The last two teams that reached the Stanley Cup Final after losing in the championship round the previous season wound up winning the prestigious trophy. The Florida Panthers have a chance to continue the trend beginning on Saturday, when they host the Edmonton Oilers for Game 1 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final. Florida, which lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in the Final last year, looks to follow in the footsteps of the 1984 Oilers and 2009 Pittsburgh Penguins and win the title for the first time in franchise history. Edmonton, which is a five-time champion, is making its first appearance in the Stanley Cup Final since losing to the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006. The clubs' locations are separated by 2,541 miles, the largest distance between two cities in Stanley Cup Final history.
Opening faceoff at Amerant Bank Arena is set for 8 p.m. ET. Florida is a -139 favorite (risk $139 to win $100) in the latest Panthers vs. Oilers odds, while the over/under for total goals scored is 5.5. Before making any Oilers vs. Panthers picks or Stanley Cup Final predictions, you need to check out the NHL predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.
SportsLine's model simulates every NHL game 10,000 times, taking into account factors like current form, individual matchups, injuries and short- and long-term trends when making NHL picks. It entered the 2024 NHL playoffs on a 7-4 run on top-rated puck-line picks.
Now, the model has set its sights on Panthers vs. Oilers and just locked in its NHL picks and Stanley Cup Final predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are the latest NHL odds and trends for Oilers vs. Panthers:
- Panthers vs. Oilers money line: Florida -139, Edmonton +117
- Panthers vs. Oilers over/under: 5.5 goals
- Panthers vs. Oilers puck line: Florida -1.5 (+185)
- FLA: The Panthers are 11-3 in their past 14 games at home
- EDM: The Oilers are 12-2 in their last 14 games on the road against Florida
- Panthers vs. Oilers picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why you should back the Panthers
Edmonton enjoyed a stretch in the regular season during which it lost only six times in 33 games, but two of those defeats came against Florida. The Panthers posted a 5-3 victory at home on Nov. 20 and cruised to a 5-1 triumph at Edmonton nearly a month later. Carter Verhaeghe amassed three goals and two assists in the season series, fellow center Sam Bennett netted two tallies and set up two others and defenseman Niko Mikkola scored two of his career high-tying three goals in 2023-24 in the first matchup.
Verhaeghe leads the Panthers with nine goals in these playoffs and is two away from matching the franchise record for one postseason set last year by left wing Matthew Tkachuk. The 26-year-old Tkachuk also owns the team mark for assists in a postseason with the 14 he has notched through the first three rounds and tops Florida with 19 points. Tkachuk, who spent his first six NHL seasons with Calgary, recorded three goals and an assist over four games in the Flames' second-round loss to the Oilers in the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs. Edmonton has the most potent power play this postseason (37.3%), but the Panthers rank second in penalty-killing with an 88.2% success rate. See who to back at SportsLine.
Why you should back the Oilers
Zach Hyman leads all players this postseason with 14 goals and ranks second with five power-play tallies. The 31-year-old left wing, who was third in the NHL during the regular season with a career-high 54 goals, needs five tallies to match the record for one postseason set in 1976 by Philadelphia Flyers right wing Reggie Leach and matched by Edmonton's Jari Kurri in 1985. Center Leon Draisaitl is second among all players with 10 playoff goals, with six coming on the power play to give him the league lead.
Captain Connor McDavid is the playoff leader in assists (26) and points (31), as he has been kept off the scoresheet in only four of Edmonton's 18 games. The 27-year-old superstar needs five assists to tie the legendary Wayne Gretzky (31 in 1998) for most in one postseason. Evan Bouchard has notched 21 assists, putting him behind only Paul Coffey (25 in 1985), Al MacInnis (24 in 1989) and Brian Leetch (23 in 1994) for most by a defenseman in a single playoff year. See who to back at SportsLine.
How to make Panthers vs. Oilers picks
SportsLine's model is leaning Over on the total, projecting 5.6 combined goals. It also says one side of the money line has all the value. You can only get the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Panthers vs. Oilers in Game 1 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, and which side of the money line has all the value? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Oilers vs. Panthers money line to jump on Saturday, all from the advanced model that has simulated this matchup 10,000 times.
