NHL Props – Stanley Cup Finals Game Three: Florida vs. Edmonton
Game Two was an ugly one for my NHL best bets. I knew the Florida Panthers would come out with a much better jump, but I did not anticipate the Edmonton Oilers to have absolutely nothing to work with. That said, the series is now shifting back to Edmonton, meaning the entire temperature between these two teams will shift.
There’s no denying the fact that Florida now has full control of this series, but what kind of pushback will we see from the Oilers?
The big guns haven’t necessarily been much of a factor for either side through the first two games, will that change on Thursday night?
Let’s get into Game Three’s NHL props.
Florida at Edmonton (-135, 5.5)
Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Reinhart combined for one point in the first two games of this series. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have done the exact same. The difference in Games One and Two was the depth players like Evan Rodrigues stepping up and making a big impact. Rodrigues has now tallied three goals in two games in the Stanley Cup Final, it’s not expected for him to keep this up, so if he’s unable to which guys will step up next? Not just for Florida but for Edmonton as well.
After Game Two, Draisaitl voiced his frustration with his own performance. He knows that if his team is going to have any chance in this series, he has to be one of the guys who raises the level of their game. Draisaitl has zero points and six shots on goal thus far in the series, some may say it all starts with McDavid, but Draisaitl is their most important goal scorer. The Oilers have to create room for Draisaitl on the power play, they’re 0/7 in the series thus far, so you can imagine that adjustments will be made.
For the Panthers, Tkachuk has been relatively quiet as well. He’s been held pointless and has only put up five shots on goal thus far. If Aleksander Barkov is ruled out for Game Three (which is still up in the air), Tkachuk will be one of the players who needs to step it up.
In Game Two, the Oilers forwards only combined for four shots on goal. McDavid and the rest of his troops need to find a way to garner some energy on home ice and shovel pucks towards Sergei Bobrovsky. McDavid was held to the perimeter for most of Game Two, but as good as the Panthers are defensively, it’s not easy to keep him to the outside for multiple games in a row, especially in Edmonton.
It’s time for the big guns to show up in this series.
NHL Props: Leon Draisaitl over 2.5 shots on goal -125 (play to -135) | Matthew Tkachuk over 2.5 shots on goal -160 (play to -170) | Connor McDavid over 3.5 shots on goal +105 (play to -110)
June Record: 4-7 (-3.85 units)
2023-24 record: 196–183 (-19.77 units)
