by Rod Pearson
Tuesday, Apr 22, 2025
Game Time: 10:00 pm ET, Wednesday, April 23, 2025
Venue: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
Where to Watch: TBS, MAX
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Moneyline: Oilers +114, Kings -135; Over/Under: 5.5 goals
Bet365: Moneyline: Oilers +115, Kings -135; Over/Under: 5.5 goals
BetMGM: Moneyline: Oilers +115, Kings -135; Over/Under: 6 goals
Season Record
Edmonton Oilers: 48-29-5 (3rd place, Pacific Division)
Los Angeles Kings: 48-25-9 (2nd place, Pacific Division)
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Recent Form
Edmonton Oilers: 6-4-0 last 10
Los Angeles Kings: 8-2-0 last 10
Edmonton Oilers vs Los Angeles Kings Preview and Analysis
The Oilers are entering the playoffs with 101 points, a 48-29-5 record overall, and they were 23-16-2 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a loss against the Los Angeles Kings in their last game, losing that one on the road 6-5. Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Corey Perry, Zach Hyman, and Mattias Janmark each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Connor McDavid and Evan Bouchard each led the team in assists with 3 while Evan Bouchard and Leon Draisaitl each led the team in shots on net in that game with 4. Stuart Skinner was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 6 goals on 30 shots with 24 saves and a .800 save percentage. Their offense has scored 259 goals this season averaging 3.2 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 236 goals against them allowing 2.9 goals per game.
The Kings are entering the playoffs with 105 points, a 48-25-9 record overall, and they were 31-6-4 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a win against the Edmonton Oilers in their last game, winning that one at home 6-5. Phillip Danault led the team in goals scored with 2 while Adrian Kempe, Andrei Kuzmenko, Quinton Byfield, and Kevin Fiala each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Adrian Kempe and Adrian Kempe each led the team in assists with 2 while Kevin Fiala led the team in shots on net in that game with 6. Darcy Kuemper was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 5 goals on 25 shots with 20 saves and a .800 sv percentage. Their offense has scored 250 goals this season averaging 3 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 206 goals against them allowing 2.5 goals per game.
Oilers vs Kings Prediction
The current betting odds have the Oilers listed as a slight underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. This is game 2 of a 7 game series between the 2nd seeded Kings and the 3rd seeded Oilers from the Pacific Division for the 1st round of the NHL playoffs. The Kings are leading the series after winning game 1 at home. The Kings looked great to start that game as they took a 4-0 lead, but they eventually blew that 4 goal lead and allowed the Oilers to tie the game 5-5. The Kings managed to score the winning goal with 40 seconds left in regulation, but the Oilers made that a really close game in the end and they are only going to come out stronger in this one. The Kings looked great on home ice all season with their 31-6-4 home record, but the Oilers weren't a bad road team this season. The Oilers were struggling a lot near the end of the regular season, but they finally started to get into a rhythm in their last few games and came into the playoffs very hot. The Kings are not a team that the Oilers have had a lot of success against this season, even struggling to score goals against them, but they finally broke them open in that 3rd period of game 1 and that will give the Oilers some momentum coming into this one. The Kings may have gotten the better of the Oilers all season, but the Oilers have kicked the Kings out of the playoffs the last 3 straight seasons and still have that mental block over them. It took the Oilers 3 full periods to get into that 1st game of this series, but now that they have gotten their feet wet, look for the Oilers to come out stronger in this one and flip the home advantage going back home to Edmonton. The best way to place a bet here is on the Oilers to win this game.
Oilers Kings Prediction: Our NHL Pick for Wednesday, April 23, 2025 (10:00 pm ET start time) is Oilers 4 Kings 3.
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NHL Betting Trends
Edmonton Oilers: 18-13 (+9.1 units) on the moneyline as a road underdog of +100 to +200. 27-8 (+10.2 units) on the moneyline off a loss against a division rival. 54-26 (+19.4 units) on the moneyline revenging a same season loss vs opponent. 9-3 OVER in the first round of the playoffs.
Los Angeles Kings: 23-22 (-9.4 units) on the moneyline off a win against a division rival. 78-62 (-7 units) on the moneyline off a win in their previous game. 26-31 (-9.1 units) on the moneyline when playing against a marginal winning team (Win Pct. 51% to 60%). 9-3 OVER in the first round of the playoffs.
Key Injuries
Edmonton Oilers: T. Stecher (D) Day To Day - Undisclosed. M. Ekholm (D) Out - Undisclosed. T. Frederic (C) Day To Day - Ankle. J. Klingberg (D) Day To Day - Lower Body. E. Kane (LW) Out - Knee. A. Regula (D) Out - Knee.
Los Angeles Kings: T. Jeannot (LW) Out - Undisclosed.
Notable Quotes
“I saw Evan give us an excellent opportunity to win tonight, made a lot of nice plays. Was his game perfect? I’m not sure anybody’s game was perfect tonight.” - Kris Knoblauch after his team’s loss against the LA Kings in game 1 of this series on Monday.
“I don’t think we took the foot off the gas. That’s a high offensive power team over there, and when you give them a sniff, they’ll take it. And they certainly did.” - Anze Kopitar after their win against the Oilers in game 1 of this series on Monday.
Starting Lineups
Edmonton Oilers
LW Zach Hyman
C Connor McDavid
RW Connor Brown
LD Darnell Nurse
RD Evan Bouchard
G Stuart Skinner
Los Angeles Kings
LW Andrei Kuzmenko
C Anze Kopitar
RW Adrian Kempe
LD Mikey Anderson
RD Drew Doughty
G Darcy Kuemper
Statistical Leaders
Edmonton Oilers
Points: L. Draisaitl (106)
Goals: L. Draisaitl (52)
Assists: C. McDavid (74)
GAA: C. Pickard (2.71)
Los Angeles Kings
Points: A. Kempe (73)
Goals: A. Kempe (35)
Assists: A. Kopitar (46)
GAA: D. Kuemper (2.02)
Coaches:
Edmonton Oilers: Kris Knoblauch (2nd season)
Los Angeles Kings: Jim Hiller (2nd season)
Rod Pearson
About the Author:
Rod Pearson has been a rabid sports fan his entire life. He grew up in Ontario, and was skilled in both hockey and baseball, and pitched in an elite baseball league for many years. In 2022, Rod decided to hang up his glove, so that he could write about the sports he loves -- but from a gambling perspective. Join Rod every day as he breaks down the games to find the best betting value.
