We are just days away from the start of the Stanley Cup Final between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers. Game 1 is set for Saturday night in Sunrise, FL, with the Panthers as home favorites in both the game and series. Both teams are 2-1 in Game 1s this postseason, with each team losing Game 1 of the second round to Boston and Vancouver. What can we expect for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final? Let’s get right into our Stanley Cup Final Game 1 betting preview.
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Stanley Cup Final Game 1 Betting Preview: Edmonton Oilers vs. Florida Panthers
Game Info
- Saturday, June 8th – 8 p.m. EDT
- TV: ABC, ESPN+, SN, CBC, TVAS
- Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise, FL
Stanley Cup Final Game 1 Odds
Edmonton Oilers (+116) | Florida Panthers (-135)
Oilers +1.5 (-225) | Panthers -1.5 (+190)
Over 5.5 (-115) | Under 5.5 (-102)
The Panthers’ odds of -135 imply a 57.45% chance of winning, while the Oilers’ odds of +116 imply a 46.30% chance. The total is set at a low 5.5 as these teams face off in Game 1.
Stanley Cup Final Game 1 Picks & Predictions
Florida won both meetings in the regular season—5-3 at home on November 20th and then 5-1 in Edmonton on December 16th—with both games going over 5.5 goals. In fact, the total in each game was set at 7.
I don’t see that changing much in this series.
The Panthers are one of the best teams, period, but also one of the best at home. They went 26-13-2 at home in the regular season and are 6-2-1 at home in the playoffs. On the flip side, the Oilers were barely over .500 on the road in the regular season at 21-18-2 but are 6-3-0 away from home in the postseason.
Both teams will have had several days off as the Panthers (Saturday) and Oilers (Sunday) both finished things off over the weekend. There should be no rust or rest advantage on either side, with both teams coming in fresh — or as fresh as they can be in the Stanley Cup Final.
As I wrote in the Stanley Cup Final series betting preview, it’s going to be a test of the Oilers’ big guns vs. the Panthers’ depth. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are capable of going off at any moment, but the Panthers do have Aleksander Barkov & Co. to neutralize them. Ultimately, it’ll come down to the play in net, and Sergei Bobrovsky has a much better pedigree than Stuart Skinner.
The Panthers have been one of the best teams in the league for the entire season. After last year’s Stanley Cup Final defeat, they have unfinished business. They’ll pounce on the Oilers to get off to a good start this year.
Stanley Cup Final Game 1 Moneyline: Panthers (-135)
Stanley Cup Final Game 1 Total: Over 5.5 (-115)
