Panthers vs. Oilers Odds, Preview
| Panthers Odds | +115 |
| Oilers Odds | -138 |
| Over / Under | 5.5 -104 / -118 |
Here's everything you need to know about the Panthers vs. Oilers odds for Game 3 on Thursday, June 13 – our expert NHL prediction and pick.
Game 3 takes us to Canada as the Florida Panthers hold a 2-0 series lead against the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup Final.
Edmonton dominated Game 1, only to have the game stolen by Sergei Bobrovsky. According to MoneyPuck’s Deserve-to-Win O’Meter, the Oilers were, at one point, at 95%.
In Game 2, the Panthers dominated.
With the series changing venues, this is a must-win game for the Oilers. It’s up to Connor McDavid and co. to solve the Panthers' suffocating defense.
Where does the value lie in Game 3? Let’s take a look with my Panthers vs. Oilers pick and prediction.
Florida Panthers
One of the big storylines heading into Thursday is captain Aleksander Barkov’s availability. After getting elbowed in the face by Leon Draisaitl in Game 2, the Panthers are handling Barkov's situation with caution.
Barkov, who's been a defensive stalwart, practiced Wednesday, and coach Paul Maurice didn’t rule him out for Thursday.
Evan Rodrigues is the unlikely star for Florida in this series though. Rodrigues is usually a strong piece to the puzzle, but he's never been a play-driver. However, in the Stanley Cup Final, he's scored a trio of goals.
Defensively, it’s hard to pinpoint who exactly is the standout. Gustav Forsling leads the team with a plus/minus of +14, and throughout the playoffs, the Panthers lead the league with a 2.53 xGA/60. They’ve held that pretty consistently and are at 2.58 through two games in this series.
You can’t talk about Florida without acknowledging Bobrovsky. Determined to win his first Stanley Cup, the Russian stole the show in Game 1 and was a stone in Game 2. He’s also played to a stifling .916 SV% and is third among playoff goalies with a 10.3 goals saved above expected (GSAx).
Edmonton Oilers
The Oilers have to be wondering what more they can do.
Top-heavy teams like rarely work out, but McDavid, Draisaitl, Evan Bouchard and Zach Hyman are good enough to push Edmonton to a title. It seemed like Game 1 was tailor-made for Edmonton to come out on top, but that wasn’t in the cards.
In the playoffs, it’s playing to a strong 53.1 xGF% (expected goals) and has one of the more deadly power plays. However, that power play has gone 0-7, despite many high-danger chances.
Additionally, the aforementioned “Big Four” have been held scoreless.
Stuart Skinner has been a fine netminder. Volatile, sure, but he’s shown up when his team has needed him. In these playoffs, he’s played to an .896 SV% and a 1.0 GSAx, which aren’t typical numbers from a Stanley Cup goaltender.
While Skinner can be a wild card, he isn’t the problem now. He’s let up five goals in two games, which matches up to his average. The team in front of him needs to score, otherwise this is going to be a short series.
Panthers vs. Oilers
Betting Pick & Prediction
I want to bet the under so bad, but deep down, I don’t think I can.
Everything we've seen in the past two games suggests this will be a low-scoring series. I thought it was going to be high-scoring before it started, but it's clear defense and goaltending have been paramount.
Yet, I can’t go against Edmonton at home. The Oilers thrived at home all season (28-9-4) and have gone 6-2-1 in the playoffs.
When the Oilers are humming, Rogers Place gets raucous, which usually means goals are scored. I’m targeting the over and expecting Edmonton to break its dry spell. No matter who wins, this will be a barn burner.
