by Rod Pearson
Wednesday, Apr 30, 2025
Game Time: 10:00 pm ET, Thursday, May 1, 2025
Venue: Rogers Place, Edmonton, AB
Where to Watch: ESPN
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Moneyline: Kings +136, Oilers -162; Over/Under: 5.5 goals
Bet365: Moneyline: Kings +135, Oilers -160; Over/Under: 6 goals
BetMGM: Moneyline: Kings +135, Oilers -160; Over/Under: 6 goals
Season Record
Los Angeles Kings: 48-25-9 (2nd place, Pacific Division)
Edmonton Oilers: 48-29-5 (3rd place, Pacific Division)
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Recent Form
Los Angeles Kings: 6-3-1 last 10
Edmonton Oilers: 7-3-0 last 10
Los Angeles Kings vs Edmonton Oilers Preview and Analysis
The Kings are entering the playoffs with 105 points, a 48-25-9 record overall, and they were 17-19-5 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a loss against the Edmonton Oilers in their last game, losing that one at home 3-1. Andrei Kuzmenko scored 1 goal for them in that one. Adrian Kempe and Anže Kopitar each led the team in assists with 1 while Warren Foegele led the team in shots on net in that game with 6. Darcy Kuemper was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 2 goals on 45 shots with 43 saves and a .956 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.
The Oilers are entering the playoffs with 101 points, a 48-29-5 record overall, and they were 25-13-3 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a win against the Los Angeles Kings in their last game, winning that one on the road 3-1. Mattias Janmark, Evander Kane, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Viktor Arvidsson, Leon Draisaitl, John Klingberg, Connor McDavid, and Vasily Podkolzin each led the team in assists with 1 while Zach Hyman led the team in shots on net in that game with 6. Calvin Pickard was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 1 goal on 22 shots with 21 saves and a .955 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.
Kings vs Oilers Prediction
The current betting odds have the Oilers listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. This is game 6 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 Oilers are leading this series 3-2 after winning game 5 on the road. The Oilers took a 3-2 series lead with a 3-1 win over the Kings in the 5th game of this series and that win has given the Oilers all the momentum in this series. The Oilers were down 2-0 in the series when they went back home, but they fought hard in those games and even made game 1 really close. Winning both games on home ice was not easy for them as they were trailing in both games going into the 3rd period, but they found ways to gut those wins out and now they have a ton of momentum with 3 wins in a row. They won another tight game in LA and they have pretty much ended the series with that win. Now they are going back home with the Kings facing elimination and the Kings have been a terrible road team this season with their 17-19-5 road record. They didn't look terrible in the 2 road games in this series, but they still blew their leads in both of those games and even if they do get another lead here on the road, they will blow it again as they have collapsed in this series. The best way to place a bet here is on the Oilers to win this game.
Kings Oilers Prediction: Our NHL Pick for Thursday, May 1, 2025 (10:00 pm ET start time) is Oilers 5 Kings 3.
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NHL Betting Trends
Los Angeles Kings: 142-118 (-7.8 units) on the moneyline in all games. 27-34 (-11.3 units) on the moneyline when playing against a marginal winning team (Win Pct. 51% to 60%). 121-100 (-12 units) on the moneyline against poor power play killing teams - opp score on over 17.5% of chances. 14-4 OVER off a home loss against a division rival.
Edmonton Oilers: 24-9 (+10 units) on the moneyline off a road win against a division rival. 40-17 (+10.5 units) on the moneyline after allowing 1 goal or less in their previous game. 55-29 (+18.7 units) on the moneyline against good starting goalies - saving 91.5% of shots against or more. 12-4 OVER in the first round of the playoffs.
Key Injuries
Los Angeles Kings: T. Jeannot (LW) Out - Undisclosed.
Edmonton Oilers: M. Ekholm (D) Out - Undisclosed. A. Regula (D) Out - Knee.
Notable Quotes
“What’s the explanation? They executed way better than us tonight, that’s the first one. They were stronger. They beat us in every area of the game, except for the special teams, oddly enough. The goaltender was great for us to give us a chance. They were just better in every way, and we can’t look at one part of our game and think that was acceptable or that it was good enough.” - Jim Hiller after his team’s loss against the Oilers in game 5 of this series on Tuesday.
“Hockey is funny, it’s carryover momentum. Each game is different, and you don’t necessarily carry over momentum each game. But when you’re feeling good, when you have consistency, start to find chemistry with your linemates, I think you start to be able to play and roll lines over, and everybody feels like they’re contributing. And I thought tonight, like I said, everybody chipped in. It was probably the best performance, probably this year that we’ve had. And I guess, having said that, it was only a 2-1 game (before an empty-net goal), so it takes everybody.” - Zach Hyman after their win against the LA Kings in game 5 of this series on Tuesday.
Starting Lineups
Los Angeles Kings
LW Andrei Kuzmenko
C Anze Kopitar
RW Adrian Kempe
LD Mikey Anderson
RD Drew Doughty
G Darcy Kuemper
Edmonton Oilers
LW Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
C Connor McDavid
RW Zach Hyman
LD Darnell Nurse
RD Evan Bouchard
G Calvin Pickard
Statistical Leaders
Los Angeles Kings
Points: A. Kempe (73)
Goals: A. Kempe (35)
Assists: A. Kopitar (46)
GAA: D. Kuemper (2.02)
Edmonton Oilers
Points: L. Draisaitl (106)
Goals: L. Draisaitl (52)
Assists: C. McDavid (74)
GAA: C. Pickard (2.71)
Coaches:
Los Angeles Kings: Jim Hiller (2nd season)
Edmonton Oilers: Kris Knoblauch (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.
