Oilers vs. Avalanche picks, odds: Expert predictions for Game 1 of NHL Western Conference final

The Western Conference finals starts Tuesday night with the Colorado Avalanche making their first conference final since 2002. This is the first appearance for Edmonton Oilers since 2006 when it lost the Stanley Cup Finals to Carolina. Colorado is a big favorite at BetMGM to win the series and win Game 1 in Denver. The Athletic’s expert picks all think the Avalanche will win Game 1.

All eyes will be on Connor McDavid vs. Nathan MacKinnon for this series. Although MacKinnon on Monday said he doesn’t care about the matchup and that he only hopes the TV ratings go up.

What time is Avalanche vs. Oilers Game 1?

8 p.m. ET on Tuesday

Where to watch and stream Avalanche vs. Oilers?

Channels: TNT, CBC, SN

Streaming: Watch TNT app, SN Now

Western Conference finals schedule

Game 1: Oilers at Avalanche | Tuesday, May 31 | 8 p.m. ET

Game 2: Oilers at Avalanche | Thursday, June 2 | 8 p.m. ET

Game 3: Avalanche at Oilers | Saturday, June 4 | 8 p.m. ET

Game 4: Avalanche at Oilers | Monday, June 6 | 8 p.m. ET

Game 5*: Oilers at Avalanche | Wednesday, June 8| TBD

Game 6*: Avalanche at Oilers | Friday, June 10 | TBD

Game 7*: Oilers at Avalanche | Sunday, June 12| TBD

Every day during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, The Athletic’s writers will make their picks, straight up. We put our picks, the TV schedule and all series coverage, plus the latest odds, all in one place for fans to easily digest and follow. Our in-depth NHL coverage is linked below the picks. For live NHL odds from BetMGM, click here.

What are the odds for Oilers at Avalanche Game 1?

Series odds: Avalanche -250, Oilers +200

Avalanche vs. Oilers Game 1 preview

Series preview by Dom Luszczyszyn and Shayna Goldman

Connor McDavid versus Nathan MacKinnon.

That’s it. That’s the lede.

That’s the selling point of this series, a heavyweight tilt between two of the best players in the world, finally going toe-to-toe at the peak of their powers. It does not get better than this. It’s this generation’s version of the epic battles between Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin — but faster. You know it’s a big deal when the NHL actually markets its players for once.

This series could be between McDavid and MacKinnon plus 40 other random dudes and still be interesting, but each team is thankfully even more than that. Cale Makar, Leon Draisaitl, Mikko Rantanen, Gabriel Landeskog — the stars will shine bright in what should be an exciting, high-octane series with offense galore.

As tantalizing as the individual battles might be along with the promise of lots of goals, there is one thing this series unfortunately lacks that slightly brings down the intrigue: an even matchup.

Avalanche vs. Oilers expert picks and predictions for Game 1


More Stanley Cup Playoffs coverage: News | Podcasts | Odds

(Photo of Darcy Kuemper: Michael Martin / NHLI via Getty Images)

Source

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.