Trent Reinsmith
- The Edmonton Oilers enter the 2023 NHL playoffs with the top two scorers in the NHL, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
- The Los Angeles Kings have two-time Stanley Cup winners Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty in their lineup.
- This is a rematch of a 2022 NHL playoff series that Edmonton won in seven games.
The NHL’s Pacific Division is featured in the 2023 NHL Western Conference playoff matchup between the Edmonton Oilers and the Los Angeles Kings. The team’s finished in the No. 2 and No. 3 spots in the Pacific, trailing the Division and Conference winning Vegas Golden Knights. Edmonton’s 2023 regular season record was 50-23-9, while the Kings finished the season at 47-25-10.
The Oilers and Kings also met in the first round of the 2022 NHL Playoffs. The Oilers won that series in seven games before beating the Calgary Flames in the second round. However, Edmonton’s playoff run ended in 2022 in the Western Conference Finals when the Colorado Avalanche swept them in four games.
Before we look at the first-round matchup of the 2023 NHL Western Conference playoffs between the Edmonton Oilers and the Los Angeles Kings, check out our guide to betting on the 2023 Stanley Cup and our tips for betting on the NHL.
Edmonton Oilers vs. Los Angeles Kings betting picks for NHL Western Conference Playoff Series
| To Win First Round NHL Western Conference Playoff Series |  |  |  |
| LA Kings | +200 | +160 | +210 |
| Edmonton Oilers | -240 | -185 | -250 |
Edmonton Oilers betting breakdown
The Edmonton Oilers wrapped up the 2023 NHL regular season with a 23-12-6 record at home while putting together a 27-11-3 road record. The high-scoring team had 325 goals during the 2023 season and surrendered 260 goals for a differential of +65.
Edmonton had the two highest-scoring players in the NHL in 2023. Connor McDavid was the NHL’s leading scorer with 153 points. He also scored the most goals with 64 and assists with 89. McDavid’s Oilers teammate, Leon Draisaitl, finished the year with 128 points (52 goals and 76 assists). Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman also scored more than 30 goals for the Oilers in 2023, with Nugent-Hopkins netting 37 and Hyman adding 36.
Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner enters the teams’ series against the Kings on a six-game winning streak. During that time, he had a 1.50 goals against average and a .946 save percentage. Skinner’s season stats were 29-14-5, to go with a 2.75 GAA and a .913 save percentage.
Mattias Ekholm, who the Oilers picked up from the Predators at the trade deadline, had 14 points in 21 games.
Los Angeles Kings betting breakdown
The Los Angeles Kings finished the 2023 NHL regular season with a 26-11-4 record and a road mark of 21-14-6. The team scored a total of 280 goals and surrendered 257 for a season goal differential of +23.
Anze Kopitar led the Kings in scoring with 74 points while not being first on the team in goals or assists. Adrian Kempe had 41 goals for the team, which was an improvement over his 35 goals from last season. As for assists, Kevin Fiala led the team with 49. Outside of Kempe, Kopitar, Vicktor Arvidsson, Fiala and Gabriel Vilardi put in more than 20 goals for the season.
The Kings are not solid in goal entering the 2023 NHL Playoffs. Phoenix Copley has losses in his past three starts, finishing the season with a 2.64 goals against and a .903 save percentage. Meanwhile, Joonas Korpisalo finished the season with two straight wins. His season stats, on 11 starts, were 2.13 GAA and a save percentage of .921.
2023 NHL Regular Season: Head-to-Head
The Oilers and Kings met four times during the 2023 NHL regular season. The teams split that series 2-2, with the Kings winning 3-1 and 6-3 in November and January and the Oilers triumphing in March and April by scores of 2-0 and 3-1.
Oilers vs. Kings Playoff Series Schedule
Game 1 at Edmonton, Monday, April 17, 10 p.m. ET on ESPN
Game 2 at Edmonton, Wednesday, April 19, 10 p.m. ET on ESPN
Game 3 at Los Angeles, Friday, April 21, 10 p.m. ET (channel TBD)
Game 4 at Los Angeles, Sunday, April 23, 9 p.m. ET (channel TBD)
Game 5* at Edmonton, Tuesday, April 25 TBD (channel TBD)
Game 6* at Los Angeles, Saturday, April 29 TBD (channel TBD)
Game 7* at Edmonton, Monday, May 1 TBD (channel TBD)
*if neccessary
Best bets for the Edmonton Oilers vs. Los Angeles Kings Playoff Series
The question about the Edmonton Oilers heading into this Western Conference playoff series is if the Oilers supporting cast can assist Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. As for the Los Angeles Kings, one is left to wonder if Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty, two-time Stanley Cup winners, can lead the Kings back to another championship. At this point, it’s hard to answer either of those questions, but the Oilers are a deeper team this year than last year and that they are heading into this series with a stronger goaltender. The best bet in this series is to pick the Edmonton Oilers to beat the Los Angeles Kings in six games.
Pick: Edmonton Oilers to beat the Los Angeles Kings in six games.
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