Oilers vs Ducks Prediction, Betting Odds & Expert Pick for Game 3

• The Oilers and Ducks fight to take a 2-1 series lead in their first-round series Friday night
• Shockingly, Connor McDavid has been held off the scoresheet in the first two games
• Read below for my Oilers vs Ducks prediction and the latest odds below

After dropping the first battle 4-3 to the Edmonton Oilers, the Anaheim Ducks fought back to even the Western Conference first-round series with a 6-4 victory in Game 2. The next installment plays out tonight from the Honda Center in Anaheim at 7 PM PT / 10 PM ET.

Despite competing on home ice, sportsbooks aren’t bullish on the Ducks’ chances, pegging them as +110 underdogs in the NHL odds, compared to -130 for their adversaries.

TNT/truTV/HBO Max are carrying the coverage in the United States, and Rogers Sportsnet has it in Canada.

Oilers vs Ducks Prediction

• Best Game Bet: Over 6.5 Goals (-150 at bet365)
• Best Prop Bet: Leon Draisaitl Over 1.5 Points (+114 at DraftKings)

My prediction for tonight’s skirmish is that there will be plenty of goals, with a high-paced, exciting back-and-forth affair. In the first two matchups, at least seven combined snipes occurred in Game 1, and a whopping ten pucks tickled the twine in Game 2.

Both goaltenders have had their share of issues, with Connor Ingram (EDM) posting a ghastly .855 save % and Lukas Dostal (ANA) marginally better at .887. The wild thing is that Oilers captain and living legend Connor McDavid has been held pointless in two straight games for just the second time all season! Remarkably, dating back to last year’s Cup Final, McDavid hasn’t factored in on the last ten Oilers playoff goals.

I simply can’t see a world where the best player in hockey doesn’t get raring and get on the scoresheet often, and tonight will be the breakout. That would dovetail perfectly in helping me win my wager of over 6.5 goals in this one.

Edmonton is among the top choices in the Stanley Cup odds at +1200, while their counterparts are +6000 longshots. Both teams have leaky goaltending situations that likely won’t get corrected anytime soon.

Oilers vs Ducks Starting Goalies Series Stats

Connor Ingram seemed to stabilize what had been a horrid Oilers’ goalie situation at the tail end of the regular season, and he got the win in the opening salvo. However, Anaheim lit the lamp six times (one empty netter) in Game 2, evening the series.

Lukas Dostal has been getting pumped of late, surrendering at least four markers in seven of his last nine outings.

Knowing that this will probably be a see-saw track meet, I’m going with McDavid’s right-hand man, Leon Draisaitl, to get at least two points. He’s done just that in the first two matchups, with two assists in Game 1 and one goal and one helper in Game 2. Amazingly, Draisaitl has registered at least two points in 15 of his last 20 duels vs the Ducks. In that span, he’s racked up 41 points.

If you want to parlay over 6.5 goals being scored and Draisaitl putting up two or more points, that price is set at +175. In the NHL public betting trends, the public is favoring Edmonton, with 74% of wagers and 84% of the handle on the road team. 62% of the money is on the Under seven combined goals total.

Ducks vs Oilers Odds

Odds as of April 24. The interactive table above will automatically update as the NHL odds move over the course of the day between the Oilers vs Ducks.

Edmonton is a -130 favorite on the moneyline on bet365, but the odds get much more intriguing if you pick them to win by at least two goals, getting +170 odds at DraftKings. FanDuel has the Ducks to win outright at +112, but that number shrinks when given 1.5-goals on the spread, as the odds shorten to -200 at bet365.

As for the total, Under bettors should check out BetMGM, where the goal line is set at seven goals, while bet365 will appeal to the Over audience, where the line is set at 6.5 goals.