Edmonton Oilers vs Vegas Golden Knights: Game 1 preview, predictions and odds | Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 2, May 06, 2025

The Edmonton Oilers are on the road to play the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 1 of the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs on May 6 at 9:30 p.m. ET.

Edmonton beat the Los Angeles Kings in six games, while Vegas beat Minnesota in six games.

Oilers vs Golden Knights: Head-to-head & key stats

Edmonton went 2-2 against Vegas this season
The Oilers went 23-16-2 on the road
Vegas allowed 2.6 goals per game
Edmonton is allowed 2.86 goals per game
The Golden Knights averaged 3.34 goals per game
The Oilers averaged 3.15 goals per game
Vegas is 29-9-3 at home

Edmonton Oilers vs Vegas Golden Knights: Preview

Edmonton won four straight games to beat Los Angeles in six games. The Oilers in the first round of the playoffs were led by Connor McDavid, who had 11 points, Leon Draisaitl had 10 points, Evan Bouchard had 7 points, while Connor Brown, Zach Hyman, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins all had 5 points.

The Oilers will start Calvin Pickard, who took over for Stuart Skinner. Pickard went 22-10-1 with a 2.71 GAA and a .900 SV%. In his career against the Golden Knights, he's 1-0 with a 2.03 GAA and a .909 SV%. In the playoffs, he's 4-0 with a 2.93 GAA and a .893 SV%.

Vegas, meanwhile, beat Minnesota in the first round of the playoffs. The Golden Knights will start Adin Hill, who went 32-13-5 with a 2.47 GAA and a .906 SV%. In his career against Edmonton, he's 3-4-1 with a 2.80 GAA and a .896 SV%. In the playoffs, Hill is 4-2 with a 2.83 GAA and a .880 SV%.

The Golden Knights in the playoffs have been led by Jack Eichel who has 5 points, Tomas Hertl has 5 points, Mark Stone has 4 points, Shea Theodore has 4 points, and Brett Howden has 3 points.

Oilers vs Golden Knights: Odds & Prediction

Edmonton is a +114 underdog while Vegas is a -135 favorite, and the over/under is set at 6.5 goals.

The Oilers have played much better in the playoffs since Pickard took over in net, but Vegas is much better than Los Angeles. Vegas has also been a tough place to play at home, while the Golden Knights will be able to match the lines.

The Oilers will likely get a couple past Hill, but Vegas will be able to score on Pickard, who has struggled, and Vegas will win Game 1 and take an early lead in the series.

Prediction: Golden Knights 4, Oilers 3.

Oilers vs Golden Knights: Betting Tips

Tip 1: Vegas ML (-135)

Tip 2: Over 6.5 goals (-105)

Tip 3: Evan Bouchard 3+ shots on goal (-120)

About the author

Cole is an NHL, NFL and College Sports reporter at Sportskeeda with over 7 years of experience writing for publications like CBC, USA Today, SMG, BJPENN, Sherdog and SB Nation.

An NHL fan his whole life, Cole played rep hockey in Canada from age 5 until 17 and grew up rooting for Martin St. Louis and the Tampa Bay Lightning. His all-time favorite players are Vincent Lecavalier and Steven Stamkos, while Jon Cooper is his favorite coach of all time.

Cole attended Sheridan College and received his journalism degree in 2019. After decades of watching and reporting, he considers his knowledge of sports as his primary strength. He ensures that the same story has been reported by at least two reputed reporters before creating it.

Cole enjoys playing golf and spending time with friends and family when not reporting breaking stories. His favorite sports moment is from the 2010 Olympics, when Sidney Crosby scored the golden goal in overtime to beat Team USA for the gold medal.

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Edited by Cole Shelton