Edmonton Oilers vs Vancouver Canucks, Game 2 Best Bets: Can the Oilers Respond?

We are back in Vancouver as the Canucks somehow hold a 1-0 lead over the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference Semifinals. The Canucks snuck away with a 5-4 victory after 3 goals in the 3rd period, and 4 straight unanswered. The Oilers absolutely folded.

They started off hot, with Zach Hyman scoring 2 minutes into the contest, and Mattias Ekholm adding to the total before the end of the period. Vancouver scored to make it 2-1 less than a minute into the 2nd, but two more goals by the Oilers within a 60 second span brought the lead to 4-1 with less than 7 minutes left in the 2nd. However, Elias Lindholm netted a goal before the horn sounded, bringing deficit to 2 goals going into the final period.

From there, it was all Canucks. J.T. Miller, Nikita Zadorov, and Conor Garland scored 3 goals in roughly 5 minutes of gameplay towards the middle of the period, and that was all she wrote. Now, Leon Draisaitl played just 16 minutes and was held out of the game frequently for an injury, and it looks like he is not at practice today.

Whether or not Draisaitl plays, can the Oilers respond? Or will Vancouver take both games at home?

Will Oilers Bounce Back After Game 1 Meltdown?

Matchup Information – Oilers vs Canucks

• Venue & Location: Rogers Arena (Vancouver, BC)
• Date: Friday, May 10th, 2024
• Puck Drop: 10:00pm Eastern
• Where to Watch: TNT

Betting Odds, courtesy of BetOnline

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Puck Line

• Oilers -1.5 (+200)
• Canucks +1.5 (-240)

Money Line

• Oilers -125
• Canucks +111

Total

• Over 6 (-119)
• Under 6 (+103)

Can Canucks Continue Dominance?

The Canucks have now won the first game of both series, thanks to a meltdown from their opponent. Against Nashville in Game 1, Vancouver found themselves down 2-1 going into the 3rd period. Three goals later, the Canucks walked away with a 4-2 victory. In similar fashion, last night, they were down 4-2 going into the final 20 minutes, and low and behold, another 3-0 3rd period gives them 1-0 series lead on the Oilers.

Edmonton only mustered up 18 shots on goal all game, which they’ve actually struggled to do these last 3 games of the playoffs. In their first three games, they averaged 38.67 SOGs, while they are only putting up 19 in their L3. With Draisaitl’s status up in the air, I am a little worried to back the Oilers, however that is exactly what we are doing.

The Canucks have now won 5 straight against the Oilers, all 5 games happening this season, but I can’t help but think they’ve gotten a bit “lucky” these playoffs.

The Canucks snuck past the Predators, but they were outshot over the course of the series 150-121, giving up almost 5 more shots per game. They only outshot Nashville in 2 of the series games, and Arthur Silovs is getting his work cut out for him. He only faced 18 shots the other night, but I think that’s a big anomaly.

Edmonton Oilers vs Vancouver Canucks Best Bets

Best Bet: Oilers ML (-121) BetOnline

The Oilers have posted less than 20 shots 3 times this entire season. Three times. They’ve somehow won 2 of those games and almost squeaked out a 3rd last game. It is very rare for them to take less than 20 shots, and even though it has happened twice in their L3, I don’t think it happens again.

The Oilers led the league in shots on goal with over 33 per game, and they are averaging 28.83 SOGs per game in the playoffs. If Silovs sees 30 shots, which I expect closer to 40 with the way the Oilers come out, he will certainly let in more than a few goals, considering he let in 4 on just 18 shots last contest.

I think the Oilers will certainly net 3-4 goals this game, and I think Skinner steps up his game as well. He’s had some of the worst games of the season against the Canucks, and tonight is a perfect spot for him to rebound. Give me the Oilers to get the job done, nothing cute, just win the game.

What About the Other NHL Playoff Games?

Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered all NHL Postseason at Betting News. Check out the articles below for more game previews, predictions, and FREE Expert Picks.

• FREE Expert Picks for every NHL Playoff Game
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• Join our FREE NHL Bracket Challenge for a chance at Merch!