Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl has points in 14 of his last 16 matchups versus Dallas with six goals and 11 assists.
Thursday features Game one of the Western Conference Final between the Dallas Stars and the Edmonton Oilers in a clash of the titans with both teams being listed as the favourites to win the Stanley Cup for most of the season.
It’ll be an exciting start to the series and should give us a chance to bounce back after back-to-back losing days. We still rep a 19-17 record over our last 36 picks despite seeing tough results the last two days.
All betting lines are from BetMGM and are subject to change. Hockey is a difficult sport to predict so please gamble responsibly.
Bet: Wyatt Johnston Over 0.5 points (-140)
The Stars youngster came into the playoffs as the team’s best goal scorer this season with 32 goals that most people didn’t think twice about. He has since gone on a scoring spree with seven goals along with four assists in 13 playoff games.
He has a great record in this matchup with three goals and two assists in six career matchups versus Edmonton. He seems to hit the ground running when a new series comes around as he recorded points in both Game one’s he’s played in this postseason.
He likes to help his team set the tone and should once again versus an Edmonton team that scuffled by the Canucks while leaking in goals.
Netminder Stuart Skinner was between the pipes for all but one of the Oilers games this postseason and hasn’t been good as of late with a 3.17 goals against average over his last five starts.
I expect Dallas to finally boost their home goal numbers as they average just 2.86 per game. Johnston has five points through seven home playoff games and should take advantage of the Oilers weak backend.
Bet: Over 6.0 goals (-110), Leon Draisaitl anytime goal (+125)
The Oilers won’t go away quietly however, as they average 3.33 goals per road game this postseason. Stars netminder Jake Oettinger has made big saves and have kept the Stars alive in some games but his numbers weaken when playing at home this postseason. He has just a 3-4 record with a 2.96 goals against average that should keep Edmonton alive in this one.
His numbers aren’t nearly as bad as Skinner’s but should provide a crack in the Stars backend, big enough that Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl should take advantage.
Edmonton’s German winger has been dominant this postseason with three goals and 12 points in just six road playoff games and should excel in this matchup.
Draisaitl has points in 14 of his last 16 matchups versus Dallas with six goals and 11 assists. He is due for a goal as he hasn’t scored in three games, which remains his longest goal drought of this postseason.