The Edmonton Oilers fell to the Dallas Stars 6-3 to start this Western Conference Final, but after a 3-0 shutout in Edmonton’s favor on Friday night, these two teams now sit knotted at one game apiece. The series heads back northward tonight in another bitter battle between squads which remain well-acquainted.
Here’s a Oilers vs. Stars Game 3 prediction and pick on DraftKings Sportsbook for the afternoon outing with puck drop slated for 3 p.m. EST.
Oilers vs. Stars Game 3 prediction, pick
After playing as underdogs across the first two games of this series, the Oilers come into Game 3 as -155 favorites to win on the Moneyline. The Stars are listed at +120 on the Moneyline themselves, while the game total is set at 6.5 combined goals.
After the Game 1 blowout, Stuart Skinner came back with an impressive shutout in Game 2. He saved all 25 of Dallas’ shot attempts, including a couple of very close near-misses that might have swung the momentum. The version of him which shows up on any given night still seems like a bit of a coin flip, which makes things unpredictable.
Speaking of unpredictable things, there’s no telling whether Stars center Roope Hintz will play after exiting Friday’s game due to a slash to the shin area by Darnell Nurse. The penalty was surprisingly assessed a minor despite the injury to Hintz, as well as Nurse’s reputation having been suspended four times in his NHL career. There’s been no update on Hintz’s status yet, but since he left the arena in a walking boot, it’s probably best to assume he’s out for Game 3.
If that’s the case, Dallas won’t have their top-line center and second-highest playoff scorer (11 points). Hintz’s absence would really hurt, so it’s difficult to pick Dallas to win in this contest, even with how the team weathered significant injuries during the first round and opening games of the second. With that in mind, I’m running it back again with a heavy favorite and taking the Oilers to win on the Moneyline again.
Best bet: EDM Oilers Moneyline (-155)
