If you want star power as part of a hockey series, the Western Conference final, between the Colorado Avalanche and Edmonton Oilers, is for you. 

Connor McDavid. Nathan MacKinnon. Leon Draisaitl. Cale Makar. Mikko Rantanen. Gabe Landeskog. It gets underway with Game 1 in Colorado on Tuesday night.

Despite McDavid being the best offensive player of the last 35 years, the Avs have more star power and will be favored to go to their first Stanley Cup final in 21 years. It should be a fun series to watch, though, and the Oilers have surprised a lot of people getting this far. Following the launch of sports betting in Ontario in April, the Oilers are trying to become the first Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup since 1993.

Let’s take a deeper look at the series, from an NHL betting perspective:

Avalanche vs Oilers Odds

Avalanche vs Oilers Betting Tips

TAKE THE OVER: Yeah, strongly consider taking the over in most games. We’re talking some major firepower here for both teams - and both teams have gotten iffy goaltending for much of the postseason. That said, the Oilers will have a harder time scoring goals in this series than the first two. The major reason: The Avs have the puck more often than not. They have a strong puck-possession game, led by top-2 defensive pair, Makar and Devon Toews.

PROP BETS: Strongly consider prop bets on betting apps on MacKinnon and Rantanen scoring goals, especially in the first two games. Rantanen only scored one goal in the last round against St. Louis, and is due for a breakout series. MacKinnon should have a lot of open ice in this series, as Edmonton’s defense doesn’t have the speed to match Colorado’s fast forwards.

CONNOR ON FIRE: McDavid has been unbelievable so far in the postseason, so any offensive prop on him on betting sites is a better than 50/50 wager. You can get -160 at BetMGM on Over 3.5 shots from McDavid in Game 1 on Tuesday.

DARKHORSE PROPS TO TAKE: Shots on goal, on the over, for Nazem Kadri (+130 at BetMGM for Over 3.5 Shots in Game 1) . Shots on goal for Tyson Barrie of the Oilers. Assists on the over for Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. And, lastly, assists on the over for Bo Byram.

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Avalanche vs Oilers Predictions

I think this will be a fun, competitive series. I mean, Connor McDavid vs Nathan MacKinnon in a seven-game series is going to be a treat. 

But I don’t think this series goes seven games. Colorado got over a major mental hurdle with its second-round win over the Blues. That broke an 0-6 streak in the second round, dating back to 2002. 

I think the Avs will play better now that they don’t have to deal with questions about the second-round jinx. Nothing against the Oilers, but they simply haven’t dealt with a team with as much depth as the Avs. Edmonton is a strong club, but too top-heavy to deal with Colorado’s depth over a best-of-seven series.

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McDavid won’t be able to freestyle as much as he did against a very poor Calgary defense the last round. Mike Smith can be tough in goal, but the Avs battered him pretty good in a 2019 series loss to the Avs as a Calgary Flame. 

Edmonton must get the series of his life from Smith if it has any shot at upsetting the Avs, who have home-ice advantage. With McDavid and Dreisaitl, anything is possible. 

But Colorado just has too many horses for the Oilers. 

For your NHL picks on this series, take the Avs in six games. You can get +350 on that bet at Caesars Sportsbook right now.

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