The Edmonton Oilers begin their Stanley Cup playoff journey on the road against the Los Angeles Kings.
The pregame narrative: The Kings were the best home team in the NHL this season and I expect that to continue into the playoffs. This SGP includes a pick on Los Angeles’ team total, Drew Doughty and Connor McDavid.
Check out my Oilers vs. Kings playoff SGP predictions for Game 1 on April 21.
Oilers vs. Kings predictions
Parlay: Kings over 2.5 goals | Doughty to score 1+ points | McDavid to score 1+ points (+310)
Kings over 2.5 goals (-162): Los Angeles went an incredible 31-6-4 at home this season and covered this total in 27 of those 41 games.
Now, the Kings take on an average defensive team in Round 1. Edmonton ranks 14th in goals allowed and kills penalties at a below-average rate (78.2%).
The Oilers won’t have Mattias Ekholm at all in the first round, which is a key absence in their own zone.
Additionally, the Kings have scored three or more goals in eight of their last 10 games. The offence is hot coming into the postseason.
Los Angeles has played Edmonton twice in April and covered this total in both games.
NBA SGP legs
Doughty to score 1+ points (+140): Doughty missed a majority of this season recovering from an injury and struggled upon returning, scoring one point in his first six games.
He was then called up to Team Canada. It appears playing in a tournament with the best in the world forced the blue-liner to shake off the rust.
Doughty was much better after the break, scoring 16 points in 24 games down the stretch.
He had a point in each of the first three games in last year’s playoffs. I expect much of the same success this time around.
McDavid to score 1+ points (-385): I’m sure I don’t need to say much to sell this pick, but I’ll explain my reasoning.
The Oilers captain dealt with injury issues at different times this season. However, he was incredibly efficient when available.
- McDavid has scored at least a point in 21 of his past 22 games.
- He finished sixth in the league with 100 points despite playing only 67 games.
And let’s not forget last year’s playoff run. McDavid scored 42 points in 24 games and went 18-6 against this line.
That includes getting on the score sheet in all five games of the opening round series vs. the Kings.
Oilers vs. Kings predictions made at 1:28 p.m. ET 04/20/2025.
Spencer is a true sports junkie. A graduate of the Sports Journalism program at Centennial College, he first joined NorthStar Gaming as an intern in 2023. He is now a contributing writer. He loves finding the edge to bet on in all sports but has a deep passion for the NBA and UFC. Previous stops include Sportsnet.