The Edmonton Oilers can advance to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a win on Saturday when they visit the San Jose Sharks for Game 6 of their opening-round series as +115 underdogs on the NHL betting lines at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Edmonton needed an overtime goal from David Desharnais to claim a 4-3 win as -150 home favourites in Game 5, and holds a 3-2 series lead going into Saturday night’s Oilers versus Sharks betting matchup at the SAP Center in San Jose.
That win gives a big lift to the Oilers, who were dominated in a 7-0 loss as +129 road underdogs in Game 4. Edmonton overcame a 3-1 deficit to force overtime with an early third-period goal in Game 5 before outshooting the Sharks by a 14-2 margin in the extra frame.
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The Oilers have now won 15 of their past 19 games overall while avoiding consecutive losses in that span. As well, Edmonton has claimed victory in six of their last eight meetings with the Sharks since Jan. 26, including three wins in San Jose.
Pegged as -145 favourites for Game 6, San Jose is just 3-4 in its past seven playoff games at home.
Earlier on Saturday night, the Montreal Canadiens will try to avoid being eliminated in the first round for the third time in their past five post-season appearances as they take on the New York Rangers in Game 6 of their series as razor-thin -120 road favourites.
The Canadiens are coming off a disappointing 3-2 overtime loss as -155 home favourites in a Game 5 matchup they dominated early on, and now trail the Rangers 3-2 in the series heading back to Madison Square Garden.
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Montreal has lost five of eight overall, and have seen their Stanley Cup odds dip to +1800 after opening the post-season at +1400, while the Rangers have climbed to +1100. However, the Canadiens look well-positioned to force Game 7 after posting wins in eight of their past 12 games at Madison Square Garden, with three of the losses coming by just a single goal.
And on Saturday afternoon the Minnesota Wild will try to stave off elimination again when they host the St. Louis Blues in Game 5 of their series as -190 betting favourites. The Wild trail 3-1 in the series following a 2-0 Game 4 win as +103 road underdogs, and face a Blues squad that has won 18 of its past 23 games.
