The Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers meet Wednesday in the NHL Stanley Cup Finals Game 1 at the Rogers Place. Here’s a Oilers vs Panthers Prediction. This article will include a Oilers vs Panthers Pick.
Florida Panthers Betting Preview
The Florida Panthers beat the Hurricanes in five games and are in the Finals for a third straight season. The Panthers have won five straight road games. The Panthers have allowed three or less goals in nine straight games.
The Florida Panthers are averaging 3.88 goals per game and are scoring 23.2 percent of their power-play opportunities. Sam Bennett leads Florida with 10 goals, Aleksander Barkov has 11 assists, and Sam Reinhart has 41 shots on goal. Defensively, the Florida Panthers are allowing 2.29 goals per game and are killing 87.9 percent of their opponent’s power plays. Sergei Bobrovsky has allowed 36 goals on 408 shots faced.
Edmonton Oilers Betting Preview
The Edmonton Oilers beat the Stars in five games and are in the Finals for a second straight season. The Oilers are 6-1 in these playoffs at home. Two of the Oiler’s four playoff losses have come in game 1.
The Edmonton Oilers are averaging 4.06 goals per game and are scoring 30 percent of their power play opportunities. Leon Draisaitl leads Edmonton with 7 goals, Connor McDavid has 20 assists, and Evander Kane has 38 shots on goal. Defensively, the Edmonton Oilers are allowing 2.81 goals per game and are killing 66 percent of their opponents’ power plays. Stuart Skinner has given up 25 goals on 261 shots faced, and Calvin Pickard has allowed 19 goals on 170 shots.
Why the Edmonton Oilers will win
- The Oilers have won each of their last four games.
- The Oilers have covered the puck line in six of their last seven games.
- The Oilers have won the third period in each of their last five games as favorites against Atlantic Division opponents at Rogers Place when trailing after the second period.
Why the Florida Panthers will win
- The Panthers have won each of their last four games as road underdogs.
- The Oilers have lost five of their last six games against Atlantic Division opponents.
- The road team has covered the puck line in seven of the Panthers’ last eight games.
- The Oilers have failed to cover the puck line in seven of their last eight games as home favorites against Atlantic Division opponents.
- The Oilers have lost the third period in three of their last four night games against Atlantic Division opponents.
Edmonton Oilers Player Prop Facts
- Leon Draisaitl has scored a goal in four of the Oilers’ last five Game 1s of a playoff series.
- Evan Bouchard has recorded at least one point in 11 of the Oilers’ last 12 Game 1s of a playoff series.
- Connor McDavid has recorded at least one assist in 13 of his last 14 home appearances after playing less than 20 minutes in the Oilers’ last game.
- Leon Draisaitl ranks 1st in the league for multi-point games (36) this season.
Florida Panthers Player Prop Facts
- Sam Bennett has scored at least one goal in each of the Panthers’ last four games as road underdogs.
- Carter Verhaeghe has recorded at least one assist in five of the Panthers’ last six games as underdogs.
- Brad Marchand has recorded at least one point in each of his last 12 Wednesday night playoff appearances.
- Aleksander Barkov ranks T1st in the Eastern Conference for shootout goals (4) this season.
Oilers vs Panthers Injury Report
The Oilers will be without Zach Hyman and Alec Regula. Connor Brown is questionable with an illness.
A.J. Greer is questionable for the Panthers due to a lower-body injury.
Oilers vs Panthers Prediction
The Oilers are going to get the benefit of the doubt at home, and they’ve looked like a team on a mission throughout these playoffs. I get it, especially when we saw the Panthers right a wrong last year after losing in the finals the previous year. However, as I’ve said time and time again, I still believe the Panthers are the team to beat.
The Panthers check all of the boxes in a team to win the cup, and they thrive in these situations where they’ve won five straight road games. Since April 2023, the Panthers have won 13 of their last 18 road postseason games as an underdog. The Panthers have won seven of the last 10 games against the Oilers. Throw in the plus money, and I can’t turn down the Panthers. While the Oilers are on a heater offensively, I’m rolling with the road dog.