The Edmonton Oilers (2-2-1) and Anaheim Ducks (3-2-0) meet in Game 6 of the NHL Playoffs tonight. Puck drop is set for 10:00 p.m. EDT at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. The game will be broadcast live on TNT.
The Oilers are favored by -1.5 on the puck line, with the over/under set at 7 (-130o / +109u). The Oilers are a -132 favorite to win outright, while the Ducks are +110 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Oilers vs. Ducks predictions and NHL picks.
Oilers vs. Ducks Odds, Pick
| Oilers Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +176 | 7 -130o / +109u | -132 |
| Ducks Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -216 | 7 -130o / +109u | +110 |
- Oilers vs. Ducks Spread: Oilers -1.5 (+176), Ducks +1.5 (-216)
- Oilers vs. Ducks Over/Under: 7 (-130o / +109u)
- Oilers vs. Ducks Moneyline: Oilers -132, Ducks +110
Oilers vs Ducks Polymarket Odds
Use Polymarket invite code Action to get early access and bypass 1 million+ people on the waitlist. Our Polymarket invite code also unlocks a trading bonus: Deposit $20, Get $20 Bonus!
Oilers vs. Ducks Preview
Edmonton Oilers
In a surprising move, Kris Knoblauch split up Edmonton's best line in Game 5. Leon Draisaitl, Vasily Podkolzin, and Kasperi Kapanen had been the Oilers' most effective group by a mile and maybe the only one that could be consistently relied upon in this series.
They outscored the Ducks 5-0 while on the ice and produced 22 scoring chances, 10 of those being high-danger, in 44:34 of ice time together.
The move resulted in the top six shaping up as Draisaitl-McDavid-Kapanen and Hyman-Nugent-Hopkins-Podkolzin, and it paid dividends almost immediately with three goals from the two groups in the first eleven minutes.
The Oilers have seen mixed results putting Draisaitl and McDavid together at times, as it tends to leave the rest of the lineup thin, but Hyman and Nugent-Hopkins bring a ton of familiarity from years playing together, which is a major plus.
As for the McDavid injury, he still looks a little hobbled, but Tuesday night was the best he has looked all series in terms of speed and impact, despite being listed as a game-time decision. His new-look line was a different story, managing just a 21% expected goal share and two scoring chances in 11:40 of ice time.
The last and most important piece of the puzzle for Edmonton is the goaltending situation. Tristan Jarry replaced Connor Ingram in Game 4, but Ingram was back in net for Game 5 and stopped 29 of 30 shots with a couple of huge saves mixed in.
His benching looked like a good wake-up call, not only for him after allowing six goals in Game 3, but for the rest of the team as well. Ingram will need a similar performance again tonight if the Oilers want to win two more in this series.
Anaheim Ducks
The Ducks have looked like the better team for much of this series, besting the Oilers in expected goal share (55.16%) and high-danger chances (38), while outshooting Edmonton 127-118, including 107-72 over the last three games.
Their speed up front with Leo Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier has caused all kinds of problems for Edmonton, and Jackson LaCombe continues to have a great series from the defensive end with a team-leading eight points and a plus-3, all while hounding McDavid.
That speed and control of play is perhaps most obvious on the power play, which leads all teams in the playoffs at a 50% clip, tallying one in every game of this series.
For all the issues Edmonton has had in net, the Ducks are sorting through the same. Lukas Dostal was pulled about ten minutes into Game 5 after allowing three goals, leaving Ville Husso to handle the crease the rest of the night.
Dostal has not been officially confirmed as the starter tonight, but it would be reasonable to assume he gets the nod despite carrying a playoff-worst -5.4 GSAx and the second-worst save percentage at .864.
Anaheim has a couple of things to clean up if it wants to close this series out tonight, but none more important than a strong showing from Dostal.
Oilers vs. Ducks Prediction
The odds say the Oilers' chances of coming back from a 3-1 series deficit are slim, with fewer than 10% of teams ever pulling it off. Edmonton took care of the first step with a 4-1 win on Tuesday, but I think it stops there.
McDavid still looks a little limited, and the Ducks controlled much of Game 5 with a 61.88% expected goal share at 5-on-5.
Given that, asking Edmonton to hold up defensively for two straight games feels like a tall order. Anaheim has outshot the Oilers by 35 SOG over the last three games, and their speed up front has looked overwhelming.
I like the Ducks to close it out tonight at a nice home underdog price.
Pick: Ducks Moneyline (+110, FanDuel)
