The Edmonton Oilers and the Vegas Golden Knights meet in Game 2 of their best-of-7, Western Conference semifinals series in the Stanley Cup Playoffs Thursday. Puck drop at T-Mobile Arena is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. ET (ESPN). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s NHL odds around the Oilers vs. Golden Knights odds and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.

Series: Oilers lead 1-0

The Oilers got off to a tough start in Game 1 Tuesday, but they certainly finished up strong, winning 4-2 in Vegas as +116 underdogs. Golden Knights RW Mark Stone scored a power-play goal just 2:13 into the game, beating Oilers G Calvin Pickard, and he was back at 9:03 with an even-strength goal to make it 2-0.

However, veteran RW Corey Perry sliced the lead back to 2-1 late in the first period. After a scoreless second, C Leon Draisaitl managed a goal just 57 seconds into the third, leveling the score. LW Zach Hyman stunned the crowd with a goal with just 3:02 remaining in regulation, giving Edmonton its first lead. One minute, 16 seconds later, RW Connor Brown sent the Vegas fans home unhappy with an insurance goal to complete the opening-game upset.

While the Oilers cashed as underdogs, the Under (6.5) also came through. Over bettors were hoping for a miracle, perhaps due to an empty-net goal in the final 106 seconds, but it didn’t occur like it did with just 0.1 seconds left in the Golden Knights’ Game 1 victory the Minnesota Wild in the first round. No bad beats in Vegas this time around.

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Oilers at Golden Knights odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 12:53 p.m. ET.

Moneyline (ML): Oilers +110 (bet $100 to win $110) | Golden Knights -130 (bet $130 to win $100)Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Oilers +1.5 (-210) | Golden Knights -1.5 (+170)Over/Under (O/U): 6.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)Oilers at Golden Knights projected goalies

Calvin Pickard (5-0-0, 2.76 GAA, .891 SV% — postseason) vs. Adin Hill (4-3-0, 3.01 GAA, .876 SV% — postseason)

Pickard started off slowly in Game 1, and coach Kris Knoblauch might have been staring down the bench at former starter Stuart Skinner after a pair of Stone goals in the first period. Pickard settled down, though, ending up with 15 saves on 17 shots to win for the fifth time in 5 playoff starts since taking over as the starting backstop in Game 3 of the LA Kings series, which the Oilers won 4-2 after losing the first 2 games.

Hill allowed 4 goals on 28 shots in Game 1, snapping a 3-game win streak by the 2023 Stanley Cup winning goaltender. He has allowed at least 3 goals in 4 of his past 6 starts, and he has lost 2 of his past 3 starting assignments at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

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Oilers at Golden Knights picks and predictionsPrediction

Golden Knights 4, Oilers 3

The GOLDEN KNIGHTS (-130) are worth a look in Game 2 as they look to level the series before things shift north to Edmonton (+110) for the next 2 games.

The Golden Knights got off to a great start at The Fortress in the opener, but they need to figure out a way to generate more shot attempts and get C Jack Eichel involved more on offense. The Golden Knights had a pair of Stone goals in the first period, but they had just 7 shots on goal in the final 2 periods. It was the first time Vegas lost a playoff game in regulation after leading by at least 2 goals, too. Don’t expect it to happen again.

The Oilers +1.5 (-210) are too expensive for a little insurance, costing 2.1 times the potential return. That’s too much risk for not enough reward.

PASS. If you like Edmonton, just play it straight up instead for a much better value.

The OVER 6.5 (-110) is the lean, but go with a half-unit play at most.

After opening the postseason with 4 consecutive Over results, the Oilers have hit the Under twice in the past 3 outings.

For the Golden Knights, they also cashed Overs in the first 4 playoff games, but the Under has cashed in their last 3. The Over is a popular play, but don’t get carried away.

For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

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