It’ll be a familiar matchup for the Oilers as they face the Kings for the third straight postseason,
Edmonton has eliminated Los Angeles the past two years. While the Canucks face the red-hot
Predators, the second time these teams have met the playoffs, the other time coming during
Vancouver’s Cup run in 2011.
Canucks vs Predators
Vancouver Canucks
Strength
Vancouver took home the season series with a 3-0 sweep of the Preds and outscored them
13-6 in the process. While he may not win the Vezina due to time missed with an injury,
goaltender Thatcher Demko should be a nominee. He posted career highs in wins(35), goals
against average(2.44) and save percentage(.918%). Oh and captain Quinn Hughes has been a
beast on the back-end. Hughes led all defensemen in scoring with 92 points on the year.
Weakness
Life without Demko proved to be rough and it exposed a lot of the Canucks’ holes, be it in net or
in front of the crease. They struggled to produce shots and ended the season with an average
of 28.4 shots on net per game.
Nashville Predators
Strength
Not seeing U2 at The Sphere in Vegas in February paid off big time. Somehow, the Predators
snuck into the postseason thanks to an incredible 16-0-2 run that started when the decision was
made to not let the players see U2. The squad is led by Filip Forsberg who set career-highs in
both goals(48) and assists(46) this season).
Weakness
There isn’t a lot to get excited about beyond Forsberg. Ryan O’Reilly is second in goals on the
squad with 26, a 22 goal differential between first and second on the club.
Current Series Odds
Preds +137
Canucks -157
Season Series
October 24: Vancouver 3 @ Nashville 2
October 31: Nashville 2 @ Vancouver 5
December 19: Vancouver 5 @ Nashville 2
Oilers vs Kings
Edmonton Oilers
Strength
The Oilers won the season series 3-1 but it was closer than expected as they only outscored the
Kings 11-9.Simply put, they have superstar scoring. They have Connor McDavid who finished
third in league scoring with 132 points on the year and Leon Draisaitl who ended the year with
106 points, good enough for seventh in the league. Surprisingly it wasn’t either of these two who
led the team in goals. Zach Hyman finished the year with 54 tucks on the year which slots him in
at third-highest in the NHL.
Weakness
Edmonton sort of sputtered near the end of the regular season with a 1-3-1 record over their last
five games. While the playoffs are a different beast and a whole new season, could fatigue be
an issue for the Oilers?
Los Angeles Kings
Strength
Los Angeles plays an excellent shut-down game, something they’ll need to employ against a
squad like the Oilers. They have the second-best penalty kill percentage at 84.6% and allow an
average of just 28.0 shots per game, fourth-best in the NHL.
Weakness
Their goaltending isn’t the threat it was a decade ago when they ran the table. Jonathan Quick
is backing up for the Rangers so the Kings have had to rely on Cam Talbot and David Rittich.
While they’re serviceable, they’re not exactly going to steal you games.
Current Series Odds
Kings +170
Oilers -195
Season Series
December 30: Edmonton 3 @ Los Angeles 2
February 10: Edmonton 0 @ Los Angeles 4
February 26: Los Angeles 2 @ Edmonton 4
March 28: Los Angeles 1 @ Edmonton 4
For the latest NHL odds visit BetOnline.