Edmonton Oilers at Calgary Flames Betting Preview/Prop Picks

The Stanley Cup Playoffs continue on Thursday night as there are a couple of Game 5s on the schedule. The Calgary Flames host the Edmonton Oilers in one of those games, and the home team has to win to survive. 

Edmonton is looking to pull off an absolute stunner in this series, and they will also get revenge for some recent disappointment. The Oilers have won three straight games over Calgary, and they have done so in a dominant fashion.

After winning the Pacific Division this season, nothing has come easy for the Flames in the playoffs. Calgary dominated the series opener against Edmonton, but they have really struggled since that win. 

The Calgary Flames are the moneyline betting favorites at -155 in this matchup with the Edmonton Oilers. 

Dynamic Duo Dominating Calgary Defense

The Edmonton Oilers have two of the best players in the NHL, and those two superstars have been carrying the team in the playoffs. Connor McDavid leads all NHL players with 25 playoff points, and Leon Draisaitl is right behind him with 22. 

Edmonton has scored 20 goals through the first four games of this series, and they have completely worn down the Calgary defense. The Oilers are nearly unstoppable on the power play, and they will look to stay hot on Thursday night. 

Goaltender Mike Smith has performed well for the Oilers in the playoffs as well as he has stopped close to 94 percent of shots faced. Edmonton has been doing it all well over the last three games in this series. 

Flames Need More Offense

If the Calgary Flames are going to get back into this series, then they need to find more offense. Calgary has scored just seven total goals over the last three matchups, and they just haven’t been able to keep up. 

Johnny Gaudreau leads the team with 13 postseason points, and he needs to step up for this team. Calgary has to find a way to get an early goal on Thursday night to give the defense a chance to settle into the game.

Calgary leads the league with 184 penalty minutes, and that has become a major issue in this series. Goaltender Jacob Markstrom has struggled mightily in this series, but he hasn’t exactly gotten a ton of help.

Oilers Close Out Calgary

Edmonton has won three straight games, and they have won all three of them by at least two goals. The Oilers have had a history of choking in the playoffs in recent years, but that hasn’t been the case in 2022. 

Calgary just hasn’t been able to score enough goals to keep up in this series, and that will be the case again on Thursday night. It’s been a great season for the Flames, but it’s going to end in disappointment on home ice. 

The Oilers come into this game with a ton of momentum, and they are going to win this game to move on to the Western Conference Finals. Bet the Edmonton Oilers -1.5 over the Calgary Flames in Game 5 of the Western Conference Playoffs.

Prop Picks

Edmonton (+120) OVER 3.5 Goals

Edmonton is averaging 3.5 goals per game on offense, which ranks No. 7 in the league, while scoring on 26.0 percent of its power plays, which ranks No. 3. Scores have gone OVER in eight of the Oilers’ last 11 road games versus Calgary.

With Dunkel predicting a Edmonton victory by the score of 5-3, take the Oilers (+120) to finish OVER their Vegas team total of 3.5 goals against the Flames.

Connor McDavid (+135) OVER 1.5 Assists

McDavid had 79 assists in 80 games during the regular season, which ranked No. 1 on the Oilers and No. 2 in the league. The veteran center has added another 19 assists in 11 games during the postseason, which ranks No. 1 on the Oilers.

With Dunkel predicting an Edmonton win while going OVER its team point total, take McDavid (+135) to finish OVER 1.5 assists versus Calgary.

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