The Edmonton Oilers entered Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals having tallied an NHL-best 58 goals in the postseason, including six in a series-opening loss at Colorado. Edmonton will enter Game 3 still leading the NHL in playoff goals … with 58.
After failing to solve Avalanche backup goaltender Pavel Francouz on Thursday night, the Oilers return home trailing 2-0 in their best-of-7 series. And judging by the numbers posted on the Oilers vs Avalanche odds board, Edmonton’s chances of rallying to win the series are somewhere between slim and none — not only are the Oilers a +600 underdog to win four of the next five games, but they’re an underdog for Game 3 in their own barn.
Can Edmonton buck those odds and get back in the series? Or will Colorado move one step closer to its first Stanley Cup Finals appearance in 21 years?
Props.com breaks down Oilers vs Avalanche odds and action with a Game 3 betting preview for Saturday night’s matchup north of the border.
NHL Playoff Odds
| Matchup | Moneyline | Puckline | Total | Series Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado Avalanche | -130 | +170 (-1.5 goals) | 7 (Over +110) | -900 |
| Edmonton Oilers | +110 | -210 (+1.5 goals) | 7 (Under -130) | +600 |
Odds via DraftKings and updated as of 2:05 p.m. ET on June 4.
Colorado Avalanche vs Edmonton Oilers (8 p.m. ET/TNT)
Best-of-7 series: Colorado leads, 2-0. The Avalanche are now 4-1 against Edmonton this season with a 20-15 goals edge.
Playoff results to date: Colorado 10-2 overall (5-0 road); Edmonton 8-6 overall (4-2 home)
Game 2 recap: The Avalanche broke a 0-0 tie with three goals on three consecutive shots in a span of 2:04 early in the second period and rolled to a 4-0 victory. Alex Hehkonen (goal, assist), Mikko Rantanen (goal, assist) and Nasim Kadri (three assists) had multiple points for Colorado.
Game 2 betting recap: The Avalanche cashed as a consensus -180 home favorite on the moneyline and a +135 underdog on the puckline (-1.5 goals). The game never came close to reaching the consensus 7-goal total. Over/Under is 1-1 for the series.
Key stat: With the Game 2 shutout, Colorado moved within three goals of Edmonton for the NHL playoff scoring lead (58-55). The Avalanche are averaging an NHL-best 4.58 goals per game in the postseason; Oilers is tied for second (with Pittsburgh) at 4.14.
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Slap Shots
Avalanche: After allowing three goals on 21 shots in relief of injured starting netminder Darcy Kuemper in Game 1, Francouz turned aside all 24 shots he faced Thursday. Kuemper, who is suffering from unspecified upper-body injury, did some stretching on the ice at Saturday’s morning skate and is officially a game-time decision. However, Francouz is expected to be between the pipes. … Colorado has won three straight games and five of the last six. … The Avalanche are unbeaten in five playoff road games. They outscored Nashville and St. Louis by a combined 26-13 margin as a visitor. … With his three-point effort in Game 2, Makar now has 17 playoff points (tied for 5th in the NHL). He has at least one point in 10 of his team’s 13 playoff contests. … Nathan MacKinnon scored Colorado’s final goal Thursday. He now has 10 for the playoffs (including at least one in three of the last four games) and ranks second behind Edmonton’s Evandar Kane (13).
Oilers: Four different players had three shots on goal in Game 2 for Edmonton, which suffered its second shutout loss of the postseason. … Goaltender Mike Smith, who was yanked in Game 1 after allowing six goals on 25 shots in barely 26 minutes of action, surrendered four goals on 40 shots in Game 2. That gives Smith a woeful .846 save percentage for the series. … The consecutive losses in Denver followed a four-game winning streak. The Oilers are still 22-7-1 in their last 30 games. … Edmonton is also 18-2-1 in its last 21 home games (1-0-1 vs. Colorado).
From the Penalty Box
The Avalanche went 1-for-7 on the power play in Game 2, while Edmonton went 0-for-2. Combined, the teams are now and are 2-for-13 for the series with a man advantage.
For the playoffs, Edmonton is 12-for-43 on the power play (27.9%); Colorado is 12-for-38 (31.6%). The Oilers have killed 42 of 50 power plays (84.0%); the Avalanche have killed 22 of 30 (73.3%).
Betting Nuggets
- COL is 19-7 in its last 26 as a playoff favorite
- COL is 40-13 in its last 53 following a victory
- EDM is 8-17 in its last 25 games as an underdog
- EDM is 20-42 in its last 62 as a home ’dog
- Over for COL is on runs of 4-1 overall and 4-1 on the road
- Over for EDM is on runs of 5-2 overall and 4-1 as an underdog
- Home team is 7-1 and favorite is 8-0 in the last eight Oilers-Avs clashes
Avalanche vs. Oilers Odds and Action
UPDATE 2:05 P.M. ET SATURDAY: There’s been no change in the moneyline price for Game 3, as DraftKings still has it Avalanche -130/Oilers +110. Bettors lean very slightly in Colorado’s direction, as 55% of wagers and 51% of the dollars are on the road favorite about six hours prior to puck drop.
Avalanche vs Oilers puckline odds have shortened a bit once again, this time dropping from Edmonton (+1.5) -210/Colorado (-1.5) +175 to Edmonton -200/Colorado +170. Ticket count and money are both 59% in favor of the Avalanche. The total is holding firm at 7, but the juice has gone from an opener of -110 both ways to Under -115 some 24 hours ago to now Under -130. Contrary to those juice adjustments, 68% of the bets and 54% of the cash currently backs the Over.
UPDATE 2:30 P.M. ET FRIDAY: DraftKings first posted Avalanche vs Oilers odds for Game 3 late Thursday, with Colorado as a -120 road favorite and Edmonton a +100 underdog. The moneyline has since jumped twice, to Colorado -125/Edmonton +105 and the current price of Colorado -130/Edmonton +110.
The puckline opened Edmonton (+1.5) -250/ Colorado (-1.5) +200, but those odds have since tightened to Edmonton -210/Colorado +175. DraftKings initially posted the Game 3 total at 7 flat (-110 both ways), and that number remained unchanged until moving to 7/Under -115 moments ago.
Check back prior to puck drop for additional Avalanche vs. Oilers odds and action updates for Game 3.
