The Edmonton Oilers look for a spark against the Los Angeles Kings as their series shifts north of the border.
The pregame narrative: This isn’t a must-win for Edmonton, which finds itself down 0-2, but it’s pretty close. I’ve got a pair of plus money plays on Connor McDavid igniting the Oilers’ power play and Zach Hyman finding the stat sheet.
Check out my Kings vs. Oilers prop picks for Game 3 of this first-round matchup.
Kings vs. Oilers prop picks
Best Bet: McDavid 1+ power play points (+125)
Edmonton’s power play was a cheat code last postseason, clicking at a 29.3% rate through Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.
That ranked ninth all-time among playoff teams with 15-plus games played and would have been the best mark of any team during the 2024-25 regular season.
But what about this year? The Oilers are 0-5 on the PP in the playoffs so far, and they ranked 12th on the man advantage during the regular season (23.7%). Not nearly as good.
I don’t expect Edmonton to magically return to last season’s form, but I also don’t expect it to get held off the board forever.
The Oilers will throw everything at the wall on Friday night to get back into this series, and I anticipate them drawing plenty of penalties in the process.
And there’s almost no one better than McDavid to back on this market.
Key stat: McDavid has 92 power-play points in the last two seasons (playoffs included). That ranks third behind Nathan MacKinnon (95) and Nikita Kucherov (103).
Quick picks
Hyman 1+ points (-124): In a perfect world, McDavid links up with Hyman on the power play for a goal. That would be nice, but even if that doesn’t happen, I’m bullish on the winger finding the stat sheet at some point.
Hyman scored a goal playing alongside McDavid and Corey Perry in Game 1 and had some shifts alongside Leon Draisaitl and McDavid in Game 2. The latter line generated a 75.0% Corsi rate, per Natural Stat Trick, and should see more ice together.
McDavid will likely get double-shifted on Friday, meaning Hyman will have ample opportunities playing with the game’s best player even if he’s dropped to the second line.
Hyman has 50 points in 55 playoff games with the Oilers.
Kings vs. Oilers prop picks made at 1:29 p.m. ET 04/24/2025.
Avery joined NorthStar Gaming as an intern in 2022 before stepping into a full-time role soon after. He loves betting on and analyzing golf — mainly because it’s easier than actually playing — but is a fan of all sports, from the NFL to the UFC.