The Los Angeles Kings and Edmonton Oilers, Pacific Division rivals, will begin their 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs journey in Game 1 on Monday in Los Angeles. This is the fourth straight year these two teams are meeting in the first round of the playoffs. Both teams finished close in the division standings, second and third respectively, and both had strong finishes to the regular season, each winning four of their last five games. Interestingly, the Kings dominated their regular season matchups against the Oilers, winning three of four, including a decisive 5-0 shutout victory in Edmonton most recently.
The puck will drop at 10 p.m. ET at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Oddsmakers have установленный the Kings as favorites with a -127 money line (bet $127 to win $100), while the Oilers are underdogs at +107 (bet $100 to win $107). The over/under for the game is set at 5.5 total goals. The Kings are also -1.5 on the puck line with +205 odds.
Here are three recommended bets for the Kings vs. Oilers game on Monday:
Kings to win on the moneyline (-127)
The Kings have had the Oilers` number recently, shutting them out in their last two regular-season games: 3-0 in Los Angeles on April 5th and 5-0 in Edmonton on April 14th. Since the NHL trade deadline on March 7th, the Kings have been one of the league`s top teams, boasting a 17-5-0 record. Their home ice advantage is also significant, as they only allow an average of 1.98 goals per game in Los Angeles. Statistical models predict the Kings are likely to win Game 1 with over a 60% probability.
Connor McDavid to score 2 or more points (+120)
McDavid, a five-time winner of the Art Ross Trophy, comes into the playoffs on a hot streak, racking up 11 assists in his last five games. He has recorded two points (one goal, one assist) in two games against the Kings this season. Furthermore, in Game 1 of last year`s first-round series against Los Angeles, he tallied five assists. His prop bet of 2+ points is listed at +120.
Quinton Byfield to score a goal at any time (+310)
While not as famous as McDavid, Byfield, the 22-year-old center, has been a key player in the Kings-Oilers matchups this season. He has scored three goals in four games against Edmonton this season and has found the net four times in his last five games leading into the playoffs. The odds for him to score in Game 1 are +310.
