Can the Over/Under Be High Enough for Game 2 of the Oilers-Avalanche Series?
"It won't matter if Edmonton's superstar duo keeps racking up record-breaking stats if they can't stop the Avalanche from scoring on the other side of the ice."
It's unusual to discuss the betting total first thing in an NHL Conference Final. However, based on what we're seeing in this year's playoffs and in this series, this is something off the charts.
Tuesday night's opening game closed with the O/U at 7. That lasted just 4 minutes into the 2nd period, before being shattered. Final Score: 8-6. The scoring outcome was doubled.
Now, we must ask ourselves -- will explosive scoring continue?
Everything about this series rides on that question.
It won't matter if Edmonton's superstar duo keeps racking up record-breaking stats if they can't stop the Avalanche from scoring on the other side of the ice.
PRO TIP (from Iain MacMillan at BetSided):
If you think it was just bad goaltending that led to the high-scoring affair on Tuesday night, let me show you the "expected goals" metric. The Avalanche had an expected goals per 60 minutes of 4.48, and the Oilers' expected goals was 4.06. So, even if you take bad goaltending out of the equation, there was still a combined expected goals of 8.54, which is INSANE.
Key Betting Stats for Game 2:
The OVER is 5-1 in Oilers' last six games.
The OVER is 4-1 in the Avalanche last five games.
Avalanche are 9-2 in their last 11 games.
Avalanche are 11-4 in their last 15 home games.
The puck drops in Denver at 6:00 pm MST.
Spreads.ca lists Colorado 1.54 / Edmonton 2.55.
The betting total is 7.5, almost unheard of for an NHL playoff game.
Prediction (powered by Pointspreads.ca):
How can anyone make a convincing case for betting the UNDER? Even as contrarians, we certainly can't. The OVER might be worth a wager.
However, given the mess that is the Oilers' goaltending situation at the moment, we think Colorado is the wiser pick on the moneyline.
A puckline wager wouldn't be a bad idea either (which pays 2.23 on the Avs if they win by 2+ goals).
GAME 2 PREDICTION:
Colorado Avalanche – 6
Edmonton Oilers – 3
NHL BOOSTS
Oilers to win game #2 moneyline($50 max. bet)WAS 2.45 NOW 2.75
Oilers and Avalanche to score over 7.5 goals combined($50 max. bet)WAS 2.11 NOW 2.45
McDavid anytime goal scorer
($50 max. bet)
WAS 2.00 NOW 2.25
Photo Credit: Getty Images
