Edmonton Oilers vs Florida Panthers Stanley Cup Final Preview

The 2024 Stanley Cup Final series is set with the Florida Panthers winning the East and the Edmonton Oilers coming out of the West. This is back-to-back appearances for Florida in the NHL's Cup Final while Edmonton hasn't gone this far since 2006 when they lost to the Carolina Hurricanes. 

Edmonton Oilers vs Florida Panthers Stanley Cup Finals Preview Hub

Edmonton Oilers vs Florida Panthers Stanley Cup Final Schedule

*If necessary

You'll notice there are some bigger gaps in the schedule here. When the series shifts locations both teams will get an extra day's break. Typically a playoff series goes every other day, but you've got two days off before Game 3, 5, 6, and 7.

Edmonton Oilers vs Florida Panthers Stanley Cup Final Winner Odds

Odds as of June 3

Spare a thought for Oilers fans here because rarely does the dog win at this stage of the season. Going back to 2006 - when Edmonton was last in the Finals - the favorite to win the Cup before the start of the final is 14-4 (78%).

Florida knows that all too well. They were +105 dogs against Vegas last year and were swept aside in five games by the eventual champions.

The Cats have the home-ice advantage which they've used to devastating effect with a playoff-leading 0.667 points percentage. Florida also has a playoff-leading road record at 6-2 (0.750 points percentage).

Edmonton Oilers vs Florida Panthers Stanley Cup Final Total Game Odds

Odds as of June 3

The average Stanley Cup Final series length (since 2006) has been 5.9 games. We haven't seen a 7 game series since 2019. If you think Edmonton might win this thing, betting on a 7-game set might be a good bet.

Since 2006, the final has gone to seven games four times. And in three of those instances, the dog going into the final won. So if you think the dog has his day, bet on seven game*.

(*Yeah, I meant for that to rhyme.)

Edmonton Oilers vs Florida Panthers Stanley Cup Final Prediction Odds

Odds as of June 3

We haven't seen a sweep in the Stanley Cup Final since 1998 when Detroit swept their opponents (for the second straight year). So don't waste your time on those long odds. 

I'm looking at Florida in 6 at +500. We already know the favorite wins nearly 80% of the time in the last 17 finals and that the average series length is 5.9 games. I'm frankly surprised that a Panthers 4-2 series win isn't the favorite.

Edmonton Oilers vs Florida Panthers 2023-24 Betting Results

Looking at this season's results I'd start by waging the OVER in this series. We've had no less than six goals here. And the playoffs total is usually lower than the regular season. So you might catch sportsbooks napping at the start of the Stanley Cup Final.

It's also clear that the Panthers have no problem scoring against the Oilers. However, Stuart Skinner didn't play in either game. Skin's career split against Florida is a solid 0.929SV% and 2.53GAA (in two starts though). Maybe Stuart can be a strength for Edmonton instead of a weakness?

Notable Player Performances

Connor McDavid: McJesus leads the playoffs in scoring with 31 points (26 of those are assists) in 18 games. He's been just as ridiculous in this post-season as we're used to seeing him in the regular season. Now the phenom is only four wins away from winning the Cup. If Edmonton wins he's going to be a big reason why.

Just nasty, tbh 😤 pic.twitter.com/KRcj2GF3El

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) June 3, 2024

Matthew Tkachuk: He's also up there in points, leading the Panthers with 19 points in 17 games. But it's beyond scoring with the Rat Prince. You know Chucky is going to do everything in his power to gain that psychological edge by applying all of his skill in the dark arts to get the Oilers off their game.

Tkachuk said he was able to get his mouthguard back after Kreider tried to toss it last night (it didn’t clear the glass).

“I told him it was the best play he made all game,” Tkachuk quipped. pic.twitter.com/Ycn7iaWcfZ

— Jameson Olive (@JamesonCoop) May 29, 2024

Expert Prediction: Panthers (-130), Panthers 4-2 (+500)

I've built my bet brick-by-brick through this piece. I didn't make it obvious (I hope) but look back and it's there. 

The Panthers have won the season matchup against Edmonton and they're favored to win (favorites are 14-4 remember). You can't forget that their path was (in my opinion) more difficult. They went through three of the best goalies in the game, two of which - Shesterkin and Swayman - were practically impervious and still won. Any other team doesn't get as far as Florida.

Edmonton Oilers vs Florida Panthers Historical Betting Trends: Last 10 Games