The road to 16 wins and the Stanley Cup is an arduous one. It of course takes skill and a solid gameplan, but it also takes a level of trust and belief in your teammates, a true hunger to succeed no matter the adversity staring you in the face, and an ounce or two of luck. The Florida Panthers and the Edmonton Oilers have checked all those boxes and will play for a dose of immortality beginning Saturday Night in Sunrise, Florida.
The boys of Bet the EDGE tackled the market for the Conn Smythe, so lets dive into a couple of betting markets for Game 1.
Edmonton Oilers (+114) @ Florida Panthers (-135)
Puck Line: Panthers -1.5 (+185) | Oilers +1.5 (-225) | O/U: 5.5
1st PERIOD TOTAL GOALS
These teams have been off for the better part of a week and thus they should be ready to get after it from the drop of the puck. Fatigue should not be an issue. Each will want to establish themselves and their style of play. The Panthers want to be physical, but do they come out and cross the line and take a few penalties? If they do, McDavid and co. are clicking at over 35% in the playoffs. Do not forget about Sam Reinhart’s proficiency as well on the powerplay. And if you are still thinking it will be a tightly checked, puck in the neutral zone-dominated period, allow me to introduce you to Stuart Skinner. He is no Igor Shesterkin. Enough said. Take the OVER 1.5 Total Goals scored in the 1st Period (-110).
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Bennett is the definition of a player who thrives when the lights are brightest. Back healthy and primarily centering the second line, Bennett averaged a point per game against the Rangers in the East Finals. Assuming Barkov at home gets the full-time assignment on McDavid in Game 1, Bennett and his linemates will be available to dump and chase and generally just wreak havoc in the Oilers’ end. Two potential plays: Bennett OVER 2.5 shots (+114) and OVER 0.5 points (+100).
FLORIDA TEAM GOALS
Igor Shesterkin’s performance in the East Finals was name in the rafters-level stuff. Stuart Skinner has been better since sitting for a couple games a round ago, but the Panthers at home will roll at home. They just keep coming at you. Even if Skinner is strong in net, Florida just wears down their opponent over the course of the game. Between Reinhart and Tkachuk and Bennet, the Panthers also make it difficult for the opposing goaltender to see the puck. Consider either Florida Team Goals OVER 2.5 (-180) OR Stuart Skinner OVER 2.5 Goals Against (-166).
No question the top player and maybe top two players in the Cup Final play for Edmonton. As the series unfolds, it will be interesting to see if Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl can raise the level of play for Edmonton enough to overcome Florida’s depth and experience on this stage. Back with more plays for Game 2.
