The Edmonton Oilers will look to seize a 2–0 series lead when they welcome the Anaheim Ducks back for Game 2, with this Ducks vs. Oilers prediction setting up another high‑scoring, matchup‑heavy battle between a loaded Oilers attack and a speed‑driven Ducks squad.
After a tense 4–3 opening‑round win in Game 1, the Oilers are now heavily favoured to win the series and are priced at roughly -190 on the moneyline for Game 2, while the Ducks’ top‑line offence and goaltending give them just enough upside to keep the total and props intriguing.
The Oilers are now priced at -450 to win the series, after being priced at -250 prior to their win in Game 1.
In this article, we’ll outline our best Ducks vs. Oilers prediction, as well as the relevant betting notes for both teams.
Ducks vs. Oilers prediction
Evan Bouchard Over 2.5 Shots on Goal -120 (Play to -130)
Bouchard over 2.5 SOG
While Edmonton offered a relatively uneven performance in Game 1, it could be taken as a positive that the Oilers were able to win on a night when Connor McDavid and Evan Bouchard were clearly far from their best.
We were high on the Oilers’ chances entering this series and also backed Edmonton to win in regulation in Game 1, which ultimately was a fairly lucky win. The greatest reason why is that from a defensive perspective, the Ducks do appear to be the worst team to have qualified for the postseason, and though they had some excellent offensive flashes in the opener, their defensive concerns came to fruition.
Though it was not McDavid and Bouchard exposing Anaheim’s flawed defensive play, the Oilers did generate 34 shots on goal and 31 scoring chances.
Out of the Oilers’ 34 shots on target, 11 came from defenders. Edmonton’s defensive core combined for 27 shot attempts, with seven of those coming from Bouchard. The Ducks do not press aggressively on the points and aren’t well-adept at picking up trailers jumping into the attack off the rush.
Though Bouchard recorded zero shots in Game 1, he still had seven attempts on a night where he played one of his worst games in months and in which McDavid also fought the puck all night long. Tactically, this should set up as a great series for Bouchard to generate scoring chances, and our expectation is that in Game 2, we will see Bouchard and McDavid both offer much sharper performances, which will likely mean a greater output of shots on target from Bouchard.
Ducks vs. Oilers Odds
| Ducks moneyline odds | +160 |
| Oilers moneyline odds | -190 |
| Puck Line odds | Ducks +1.5 (-155), Oilers -1.5 (+130) |
| Series odds | Ducks (+350), Oilers (-450) |
| Game total | Over 6.5 goals (-140), Under 6.5 (+115) |
Odds courtesy of bet365.
Betting Anaheim Ducks
While Game 1 will surely feel like a wasted opportunity for the underdog Ducks, it was a performance that may instill some confidence in a young roster that had numerous key skaters making their playoff debuts. Anaheim generated 3.31 expected goals, and at times, its speed and skill did clearly give the Oilers some legitimate problems.
Getting their late lead through the finish line proved difficult for head coach Joel Quenneville’s side, but from someone who bet the Oilers to win that game and cover -1.5 in the series, a fair take certainly seemed to be that Anaheim gave the Oilers all they could handle. If not for some tough saves from Connor Ingram early in the third period, the result easily could have been different.
In his playoff debut, Leo Carlsson was arguably the best player on the ice from either side. Carlsson recorded a goal and an assist and had 10 shots on goal and used his speed and strong puck protection skills exceptionally all night long. For the Ducks to have a legitimate chance in this series, they will need their stars to be at their best, and Anaheim’s top line had a dominant showing in Game 1.
Lukas Dostal had a steady showing, stopping 30 of 34 shots faced to finish with a -0.23 GSAx rating. Anaheim might have the offensive firepower to expose Edmonton defensively in this series, but Dostal will consistently face a notably tough workload, and he will likely need to outplay Ingram moving forward for his side to have a chance.
Betting Edmonton Oilers
There are certainly some positives to take from Game 1 for the Oilers, given the presumption that some of their weaknesses from Game 1 could be alleviated on average. It was the first game this season Edmonton has won without Connor McDavid recording a point, and perhaps most importantly, Ingram had a solid showing in his playoff debut with the team.
Ingram played to a .901 save percentage and 2.55 GAA in 19 starts following the Olympic break and stopped 25 of 28 shots in Game 1 to finish with a +0.33 GSAx rating. While Ingram is not an overly proven option, predicting which goaltenders will get hot each postseason is a difficult task, and that narrative has been on full display in the earliest stages of this postseason.
Leon Draisaitl was not entirely dominant in his return from injury in Game 1, but finished with two assists and flashed his typical level of power on a strong drive down the wing to help set up Kasperi Kapanen’s game-winner. Whether or not Draisaitl would be able to offer his usual level of play while likely playing well below 100% was a notable storyline entering the series, and his performance was encouraging on that front.
Adam Henrique suffered a knee injury in the loss and will be out of the lineup for this matchup. While Henrique brings plenty of playoff experience, Josh Samanski clearly outperformed Henrique in the role of fourth line centre this season, and much of the fanbase was disappointed that Samanski was healthy scratched in the opener to begin with.
Head coach Kris Knoblauch will certainly be keen to see his side offer a cleaner defensive performance overall, but it was always likely to be the Oilers’ offensive upside, which showed out in a series versus a young Ducks side that plays a notably loose game relative to the majority of playoff teams.
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