NHL: Edmonton Achieves Goal With Split In Dallas
Dallas Holds Edmonton to Just 13 Shots Over Final 40 Minutes to Preserve Game-Two Win
The Edmonton Oilers (9-5, +12 goal differential) head home to Rogers Place after splitting the first two games of the NHL Western Conference Final against the Dallas Stars (9-6, +9).
The Stars showed off their depth when third-line forward Mason Marchment scored his second goal of the postseason on a deflection down low to give the Stars a 2-1 lead at the 3:41 mark of the third period and Esa Lindell (2 goals, 1 assist) sealed the win with an empty netter with 2:03 left to give Dallas a 3-1 win.
Expert Pick: Subscribe below to get our Premium Insights!
Expert Pick: Subscribe below to get our Premium Insights!Early Stars vs Oilers odds have Edmonton a -125 game-three home favorite with a total of 5.5 (over -115). Puck drop is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. PT and can be seen on TNT, truTV, and Max.
Oilers vs Stars Game Information
Game: Edmonton Oilers vs Dallas Stars
Location: Rogers Place, Edmonton, AB
Day/Time:
Oilers Too Cute In Game Two
Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger finished the game with 28 saves but 16 of those came in the first period when they outshot the Stars 16-4. Dallas turned the tide in the final 40 minutes outshooting Edmonton 21-13, while handing Chris Knoblauch’s team a shutout over the game’s final 55:37.
The Oilers had their chances or at least appeared to have chances but instead elected to make too many extra passes instead of getting pucks on Oettinger. They passed up way too many shooting lanes, something we’re sure will be improved on in game three.
Then there was the question of whether Knoblauch pulled Stuart Skinner too early, leading to the Lindell empty netter. With special teams being a massive piece of a team’s success, the Oilers were 0-2 in game two and are now 0-3 for the series.
The Oilers owned the league’s fourth-best power play in the regular season (26.4%) and second-best this postseason with a 34.9% success rate. Dallas has muted the Edmonton special teams’ strength by doing what so many teams in the regular season couldn’t and that’s staying out of the penalty box.
Injured forward Adam Henrique (24 goals, 27 assists) could be back in the line-up soon, giving Edmonton some much-needed offensive depth while pushing guys like Ryan McLeod back down the line-up. Henrique was skating on Sunday at practice, nothing official yet. If he is available, expect the NHL odds to change slightly so wager accordingly.
The Oilers and Chuck may have just missed each other in Dallas, but Leon Draisaitl left a special gift behind 🎁 pic.twitter.com/eawmEGdZNO
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) May 27, 2024
Oettinger Kept Dallas From Ugly Start
The Edmonton Oilers could have been heading to the locker room after 20 minutes with a 3-0 lead, instead, Jake Oettinger made 15 saves to keep the Stars even at one after the first period.
Dallas found their legs to gain control but Pete DeBoer said, that without Oettinger, the Stars would not have won.
The Stars head to the road where they are 5-1 in the postseason and 2-0 in game three against the Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche.
The last time Dallas played North of the border was in early November when they took out the Oilers 4-3 at a +135 underdog after allowing 49 shots on net. Scott Wedgewood started that game in net for Dallas finishing with 46 saves.
If Dallas wins the series, we may be talking about how the Oilers were unable to take advantage of the Stars without 30-goal scorer Roope Hintz in the lineup. Hintz will travel with Stars to Edmonton but there is no timetable for his return from a lower-body injury after missing the first two games of the series.
Although the NHL Stanley Cup odds have been taken down, the exact number of games price gives us some value with a payback of +450 if Dallas wins in six.
- The odds on favorite is the Stars in seven (+350). Both are decent wagers regardless of game three’s result. Let’s conclude our Stars vs Oilers odds preview with our official selection.
Expect Oilers Game Three Money
This will be an entertaining NHL score when game three is done, but not enough to make a play on the total. Instead, we like the Edmonton Oilers to win game three (-130).
This will come down to goaltending and although we don’t think anyone would say Stuart Skinner is better than Jake Oettinger, if Edmonton’s game plan is to get more shots on net, ultimately helping their goaltending.
The Oilers’ offensive zone possession time is a massive area for Knoblauch’s team to win. At home, Edmonton has won four of six games this postseason and 28 of 41 in the regular season, squeezing out a small six-unit profit in 2024.
The Stars have an offensive depth edge but the Oilers have two superstars in Connor McDavid (3 goals, 20 assists) and Leon Draisaitl (9 goals, 16 assists), I think we’ll see either or both have a big game at home. That does it for our Stars vs Oilers odds preview, all the best with your NHL picks and parlays.
For NHL betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
