and five of Edmonton’s nine power plays didn’t even last the full two minutes.

There’s no denying the supremacy of No. 97 with the man advantage. McDavid has registered a power-play point in each of the past seven games, and the Oilers sport an unsustainably-high 56.0 power-play percentage.

Still, this entire lean centers on Vegas limiting its trips to the penalty box, and the Edmonton power play failing to convert on limited opportunities. With the Golden Knights’ 52.4 penalty-kill percentage during the postseason also eyeing positive regression, I don’t agree with the implied probability of 65.5% attached to the -190 odds that McDavid will record a power-play point Monday.

This is a strong plus-money ticket to add to your NHL best bets for Monday.