Stars The Favorite in Western Conference Finals Against Connor McDavid, Oilers

What: Dallas Stars vs Edmonton Oilers - Western Conference Finals
When: Game 1 Thursday, May 23rd
Where: American Airlines Arena/Rogers Place

The stage is set for the Western Conference Finals. After the Edmonton Oilers took down the Vancouver Canucks in Game 7 on Monday evening, they will now face the Dallas Stars, who beat the Colorado Avalanche in the conference semis. Game 1 goes on Thursday at the American Airlines Center, with puck drop scheduled for 8:30 PM ET. Edmonton had their struggles against Vancouver but managed to progress to their second west final in the last three years, having lost at this stage to the Avs two seasons ago, who went on to win the Cup. As for Dallas, they lost in the conference finals last season to the Vegas Golden Knights, the same team they eliminated in round one. This should be a great series between a pair of top-notch teams. Continue reading for the Stars vs Oilers series picks.

Before we get into the odds, preview, and prediction, make sure to check out our NHL Playoffs Page and our Stanley Cup Odds.

Stars vs Oilers Series Odds

Team
Dallas Stars	-126	-130	-130
Edmonton Oilers	+112	+110	+110

The Stars are favored to win the series at -130 moneyline odds. The Oilers return at +110. In the last 10 meetings, they've both won five apiece. There's a good chance this series goes the full seven.

This is the first time Edmonton and Dallas are meeting in the playoffs since 2003. The Stars won that conference quarterfinal in six games.

Stars Have Proven Their Worth

Dallas certainly showed their ability in the regular season, finishing at the top of the Central Division with 113 points. But, they weren't handed any easy cards in these playoffs. Despite heading into the postseason as a Wild Card, the Golden Knights were the defending champs and quickly showed why, taking an early 2-0 series lead over the Stars in the first round. At that point, things did not look good for one of the Cup contenders.

But, Peter DeBoer's squad dug deep and eventually advanced, beating Vegas in seven games. The high-flying Avalanche were next and Dallas managed to slow down Nathan MacKinnon and Co., taking them out in six games. Scoring goals has been a bit of an issue for the Stars in the playoffs as they've only averaged 2.92 per game. But, Dallas is also allowing just 2.38 per contest thanks to Jake Oettinger's brilliance in net.

Miro Heiskanen leads the way with 13 points, while Jason Robertson has 12. Rookie Wyatt Johnston has a team-best seven goals in his very first postseason, too. The Stars need to step it up offensively against Edmonton because you just know they will be firing on all cylinders on the opposite end. Dallas must keep up with them.

Can Oilers Finally Get to a Cup?

Edmonton fans have been waiting years to see their team get to the Cup, especially since drafting McDavid. And while they're still four games away from doing so, there's definitely a lot of belief this group can do it. The Oilers manhandled the Los Angeles Kings in round one for the third straight year before the Canucks took them to the absolute brink in round two.

Frankly, no one expected Vancouver to put up such a fight. Edmonton had all of their work cut out for them but they were the ones who rose to the occasion in Game 7 on the road. After a scoreless first, the Oilers erupted in the second period, with Cody Ceci, Zach Hyman, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins all scoring. The Nucks got two back in the third, but it was too little too late.

The main man for the Oilers in the postseason has been Leon Draisaitl, putting up 24 points, including eight goals and 16 assists. McDavid also has 21 points, but 19 of them are assists. Evan Bouchard, Hyman, Nugent-Hopkins, and Evander Kane are all contributing nicely, too. Edmonton has a lot of weapons, having scored 3.83 goals per night in the playoffs. Stuart Skinner has also helped them allow only 2.75 goals per game.

Stars vs Oilers Series Picks

Both of these teams have great balance and depth. I think that's going to be the decider as to who moves on to the Stanley Cup. Dallas was in this spot a year ago, while the Oilers were only two seasons ago. I'll take Edmonton to be the more consistent team across the seven games.

Oilers To win series

+110

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