Updated April 20, 2026, 6:47 p.m. ET<\/p>\n
The Anaheim Ducks<\/a> (44-33-6) and the Edmonton Oilers<\/a> (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<\/a>.<\/p>\n Regular-season series: Oilers won 2-1<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Watch the NHL on Fubo!<\/a>Ducks at Oilers odds<\/p>\n Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub<\/a> for a full list. Lines last updated at 4:35 p.m. ET.<\/p>\n 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<\/p>\n Lukas Dostal (30-20-4, 3.12 GAA, .888 SV%) vs. Connor Ingram (16-10-3, 2.60 GAA, .898 SV%, 2 SO)<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Ducks at Oilers picks and predictionsPrediction<\/p>\n Oilers 5, Ducks 3<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n PASS.<\/p>\n EDMONTON -1.5 (+130) is the play, but hold your nose and cross your fingers.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n OVER 6.5 (-134) might be the best play on the board.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com<\/a> and BetFTW<\/a>.<\/p>\n Follow @danieledobish<\/a> on\u00a0Twitter\/X.\u00a0Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter\/X<\/a> and like us on Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n