The Western Conference Finals are set. The Edmonton Oilers and the Dallas Stars will go to battle, with a spot in the Stanley Cup on the line. Game 1 is scheduled for Thursday, May 23rd at American Airlines Arena. The puck will drop at 8:30 PM ET. Edmonton finds themselves at this stage after eliminating the Vancouver Canucks in seven games, which proved to be a tough series for them. As for Dallas, they managed to get past the high-flying Colorado Avalanche in six games. This is their second straight appearance in the conference finals. Keep reading for the Oilers vs Stars Game 1 picks.
Before diving into the NHL picks, check out our Stanley Cup Odds and the NHL Playoffs Odds.
The Stars are favored at -127 odds for an implied win probability of 55.95% for the series opener on Thursday. The Oilers meanwhile sit at +113 and have a 46.95% chance of taking Game 1. The last 10 meetings between these two was split right down the middle with five wins apiece. This should be a great series.
Edmonton is always deemed a Cup contender every year but they’ve failed to go all the way. The Oilers got to the conference finals a couple of years ago but couldn’t get past the Avs. Now, the team is tasked with the Stars, a strong group in their own right. Edmonton has looked good in these playoffs, cruising past the Los Angeles Kings in round one before eliminating the Canucks on Monday evening thanks to a big third period where they scored three times. Vancouver got two back in the third, but it was too little too late.
Leon Draisaitl has been the leading man in these playoffs for the Oilers, registering 24 points. That includes eight goals and 16 assists. Connor McDavid also sits on 21 points, but he’s only scored twice. A lot of assists for McDavid, who had more than 100 helpers during the regular season. Evan Bouchard, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Zach Hyman are all in double-digits in points as well. Edmonton is scoring 3.83 times per game in the postseason while allowing only 2.75 goals.
In net, Stuart Skinner has been solid but Calvin Pickard has also seen some playing time and showed well. Edmonton has a pretty top-heavy offense, but if the rest of the roster can step up and also do their part, it’ll help them a ton in terms of advancing. They will need all hands on deck because the Stars are fantastic on both ends of the ice.
Dallas is one of the most complete teams in the league. There’s a reason they won the Central Division. And unlike the Oilers, the Stars had a very difficult road so far. Round one saw them come up against the Golden Knights, the defending Stanley Cup champions. That was not easy as Dallas went in an early 2-0 hole and had their backs up against the wall. That being said, Peter DeBoer’s squad stormed back and eventually won the series in seven games.
The Stars struggled offensively in the first round despite winning the series but they picked it up against the Avalanche, scoring at least three goals in every single game but one. They only scored twice in the series clincher but it ended up being an overtime victory. Miro Heiskanen leads the way with 13 points, while Jason Robertson has 12. Rookie Wyatt Johnston has also added 11. The Stars are still scoring less than three goals per night in the playoffs but they’ve allowed a playoff-low 2.38 goals. Their defensive brilliance makes up for it.
Dallas fell to the Golden Knights in the West Finals last season and will be looking to avenge that series loss. Even though the Stars offense isn’t thriving in the playoffs, they have ridiculous depth. They had 10 players with at least 45 points in 2023-24 and scored the third-most goals in the league. Robertson’s 80 points were a team-best. Dallas needs the depth to shine through against Edmonton.
Dallas at home is a recipe for success. Even though they’ve had quite a bit of time off here, I expect the Stars to come out fresh and take a 1-0 series lead on Thursday.
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