Game 1 of the Western Conference Playoffs Series between the Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks is set to take place on Wednesday night. This will be a huge rivalry series between teams from Canada, and it is expected to be a great battle.
It took the Edmonton Oilers just five games to eliminate the Los Angeles Kings in the First Round, and they looked sharp. Edmonton is actually 2-0 so far in the postseason on the road, and that could matter in this series.
The Vancouver Canucks got past the Nashville Predators in six games in Round 1 in order to set up this showdown. Vancouver will have home ice advantage in this series after having a terrific regular season.
Edmonton is the moneyline favorite at -130 in Game 1 of this series, and the over/under line is set at 6.5 total goals.
Oilers Scoring Some Goals
The Edmonton Oilers have scored 22 total goals in their five playoff games, and this team can put goals in the net in a hurry. Connor McDavid is leading the way with 11 assists and 12 total points, and he is one of the best players in the league.
This team is nearly impossible to stop on the power play, and that is going to be something to keep in mind moving forward. Edmonton will be looking to push the tempo in this game as that should create some openings.
Edmonton has gotten much better on the defensive end of the ice, but they are going to need great work from their goaltenders in this series to win the game.
Canucks Want to Defend
The Vancouver Canucks are a team that can be great on the offensive end of the ice, but their biggest strength comes on defense. Vancouver will be trying to slow down the action in this matchup, but that’s not easy to do against the Oilers.
In the last five playoff games for the Canucks, there have been just 20 total goals scored, and that is the style of play that this team enjoys. Vancouver has a ton of enforcers on the ice, and they will be coming after Edmonton.
Brock Boeser has been leading the way for the Canucks on offense in this series, and he will need to have another big game if Vancouver will win on home ice.
Oilers Fly Past Canucks
This series is a matchup of two teams that don’t like each other, and that should lead to some great action on the ice. These two teams play the game of hockey in very different ways, and establishing the pace will be a key in this game.
Edmonton just has so many weapons on offense, and the Oilers are eventually going to break through in this game. Look for the Canucks to stay in this game until the end, but they just can’t keep pace on offense.
Bet the Edmonton Oilers -130 as they go on the road and pick up a big win to begin this series with the Vancouver Canucks.
