NHL 2023/24 play-offs, round 1, game 4 on Monday, 29.04.2024
Despite their previous loss at home, the Canadiens have bounced back impressively and regained the lead in the best-of-seven series against the Los Angeles Kings with a convincing win a few days ago.
In my Kings Oilers betting tip, I’m assuming that the course of the game in Game 4 will be similar to last Friday. Because Edmonton should once again be able to overcome the Californians thanks to a strong performance by Leon Draisaitl
As we all know, the 2024 Ice Hockey World Championships will be held in the Czech Republic in May, and the German national team is naturally hoping that all of its professional players on the other side of the Atlantic will be able to take part by then.
However, it looks as if Leon Draisaitl will have to miss at least the opening game and large parts of the group phase of the DEB selection.
Because his Oilers are on a very good path to the next round of the 2024 NHL play-offs. Edmonton could be heading back to Canada as early as tonight with a 3-1 win after games
The first game went 7-4 to the Oilers, but the LAK responded with a 5-4 overtime win. The action then shifted to the west coast of the USA, where there was a clear winner for the first time in this best-of-7 series.
The Oilers won 6:1 and made it clear that even one of the better defenses of the regular season cannot withstand the pressure of their first line for long.
The feared first forward line of Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid in particular has proven to be disastrous for the Kings’ Stanley Cup ambitions so far. That shouldn’t change much tonight either
The duo, consisting of Draisaitls & McDavid, has so far proven to be a number too fast and dynamic on the ice for the Californian defensemen and this can be clearly proven by the bare numbers of the first three games.
Both the Canadian (9) and the German international (7) collected a whole lot of scoring points in these 180 minutes of play – plus overtime in Game 2.
However, it is advisable to prefer Draisaitl in the context of a goal bet. After all, the MVP has scored three goals so far, while McDavid has mostly put the puck in front of his teammates (1 goal, 8 assists)
I’m expecting another win for the Canadians! I’m boosting the otherwise somewhat meagre odds of 1.63 by the additional condition that Draisaitl will contribute to a “W” for his team with a goal after Game 1 and Game 3.
This combo would have earned you odds of around 3.25 in the aforementioned games and this time, too, it has been awarded a comparable value of currently around 3.30 on every decent sports betting app.
What gives an extra boost to Edmonton’s overall chances of success tonight is the fact that standout goalie Stuart Skinner, who excelled in the regular season, just put in his best performance of the series against the Kings.
The Canadiens’ netminder gave the Californians a run for their money, stopping 27 of 28 shots for a .964 save percentage! An all-round strong performance from the goalie!
Meanwhile, Draisaitl could also be motivated for tonight by his latest record book entry! The tendency of North American sports fans to record almost everything statistically is well known.
So it’s no surprise that Germany’s superstar recently broke another record. In his 26th playoff game away from home, the 28-year-old scored his 20th goal, faster than any other player in NHL history.
His eye-catching goal to make it 2-0 after just under 16 minutes – which was followed by four more goals from the Canadiens – perfectly reflected the dominant performance in this away game.
Conclusion: It should be a more or less even game, at least until the Canadiens’ first line hits the ice, then it gets turbulent again.
McDavid and Draisaitl alone have been directly involved in 16 of the Oilers’ 17 goals in this series, how bad is that?
But since the Cologne native seems to be a bit more hungry for goals and has been looking for the finish more often so far, I suspect that it will be the MVP who will pave the way for Edmonton’s victory with his goals again tonight.
My Kings Oilers tip: Win OIL & Draisaitl scores!
