Oilers vs. Avalanche Game 1 NHL Picks: McDavid vs. MacKinnon Kicks Off in Colorado

The Western Conference Final is sure to be exciting with Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers taking on Nathan MacKinnon and the Colorado Avalanche. The series starts Tuesday night in Colorado. Check out our Oilers-Avalanche picks.

And then there were four. After a thrilling first two rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, we move on to the conference finals. The Avalanche have yet to face elimination in the playoffs, as they swept the Nashville Predators and then beat the St. Louis Blues in an intense six-game series.

The Oilers were taken to seven games by the Los Angeles Kings in the first round before dousing the Calgary Flames in just five games in the Battle of Alberta. McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have been absolutely incredible in the playoffs with each putting up 26 points in 12 games.

This should be a high-flying series with a lot of speed on both sides.

Here are my picks and predictions for Tuesday’s Game 1 showdown between the Oilers and Avalanche (odds via DraftKings Sportsbook and FanDuel Sportsbook; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5 star scale).

Oilers vs. Avalanche Game Info

Date: Tuesday, May 31, 8:00 p.m. ET
TV: TNT, CBC, TVAS, SN
Location: Ball Arena, Denver, CO

Oilers vs. Avalanche Odds Analysis

The Avalanche are pretty big home favorites in Game 1. They opened at -190 and range from -175 (DraftKings) to -186 (Unibet) just about 24 hours prior to puck drop. The Oilers are as high as +155 (BetRivers) after a +160 opening. There have been slightly more tickets on Colorado while the Avs have received a large majority of the handle.

Colorado is -1.5 (+135) on the puck line at DraftKings with the Oilers +1.5 (-148) at BetRivers.

The total opened at 6.5 but has moved up to 7 at most books. You can still get Over 6.5 (-135) and Under 6.5 (+115) at BetMGM, with the Over 7 (+110) at DraftKings and Under 7 (-120) at Foxbet.

Avalanche-Oilers Game 1 betting at @BetMGM @Avalanche opened -185, now -190
54% of tickets, 88% of handle on Avs@EdmontonOilers opened +150, now +155
46% of tickets, 12% of handle on Oilers

Total opened 6.5, now 7 (under -130)
76% of tickets, 78% of handle on Over

— John Ewing (@johnewing) May 31, 2022

Oilers vs. Avalanche Picks

• Avalanche -1.5 (+135 via DraftKings) ★★★
• Over 7 (+110 via DraftKings) ★★★★
• Gabriel Landeskog to score (+160 via FanDuel) ★★

Check out our top-rated sportsbooks here

Oilers vs. Avalanche Predictions

Avalanche -1.5 (+135)

The Avalanche have won eight games so far in the playoffs, and five of those victories were by at least two goals. That includes two against the Blues last round (5-2, 6-3) and three against Nashville (7-2, 7-3, 5-3). The Oilers ultimately prevailed after dropping Game 1 to Calgary, but it was a 9-6 loss in the opening game of that series.

Colorado was the better team in the regular season and that has carried over into the playoffs. The Avs have more depth (especially defensively) than the Kings or Flames, who were taken down by McDavid and Co. That should play to Colorado’s advantage as it’ll be able to match up against McDavid at home and allow its depth players to go to work. Furthermore, MacKinnon was able to outplay Ryan O’Reilly, who is a better defensive center than anyone on the Oilers. The depth favors Colorado on both sides of the ice.

The Avs should open the series with a victory, and I like the odds of +135 for them to get it done in a relatively easy fashion.

Over 7 (+110)

This should be another high-scoring game for these two teams. The Avalanche have gone Over the total in six of their eight playoff games and this should be a fast-paced series.

The Oilers slogged through a first-round battle with the Kings before things picked up in the second round. Four of the five games against Calgary featured at least eight goals.

With the firepower on both sides, I’m willing to risk the push for +110 odds rather than laying -135 juice.

Landeskog to score (+160)

Dating back to the regular season, the Colorado captain has a goal in 15 of his last 29 games. That includes goals in three of six games against the Blues and two of four against the Predators in the first round.

Landeskog has been stepping it up recently, and while he doesn’t get the spotlight that MacKinnon does, the captain is up there in terms of expected goals, scoring chances, and high-danger chances. I’ll take +160 for Landeskog to light the lamp tonight.

Where to Bet on Oilers-Avalanche Picks

Here are our top-rated sportsbooks:

• FanDuel Sportsbook
• Caesars Sportsbook
• DraftKings Sportsbook
• PointsBet
• BetMGM

SEE ALSO: All picks, odds, and sports betting news. Be sure to check out SportsbookReview.com’s community forums and betting tools.

Oilers-Avalanche picks made on 5/30/2022 at 7:11 p.m. ET.

The post Oilers vs. Avalanche Game 1 NHL Picks: McDavid vs. MacKinnon Kicks Off in Colorado appeared first on Picks.