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The Stanley Cup Playoffs continue with Game 3 of the Western Conference Final at Rogers Place in Edmonton. The Dallas Stars and Edmonton Oilers continue their best-of-seven series at 3 p.m. ET on ABC and ESPN+. We’ll take a look at not only the moneyline and total, but we’ll make some prop predictions and same-game parlay picks, too. Let’s get started.
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The Oilers played a strong two periods in Game 1, leading 3-1 heading to the third period. Then, Edmonton got itself into trouble with three penalties leading to three power-play goals in the third period to flip the script. Dallas went on to score five goals in the third period in Game 1, winning 6-3.
The Oilers could have responded one of two ways. Edmonton could have been shellshocked, laying down and getting rolled in Game 2, or it could have responded favorably. It did the latter, as Edmonton picked up a 3-0 victory in Game 2 in Dallas, seizing home-ice advantage from the Stars. Despite the monumental collapse in Game 1, the Oilers overcame that, gaining a road split in the first two games of this series.
Stuart Skinner was able to stop all 25 shots he faced for his third shutout of the postseason. After losing his job to Calvin Pickard, and only getting it back due to injury, he settled down and positioned the Oilers in good shape for the rest of the series. It could have been a short series, but the shutout win in Game 2 changes the narrative quite a bit.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored a power-play goal just 5:51 into the game, with helpers to Evan Bouchard and Leon Draisaitl.
On a side note, we had a wacky 10-player prop parlay in Game 2, taking players from both sides to get at least one shot apiece. Bouchard was the only player not to come through with at least one shot on goal (SOG). Unfortunately, 9-for-10 didn’t get it done, and we were unable to double up on that crazy parlay.
Brett Kulak made it 2-0 late in the second period with helpers to Connor McDavid and the aforementioned Bouchard, who added his second apple of the game. Connor Brown added insurance, with Nugent-Hopkins and Jake Walman notching helpers.
In Game 2, Edmonton did what it couldn’t do in that fateful third period of Game 1. Shots were even at 25 SOG apiece. The Oilers dished out 50 hits, to just 29 for the Stars. Zach Hyman was good for nine hits, while Kasperi Kapanen dished out seven hits. For the Stars, Mikael Granlund led the team with seven hits, including a crushing blown against Brown which left his nose bloodied early in the second period.
While Dallas dominated at the faceoff circle, winning 59.6 percent of the 52 total faceoffs, Edmonton did the most important things right — killing penalties. Edmonton was nothing special on the power play, going 1-for-5, but the Oilers killed the two power-play chances for the Stars.
The Oilers were also good for 17 blocked shots, while the Stars blocked just 11. Bouchard, Draisaitl and Walman each led Edmonton with three blocks, while Dallas had four players with two blocked shots, including Colin Blackwell, the hero in Game 2 of the Colorado series.
It will be interesting to see how the Stars respond now. Dallas is a perfect 5-0 in the playoffs following a loss. On the road, the Stars are just 2-4 in the postseason, however.
Edmonton is 6-1 in seven games in the playoffs following a victory, and the Oilers are 4-1 so far at Rogers in the postseason.
As far as the total, the Oilers have hit the Over at a 3-1-1 clip in five home playoff games, going 3-0 against the Kings, while the Under was 1-0-1 in two meetings with the Vegas Golden Knights. The Under is 3-1-1 in the past five games overall for Edmonton.
For the Stars, the Under is 5-1 in six playoff road games, while going 4-1 in the past five games overall, and 5-2 in the previous eight contests.
Based on the trends, let’s back the Oilers at home in a low-scoring game.
As far as the player props are concerned, let’s go with Draisaitl to get at least two points. We kicked tires on Draisaitl as an Anytime Goal Scorer, but he is more of a facilitator lately. He has just one goal and seven points in the past seven outings. He has one goal and eight points across five postseason home games, too. So, he is a good bet at plus-money to get at least two points.
Also, you would never bet this straight up, but including it enhances your Same-Game Parlay. Let’s go with Connor McDavid (-265) to record three or more shots on goal in regulation. Again, as a reminder, if he has two SOG in the first 60 minutes, and he reaches three SOG in overtime, it doesn’t count. He needs three or more in the first 60 minutes.
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*Do not play as a straight bet, only as part of a multi-leg parlay
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