Oilers vs Canucks Game 1 Prediction, Odds & Player Prop Picks (Wednesday, May. 8)

Oct 14, 2023; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl (29) looks to make a pass in front of Vancouver Canucks defensemen Tyler Myers (57) during the first period at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports

• We’ve made our Game 1 Oilers vs Canucks prediction for Wednesday night
• Oddsmakers favor Edmonton to take a 1-0 series lead over Vancouver
• Read below for Oilers vs Canucks Game 1 prediction, odds and player props

The Vancouver Canucks and Edmonton Oilers will kick off their Round 1 NHL Playoff series on Wednesday night at Rogers Arena. The puck will drop for Game 1 at 10:00 pm ET, with ESPN and Sportsnet carrying the broadcast.

The Game 1 Canucks vs Oilers odds favor Edmonton to take a 1-0 series lead, with player props forecasting Zach Hyman to make his mark on the scoresheet.

We’ve made our Canucks vs. Oilers Game 1 prediction and found the best odds and player props to bet on.

Oilers vs Canucks Prediction

When making a prediction for Game 1 of this all-Canadian matchup, we’re looking at the Edmonton offense going up against Canucks rookie goalie Artur Silovs. Our best for the game can be found below.

My Best Bets

The Oilers unquestionably looked like the better team in the opening round, hence the reason they are heavily favored in the Canucks vs Oilers series odds. However, the Canucks did take all four regular-season meetings, with the caveat that three of those wins came early in the year.

Edmonton is a different team now than the one that struggled to begin the 2023-24 regular season. A November coaching change sparked their surge up the Western Conference standings. McDavid even referenced Winnipeg beating up Colorado all regular season only to lose to them in the playoffs.

“We know them, they know us, it will be fun.”

McDavid tees up the #Oilers second-round series with the Canucks.@Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/Q07F1XYQwQ

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) May 8, 2024

The Canucks need to stay out of the box in order to win Game 1, as the Oilers have the playoffs’ top power play at a staggering 45% efficiency rate. The Canucks have actually been the superior five-on-five team in the postseason, exemplified by their 52.54 CF% vs. Edmonton’s 42.66 CF%.

Thatcher Demko is still injured for the Canucks, so 23-year-old Latvian netminder Arturs Silovs will make his fourth start of the postseason. Silovs is the true wildcard/x-factor in this series, as we don’t know how he will hold up against this torrid Oilers offense. Silovs’ .938 save percentage is impressive, but Nashville’s offense isn’t on Edmonton’s level.

We’re riding with the Oilers in Game 1, as we don’t think the Edmonton will be available at a better price this series. Vancouver is getting some respect based on their five-on-five play and home-ice advantage, but the Oilers are a solid road team (23-18-2) and hold the goalie edge with the more experienced Stu Skinner.

VAN-EDM Game 1 Pick:

Oilers vs Canucks Odds

The Game 1 odds for Canucks vs Oilers show Edmonton as the -135 road favorite, meaning Kris Knoblauch’s team has an implied probability of taking a 1-0 series lead. Because there is a minus sign in front of their odds, the number represents the amount of money you need to wager to win $100 ($135 wager returns $100).

The Canucks are the +115 home underdog meaning Rick Tocchet’s team has an implied probability to advance. Because there is a plus sign before their odds, the 115  is the amount of money you would win off a $100 wager ($100 bets return $115).

“You’re going to have to grind out wins. It’s hard to win.”

🗣 Head Coach Rick Tocchet speaks on the lessons learned from Round 1, and approach going into the the next series. pic.twitter.com/EZoOZHvM6W

— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) May 7, 2024

There appear to be large bets placed on both sides for Game 1, as Edmonton opened at -135 before lengthening to -125. The Oilers were then bet all the way back up to -145 before coming back down to -135.

As mentioned above, the Oilers are much heavier favorites in the NHL series odds. This is most likely because oddsmakers feel Vancouver is capable of winning a few games in this series, primarily on home ice. Ultimately though, the Stanley Cup odds clearly reflect which team Vegas believes will advance to Round 3.

Odds as of May 8, 2024, at Bet365 Sportsbook. Get up to $1,000 back by using the Bet365 promo code.

Oilers vs Canucks Player Props

When it comes to the NHL player props market, Zach Hyman unsurprisingly has the best odds to light the lamp on Wednesday. He struck seven times in the opening round, while tacking on five assists. Leon Draisaitl is also an intriguing plus-money bet at +100 after he scored five times in Round 1.

In terms of player props to target, we’re interested in Mattias Janmark props, as the forward appears to be slotted in on the top line with McDavid and Hyman due to Adam Henrique being injured. However, most sportsbooks haven’t posted props for the 31-year-old Swede.

A player prop readily available for betting is Ryan Nugent-Hopkins over 0.5 power-play points (+210 at Bet365). Nuge collected a pair of power-play points in the opening round and is currently slotted on the Oilers’ lethal top man-advantage unit.

RNH managed only two power-play points against Vancouver in four regular-season meetings, but he was facing Thatcher Demko in most of those. With the Burnaby, BC native averaging over three mins of power-play time, he’s the best value on an Oilers’ lethal PP unit that should exploit the rookie Silovs.

Prop Pick:

Canucks-Oilers Game 1 Injury Report

The Canucks and Oilers are both dealing with key injuries as they prepare for Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinals matchup. The Oilers’ Adam Henrique is doubtful with a lower-body injury, while the Canucks’ Thatcher Demko remains out indefinitely with a knee injury

Elias Pettersson is probable for Game 1 despite battling an illness, according to head coach Rick Tocchet. However, defenseman Tucker Poolman will miss the entire 2023-24 season due to migraines.

Both teams will need to rely on their roster depth to compensate for these absences. The Oilers will need to replace Henrique on their top line, while the Canucks must rely on their backup goaltender Silovs to fill the void left by Demko.

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