Oilers’ Odds to Win Series with Blackhawks Improve to -162 After Game 2 Victory
- The Edmonton Oilers and Chicago Blackhawks series is tied 1-1
- Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins are the first players in franchise history to start the postseason with back-to-back 3+ point games
- See the updated series odds after Game 2 and our pick to the win the series ahead of Game 3
Connor McDavid scored three times in Game 2, helping even the Oilers series with the Blackhawks at 1-1. They are now back to nearly their opening series price of -150 to win the series.
Will they carry that momentum into Game 3 and take the series lead, or will the Blackhawks respond, making their +139 odds a great value bet?
Blackhawks vs Oilers Series Odds
| Team | Series Odds at DraftKings |
|---|---|
| Chicago Blackhawks | +139 |
| Edmonton Oilers | -162 |
Odds taken August 4
The Stanley Cup odds show Edmonton is much closer to being a contender to win it all and I tend to believe their poor performance in Game 1 is well in the rearview mirror. Here’s the case why you should jump on the Oilers before all the value is removed from the proposition.
McDavid Making History vs Blackhawks
There are two things to consider with McDavid – what he is doing and how he is doing it. The Oilers captain and teammate Ryan Nugent-Hopkins became the first two players in franchise history to start a postseason with back to back 3+ point games. Let that sink in for a second. Not Wayne Gretzky, not Mark Messier, not any of the long line of Hall of Famers who suited up for the team, but rather McDavid and Nugent-Hopkins.
Good morning….Connor McDavid actually scored this goal last night. pic.twitter.com/aizqicWusM
— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) August 4, 2020
The points he’s collecting aren’t cheap tap-ins resulting from good fortune either. McDavid is blazing by the opposition creating scoring chance after scoring chance seemingly at will. While the rest of the league appears to be stuck in the mud after a five-month lay-off thanks for COVID-19, McDavid appears to have actually picked up speed.
Tippett Taking Advantage of McDavid-Draisaitl Duo
Oilers head coach Dave Tippett has a big advantage with his two-star players and he knows it. While McDavid has led the way with six points in the opening two games of the series, soon-to-be MVP Leon Draisaitl also has 1 goal and 2 assists. The pair are the big reason why Edmonton should be listed as heavy favorites to advance.
fun fact: we are the only team that Connor McDavid has not scored against 😅 https://t.co/9JmAHrMVML
— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) August 1, 2020
Smart coaching by Tippett allows the team to get the most of the duo. Some coaches would be tempted to play them together to watch greatness work as a tandem but the Oilers’ biggest strength is when they are apart. That forces the opposing coach, in this case the young Jeremy Colliton, to decide which player his top defensive pairing will go out against – McDavid or Draisaitl. The result is one of his superstars gets a much easier matchup, which helps lead to plenty of scoring opportunities. The pair of course reunite on the powerplay, causing a whole new bunch of problems for Chicago.
Bet the Oilers Before Game 3
It certainly appears like McDavid is going to continue scoring in bunches. Even with the likes of Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, it’s simply a production level that cannot be matched. Tippett also settled on Mikko Koskinen between the pipes which should have been the call prior to the series. I’m confident the slip up is behind Edmonton and they’ll continue to exert their will on Chicago as the series progresses.
Pick: Edmonton Oilers (-162)
Ryan has been working at TSN for over eleven years, and is now a lead writer and content producer at That's Hockey. Over the years, he's launched and hosted TSN's first NCAAF podcast, The College Football Show, and been featured on the likes of TSN 1050, Sportscentre, and That's Hockey 2Nite.
