What should be the highest-scoring series of the NHL’s four conference semifinals begins on Wednesday as superstar Connor McDavid and the high-powered Edmonton Oilers visit the Pacific Division champion Vegas Golden Knights.

Nitrobetting is here to turn your betting slapshots into winning goals with betting tips and news coverage throughout the 2023 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. This time, let’s break down the upcoming Game 1 first-round showdown between the Edmonton Oilers and the Vegas Golden Knights.

Oilers vs. Golden Knights Game 1 2023 NHL Playoffs Second-Round Information

• When: Wednesday, May 3, 2023, 9:30 PM ET
• Where: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, ON
• TV: ESPN, CBC, SN, TVAS
• Radio: 630 CHED (Oilers) // KKGK 98.9 FM (Golden Knights)
• Live Stream: NBA League Pass
• NBA Betting Odds: Oilers (-1.5) / Golden Knights (+1.5)

READ MORE: Devils vs. Hurricanes 2023 NHL Playoffs Odds and Game 1 Preview – May 3rd

Why Bet on the Edmonton Oilers?

Edmonton advanced with a 5-4 win at the LA Kings on Saturday in Game 6. Kailer Yamamoto scored the winner at 16:57 of the third, the third-latest series-clinching goal in franchise history to lead Edmonton past the first round for the 16th time in franchise history. The only later goals in clinching history by Edmonton were Ales Hemsky at 58:54 in Game 6 of 2006 CQF and Ken Linseman at 58:46 in Game 3 of 1983 DSF.

Evan Bouchard had two assists, recorded his eighth power-play point in the 2023 first round and tied the NHL record for the most by a defenseman in a playoff series, a mark shared by Denis Potvin (8 in 1981 QF & 1980 SCF), John Carlson (8 in 2018 R1) and Paul Coffey (8 in 1993 DSF). Bouchard concluded the opening round with 10 points overall (2G, 8A), the only Oilers defenseman with as many points in a single series is Coffey (3-11—14 in 1985 CF & 3-8—11 in 1985 SCF).

With Bouchard running the point on the first power-play unit, the Oilers went 9-for-16 (56.3 percent) against the Kings with the man advantage. The Oilers added Bouchard on their top power-play unit after they traded defenseman Tyson Barrie to the Nashville Predators for Mattias Ekholm on Feb. 28. Prior to the trade, Edmonton was first in the NHL on the power play at 31.9 percent, but it got even better after the trade, converting at 33.9 percent.

Leon Draisaitl had 11 points in the series and Connor McDavid 10 as the Oilers had three 10-point scorers in a single series for the third time in franchise history, following the 1985 Conference Finals (4) and 1987 Division Semifinals (3). They became the third team in the past 25 years to have three 10-point scorers in a series, joining the Jets (3 in 2018 R2) and Senators (3 in 2006 CQF).

Why Bet on the Vegas Golden Knights?

Vegas advanced on April 27 by beating the Winnipeg Jet 4-1 in Game 5. Chandler Stephenson (2-0—2) opened the scoring just 50 seconds into Game 5 en route to his fourth straight multi-point outing while Mark Stone (1-2—3) recorded his second three-point performance of these playoffs.

Stephenson and Stone found the back of the net in the first minute of the first and second frame, respectively, marking the fourth time in the past 10 years that a team has recorded opening-minute goals in each of the first two periods of a playoff game.

Vegas improved to 8-5 in 13 playoff series since entering the NHL in 2017-18 – its eight series wins since 2018 rank second among all teams behind Tampa Bay (13) and just ahead of Colorado (7). The Golden Knights also became just the third franchise to win at least eight rounds within its first six seasons in the NHL (regardless of series length.

This is the first-ever postseason matchup between the teams. Edmonton owns an all-time series record of 10-6 in its first head-to-head playoff round with a franchise, while Vegas is 7-3. The Golden Knights finished two points ahead of the Oilers in what was a season-long dogfight for the Pacific Division title. That slim margin earned Vegas home-ice advantage, which could be huge in this series.

McDavid has played 43 NHL postseason games and has 65 points (24 goals, 41 assists). His 1.51 points per playoff game is the fourth-best among forwards with at least 40 appearances. Wayne Gretzky (1.84), Draisaitl (1.63) and Mario Lemieux (1.61) are the players ahead of him.

The Oilers closed the regular season with a nine-game winning streak and have won 13 of their past 15 games, including the playoffs. Also, they took seven of a possible eight points (3-0-1) in the four games they played against Vegas during the regular season. Four different goalies started each of the four games for Vegas against Edmonton. Laurent Brossoit started all five games for Vegas in Round 1, going 4-1-0 with a 2.42 goals-against average and .915 save percentage. He’ll start this series. Brossoit allowed three goals on 30 shots in a 4-3 overtime win over the Oilers March 25.

Oilers vs. Golden Knights Betting Trends

• Oilers are 8-2 in the last 10 vs. a team with a winning record.
• Oilers are 21-8 in its last 29 road games.
• The total went over in 4 of Edmonton’s last 6 games.
• Golden Knights are 5-1 in the last 6 home games.
• Golden Knights are 9-3 in its last 12 vs. Pacific.
• The total has gone OVER in 4 of Vegas’ last 5 games.

Oilers vs. Golden Knights Game 1 Expert Betting Predictions

Oilers 4, Knights 3.

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