The Florida Panthers and the Oilers will renew acquaintances in Recreation 1 of the Stanley Cup Remaining on Wednesday night time in Edmonton.
Although each groups have modified for the reason that Panthers lifted the Cup after Recreation 7 in 2024, their strengths and weaknesses stay very a lot the identical.
The Panthers, making their third straight journey to the finals and seeking to repeat as champs, are like canine on a hunk of meat.
Florida desires to get pucks behind you, impose their will bodily, and by no means allow you to off the mat.
The Oilers, seeking to avenge their heartbreaking loss in final yr’s finale, need to skate circles round you and let their dynamic duo of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl be the distinction.
Edmonton’s assault is constructed on pace, creativity, and ability, whereas Florida’s is constructed on power and execution.
Each groups have been glorious defensively all through the playoffs.
The goaltending matchup for Recreation 1 is fascinating.
Sergei Bobrovsky has been stellar for the Panthers within the event, whereas Stuart Skinner began horribly, acquired changed by Calvin Pickard, and was thrown again into the beginning position when Pickard acquired injured.
Skinner has been lights-out over the previous month.
Given how final yr’s sequence went, Florida took a 3-0 lead after which Edmonton stormed again earlier than shedding in Recreation 7, you’d think about that each groups will need to forego the standard pleasantries {that a} Recreation 1 can current.
There will likely be no feeling-out course of on this best-of-7. The Oilers will dread the opportunity of falling behind the Panthers once more, and Florida will should be prepared for the tempo that Edmonton will deliver from the drop of the puck.
That ought to create a extra helter-skelter, frenetic tempo to Recreation 1 than you’d suppose you’d see in such a high-pressure atmosphere.
You’d suppose {that a} back-and-forth affair would favor the Oilers, nevertheless it’s the Panthers who ought to thrive in that form of atmosphere.
Florida can beat you in a lot of methods, however the Cats are extremely adept at retaining their composure amidst chaos.
They’re not going to chase you round and attempt to power the difficulty, however will sit again and wait for his or her alternative to hit on the counter.
They belief that Bobrovsky and their protection will maintain them within the sport till they’ll strike.
Given how I undertaking this sport to play out — with these groups buying and selling possibilities and Florida popping out the higher for it — why not construct a same-game parlay correlated to that script?
The primary leg is to again the Over 1.5 objectives within the first interval at -134. I feel this factor flies off the deal with early.
With that being the case, we’ll additionally throw within the Over 6.5 objectives, as a wide-open first interval ought to result in extra of the identical within the subsequent 40 minutes.
From there, we’ll add Panthers -1.5 at +250. If this sport goes to be stuffed with possibilities, there’s probability that will probably be determined by a number of objectives.
Betting on the NHL?
So as to add some severe juice to this practically 100/1 parlay, we’ll add Anton Lundell (+400) as an anytime aim scorer for the Cats.
Lundell’s line has been excellent all through the postseason, and he ought to get a good matchup with each coaches taking part in cat and mouse with Aleksander Barkov, McDavid and Draisaitl.
Lastly, we’ll again McDavid to file Over 4.5 photographs on aim at +320. McDavid leads the playoffs with 59 photographs, and if issues do go off the rails, he ought to have each probability to clear this mark.
For those who wrap all 5 legs collectively in a same-game parlay, it could pay out 97/1.
Not a nasty strategy to begin the Stanley Cup Remaining.
