2025 NHL Stanley Cup Finals Preview and Predictions – Edmonton Oilers vs. Florida Panthers:
Florida Panthers vs. Edmonton Oilers
Series Price:
Edmonton Oilers (-115)
Florida Panthers (-105)
The Stanley Cup Final gets underway on Wednesday, June 4, as hockey fans are given a rematch of last year’s Cup Final between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers. Edmonton seeks to become the first Canadian-based team to win the Cup since the 1993 Montreal Canadiens. For Connor McDavid and the Oilers, they are looking to follow in the footsteps of Sidney Crosby and the Penguins and Wayne Gretzky and the 1984 Edmonton Oilers, defeating the team they lost to the year prior in the Final. Last year, the Panthers jumped out to a 3-0 series lead before Edmonton stormed back before losing in Game Seven, 2-1.
The Oilers and Panthers have played a combined 33 games in reaching the Final, just three shy of the record (30 games) set by the (1995) New Jersey Devils and Detroit Red Wings, (2008) Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings and the (2022) Tampa Bay Lightning and Colorado Avalanche. After losing the first two games to the Los Angeles Kings in round one, Edmonton won 12 of its next 14 games to earn its chance at redemption against the Florida Panthers.
For the Panthers, they are looking to become the first team to win back-to-back championships since their Florida neighbors, the Tampa Bay Lightning (2020, 2021). Sandwiched around a pair of five-game series wins, Florida was pushed to the brink of elimination by the Toronto Maple Leafs, dropping the first two games of the series before winning in Game Seven. This is the sixth consecutive year a team from Florida will be represented in the Cup Final.
Connor McDavid (26 pts -1st), Leon Draisaitl (25 pts – 2nd), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (18 pts – 4th) and Evan Bouchard (17 pts – 5th) are four of the top five point leaders in this year’s playoffs. But unlike years past, the Oilers are not a top-heavy team. Nineteen different Oilers scored a goal, and 20 different players registered a point. Edmonton leads the playoffs, having eight players with five goals or more, led by 40-year-old Corey Perry and Leon Draisaitl with seven goals.
Like the Oilers, the Panthers have used a balanced attack with 19 different players with a goal and 21 players with a point. All seven Florida defensemen have scored a goal, and Florida has 10 players with at least 10 points or more (most in the playoffs). The Panthers’ Sam Bennett leads the playoffs with 10 goals. Carter Verhaeghe’s 24 goals over the past three postseasons trails only Leon Draisaitl’s 30.
When these two teams met in last year’s Cup Final, Connor McDavid led all players with three goals and 11 points, including back-to-back four-point games. Florida’s Evan Rodrigues’ four goals and seven points led all Panthers players. For the second straight postseason, McDavid leads the playoffs in points (26) and was tied for the team lead with nine points in the Western Conference Final. Evan Rodrigues was one of three Florida Panthers players with seven points in the Eastern Conference Final.
Time to dive into some player props. Let’s start with the Conn Smythe Trophy (Playoff MVP). If the Oilers can knock off the Panthers, barring four shutouts from Stuart Skinner (80/1 to win the Conn Smythe) in the Final, it’s hard not to see Connor McDavid (+100) repeat as the Playoff MVP. If McDavid were to win the award, he would join Wayne Gretzky, Sidney Crosby, Mario Lemieux, Patrick Roy, Bobby Orr and Bernie Parent as players to have won the award multiple times. Other options on the Oilers side are Leon Draisaitl (+850) and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (180/1).
Unlike last season, when McDavid won the Conn Smythe despite being on the losing team, I don’t see that happening again this year. Sergei Bobrovsky is the short shot (+250), and Aleksander Barkov is next up at (+500). I’m already holding a Bobrovsky ticket at (+850). While I am never against making a wager where you can make two and a half times on your investment, I will also sprinkle a half-unit wager on Sam Bennett at 39/1 to win the Conn Smythe.
Here are the best of the rest of the series plays. I am banking on the fact that the Final won’t go the distance. I like the Oilers to get their revenge and win in six games or fewer. My play is Edmonton (-1.5) games at (+182). Like playing both teams to win games by -1.5 goals, I will also play Edmonton to win Game One and win the series (+160) as well as Florida to win Game One and Edmonton to win the series (+420). Two Edmonton player props that are in my portfolio are for Connor McDavid to lead the series in points (+170) and Corey Perry to score at least two goals (-125).
Best of luck to all. Back on Wednesday with my Game One preview.
Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Numbers
6 – The number of Stanley Cup Final appearances by the Oilers, Corey Perry (1-4)
6 – This is the sixth consecutive season that a Florida-based team has reached the Stanley Cup Final. The six appearances equal the state of New York (six from 1979-84) but trail the province of Alberta (eight from 1983 to 1990) and Quebec (10 from 1951 to 1960).
7 – All seven Panthers defensemen have scored a goal in the playoffs
8 – The Number of Oilers players with five goals or more (leads playoffs)
9 – The Florida Panthers are the ninth team in NHL history to make three consecutive Stanley Cup Final appearances.
10 – The Florida Panthers can become the 10th team in NHL history to repeat as Stanley Cup Champions
10 – Number of goals scored by playoffs leading goal scorer, Sam Bennett
10 – Number of Florida Panthers players with 10 or more points (leads playoffs)
11 – Number of consecutive games won in the playoffs by two goals or more
11 – The Edmonton Oilers are 11-5 to the 2nd Period Over 1.5 goals in the playoffs
12 – The Edmonton Oilers are 12-4 to the 3rd Period Over 1.5 goals in the playoffs
12 – Florida Panthers are 12-5 to the full game going Over the total
19 – Number of different goal scorers in the playoffs by the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers
20 – Number of Edmonton Oilers with a point in the playoffs
21 – Number of Florida Panthers with a point in the playoffs
26 – Number of points by Connor McDavid, who leads the playoffs in points
30 – The number of returning players from the Edmonton Oilers (16) and Florida Panthers (14) that played in last year’s Stanley Cup Final.
56 – Number of games won in the playoffs by two goals or more (56-24)
62 – Percentage of games won by the favorite in the playoffs
67 – Percentage of games that underdogs have won and covered the alternate puck line (-1.5 goals)
71 – Percentage of games that favorites have won and covered the puck line (-1.5 goals)
