Kings vs. Oilers Game 2 prediction: NHL Playoff odds, picks, bets for Wednesday

The Edmonton Oilers are off and running in the 2023-24 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Oilers were shot out of a cannon in Game 1 against the Los Angeles Kings and cruised to a 7-4 victory Monday night in Alberta.Connor McDavid had five assists and Zach Hyman recorded a hat trick for the hosts.Edmonton closed as a -175 favorite ahead of Monday’s contest and is sitting at -185 for Game 2.Some nights you just have to tip your cap and that’s probably how the Kings are feeling after their loss Monday.

Connor McDavid was downright unstoppable in Game 1 and pushed the Oilers to a comfortable win.It sounds obvious to say, but Los Angeles is not going to win many games against the Oilers that open up like Game 1 did.The Kings are built on depth and defensive structure, so allowing the Oilers to get out to an early 2-0 lead is a nightmare scenario for a team that isn’t really built to engage in back-and-forth contests. In order to get back into this series the Kings will need obviously need to do a better job clamping down McDavid, but they’ll also need to keep the game on their terms.

Los Angeles was one of the best teams in the NHL this season at limiting shots on goal and high-danger scoring chances, so one poor game shouldn’t change our opinion of how this team can perform in this series.Shutting down the Oilers completely may not be realistic, but toning things down certainly is within Los Angeles’ capabilities.I’d expect the Kings to come out with a much tidier effort Wednesday night and their defensive structure will allow them to hang around and perhaps nick a win in Game 2. The Bet: Kings (+154, DraftKings) ...