Updated April 20, 2026, 6:47 p.m. ET

The Anaheim Ducks (44-33-6) and the Edmonton Oilers (41-30-11) meet Monday at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, in Game 1 of their best-of-7 Western Conference first-round playoff series. Puck drop is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET (ESPN2). Let’s analyze NHL odds around the Ducks vs. Oilers and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.

Regular-season series: Oilers won 2-1

The Ducks led the Pacific Division for a while this season but ended up settling for third place with 92 points, one fewer than the second-place Oilers — and home ice for this series. Anaheim finished 3 points behind the first-place Vegas Golden Knights.

While Anaheim cobbled together a 5-4 win as a slight road favorite (-120) in the regular-season finale in Nashville on Thursday, the Ducks were still just 2-6-2 in their final 10 games, leaving 14 out of a possible 20 points on the table, crushing their division title dreams. The Over was 6-2-1 in the final 9 games, too, as defense and goaltending were an issue. The Ducks conceded 4.1 goals per game (GPG) in their final 10 outings.

Edmonton throttled Vancouver 6-1 in the finale as a heavy favorite (-365) as the Over (6.5) cashed. C Matt Savoie had a hat trick while C Connor McDavid posted 4 assists and D Evan Bouchard chimed in with 3 helpers.

The Oilers have represented the Western Conference in the Stanley Cup Final in each of the past 2 seasons, losing both times to the Florida Panthers. Edmonton has won 4 consecutive first-round series, all against the Los Angeles Kings.

Watch the NHL on Fubo!Ducks at Oilers odds

Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 4:35 p.m. ET.

Moneyline (ML): Ducks +152 (bet $100 to win $152) | Oilers -184 (bet $184 to win $100)Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Ducks +1.5 (-160) | Oilers -1.5 (+130)Over/Under (O/U): 6.5 (O: -134 | U: +110)Ducks at Oilers projected goalies

Lukas Dostal (30-20-4, 3.12 GAA, .888 SV%) vs. Connor Ingram (16-10-3, 2.60 GAA, .898 SV%, 2 SO)

Dostal struggled down the stretch, and that’s a huge concern for Anaheim. He allowed 3 or more goals in 7 of his final 8 starts, and 4+ goals in 4 of the final 6 outings. He was 1-4-1 with a 3.82 GAA and .836 SV% in 6 April starts as the Ducks were shooting for a division title. Not good.

Ingram emerged as the top goalie in Edmonton thanks to a stellar 2-2-1 record, 2.13 GAA and .907 SV% in 5 games in April. Since March 26 he is 5-2-1 in 8 starts, allowing 3 or fewer goals in 7 of those 8 outings — a stark contrast to Dostal’s splits, for sure.

Ducks at Oilers picks and predictionsPrediction

Oilers 5, Ducks 3

Edmonton (-184) will cost you nearly 2 times your potential return, and that’s way too much risk for not nearly enough reward. Even with a boost or promo, it’s too risky to take the Oilers at this price. They score plenty, but they also give up plenty, especially in these early-round postseason games. No lead is seemingly ever safe.

PASS.

EDMONTON -1.5 (+130) is the play, but hold your nose and cross your fingers.

The Oilers will score plenty against the very giving Dostal, but the Ducks should be able to get to Ingram, too. However, we’ll side with playoff experience as Edmonton has a ton while for Anaheim, though it has a few veterans who have been in the postseason, like Carlson, it’s fewer and further between.

OVER 6.5 (-134) might be the best play on the board.

For the Ducks, you have Dostal who has been a sieve in recent starts. The Over went 6-2-1 in the Ducks’ final 9 games of the regular season. And the Over went 2-1 in the 3 meetings with the Oilers this season, each game totaling 11 combined goals.

The Oilers don’t have C Leon Draisaitl, out for the season with an injury, but this is still a potent offense. It scored 5+ goals in 3 of the final 5 outings of the regular season.

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

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