Stanley Cup Preview: Florida Panthers vs Edmonton Oilers
Panthers Making Third SCF; Oilers Looking for Sixth Cup
The Florida Panthers (12-5, +16), the favorites for the Stanley Cup, will start the series Saturday at the Amerant Bank Arena after disposing of the New York Rangers in six games.
Their opponent is the Edmonton Oilers (12-6, +16) after cutting the Dallas Stars loose from the postseason in six games. The NHL Stanley Cup standings show the Panthers are looking for their first Cup win in three visits, while the Oilers are seeking their sixth, but first in 34 years.
- The Florida Panthers are a -130 series favorite and a -142 game-one favorite with a total of 5.5 (over -115).
Puck-drop is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET / 5:00 p.m. PT and can be seen on ABC and ESPN+. Let’s begin our 2024 Stanley Cup Final preview from a betting perspective.
Panthers vs Oilers 
Day/Time:
Location: Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise, FL
Streaming: ABC/ESPN+
Plenty of Series Betting Options
Early betting patterns show that the Florida Panthers are the play of professional bettors after the series price opened up at -130 in most spots.
It’s a surprising trend with the Oilers being much more of a public team than the Florida Panthers and historically, pros like to jump on dogs early. A series wager will return +115 with an Oilers win.
This season the Florida Panthers won both meetings from the Edmonton Oilers by a combined score of 10-4, but if history indicates this series future we’re in for a long, entertaining Stanley Cup Final. Over the last 10 meetings, the two NHL teams have split five games with the Panthers outscoring the Oilers 39-27.
- Other betting options include series spread prices with Florida -1.5 (+160) or Edmonton -1.5 (+190)
- Florida was never forced to a game seven in their turn to the Cup making +160 an interesting option
If you’re considering betting a series prop, a better option is the plus-money opportunities with the exact outcome. The Panthers in seven games are a +425 favorite while the Oilers in six are next best option at +475. Florida in six games (+500) jumps off the page immediately.
If you’re looking to bet the number of hockey games the final will go without worrying about who will win, six and seven games are +200, five games +275, four games +600. Let’s continue our 2024 Stanley Cup Final preview by looking at game one-player props.
Player Betting Props in Abundance for Game One
Of course, game one has plenty of chances to cash in early if you’d prefer not to have your money tied up for the length of the series.
Anytime goal scorer NHL odds have Edmonton’s Zach Hyman (14 goals, 4 assists, 18 points) as a +105 favorite with Florida’s Sam Reinhart (8 /4/12) returning +130. Carter Verhaeghe (9/8/17), who leads the Panthers in postseason goals is +155. Edmonton’s second leading goal scorer Leon Draisitl (10/18/28) is +140.
If you’re on board with Hyman, perhaps take it further with a +900 payout if he scores the first goal in game one or Leon Draisitl at +1000. The NHL’s playoff point leader Connor McDavid is +1200. If you prefer to wager on the last goal scored, you can get identical odds on those players.
Reinhart, who scored 57 goals in the NHL regular season, is +1100 to score the game’s last goal. To make it more interesting, perhaps a player’s number of goals scored is the best option with payouts the highest among all the individual player betting options.
If you think Connor McDavid will score two goals or more, books will reward you with a +950 payout and +5000 if he gets a hat trick. Zach Hyman is +700 to score two or more and +2800 with a hatty. That does it for our 2020 Stanley Cup Final betting preview, all the best with your picks and parlays.
For NHL betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
