As the Edmonton Oilers get set to face off against the Los Angeles Kings in the first round of the playoffs, the odds will be ever in their favour.
That’s because when it comes to predictions of the series, nearly all the experts are picking the Oilers.
At NHL.com, 14 of 16 writers picked Edmonton to advance. At Sportsnet, 17 out of 19 of their insiders picked the Oilers. And at The Athletic, 92% of writers picked the Pacific Division champs, with 23% of them saying the series will only last five games.
The bias should come as no surprise. Between Connor McDavid’s explosive, record-breaking season, a well-rounded roster with beneficial deadline acquisitions, and a red-hot goalie in rookie Stuart Skinner, there’s seemingly nothing stopping this team from going all the way.
Edmonton also won a thrilling seven-game series against the Kings last year, eliminating LA after they trailed 3-2 in the series. In the four times the teams played each other this season, both teams came away with two wins.
The winner of the Edmonton-LA series will face the winner of the Vegas-Winnipeg series in the second round.
Game 1 between the Oilers and the Kings begins tonight at 8 pm MT. Hereās to meeting the high expectations.
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