Edmonton Oilers vs. Dallas Stars Game 1: Picks, predictions and odds

The 2024 NHL Western Conference Finals feature Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers against young star Wyatt Johnston and the Dallas Stars, and our friends at Daily Faceoff have picks and predictions for Game 1.

The Eastern Conference final kicked off last night, with the Florida Panthers going into Madison Square Garden and stealing Game 1. Sergei Bobrovsky stole the show, and you could just tell from a couple of the saves he made in the first period that nothing was getting by him last night.

Let's get into tonight's picks.

Edmonton Oilers vs. Dallas Stars Game 1 betting picks and predictions

Edmonton Oilers to win (+110)

The Edmonton Oilers are coming off a Game 7 victory against the Vancouver Canucks just three days ago. They found themselves down 3-2, but made a goaltending change and found a way to win both games and advance to their second Western Conference Final in three seasons.

I think it's fair to say that Connor McDavid wasn't the straw that stirred the Oilers drink against the Canucks. He had two games where he had over three points, but other than that, J.T. Miller shut him down. However, in this series, I'm not sure Dallas has that shutdown centreman that’ll be able to limit McDavid offensively.

The Dallas Stars broke down the Colorado Avalanche in what seemed to be a much more lopsided series than the 4-2 outcome. Had the Stars not blown a 3-0 lead in Game 1, they could have wrapped this up in four games. What's even more impressive is that they did all this without their number one centre, Roope Hintz. While he's projected to return at some point in this series, Dallas may struggle to contain Edmonton's superstars with him on the shelf.

In the regular season, these teams met three times, with the Stars winning two games. The lone Oilers win came in overtime, so Dallas never lost in regulation.

However, I’m siding with the Oilers tonight. A similar scenario occurred in the second-round series between the Florida Panthers and Boston Bruins. Boston was coming off a Game 7 victory just a few days before they faced Florida, who had a lengthy break. Edmonton just beat Vancouver in Game 7 three days ago, while Dallas has had nearly a week off.

Over 5.5 Total Goals (-110)

We're also going to be taking the Over tonight. Stuart Skinner is still a little shaky and wasn't tested very often in the final two games of the Vancouver series. He could be susceptible to allowing some squeakers past him.

While Jake Oettinger has been great on the road for Dallas this postseason, his home splits are to be of concern. He has allowed 21 goals in seven home games, compared to eight goals in six road games this playoffs.

Evan Bouchard Over 2.5 Shots on Goal (-160)

The Bouch-Bomb is hitting at an alarming rate, and Edmontonians should be ecstatic with the play from their superstar offensive defenceman.

Bouchard has five goals this playoffs and goals in four of the seven games in the Vancouver series. He also has the third most points in the playoffs with 20, leading the second-best defenceman by five.

But we're on his shots tonight.

Bouchard has covered his shots on goal line in five of seven games against Vancouver, averaging 3.4 shots on 8.7 shot attempts. Bouchard has been road splits than home splits, as he's registered three or more shots in 54% of all his road games this season, averaging 2.9 shots on 6.0 shot attempts per game.

Against the Stars this season, Bouchard covered this line in all three games. In fact, he has four or more shots in all three games, averaging 4.7 shots on 9.7 shot attempts.

The Dallas Stars are allowing 9.5 shots to defensemen so far this playoffs which is good for the second highest amongst all teams that qualified for the postseason.

Edmonton Oilers vs. Dallas Stars Game 1 odds

EDM Oilers	+110 ML
DAL Stars	-130 ML
Spread	DAL Stars -1.5
Total Goals	O/U 5.5

Edmonton Oilers vs. Dallas Stars Game 1 player props

Anytime Goalscorer

Zach Hyman (EDM Oilers)	+120
Leon Draisaitl (EDM Oilers)	+140
Connor McDavid (EDM Oilers)	+155
Wyatt Johnston (DAL Stars)	+170
Jason Robertson (DAL Stars)	+190
Tyler Seguin (DAL Stars)	+275

Odds displayed within this article were correct at the time of writing and are subject to change.