The Florida Panthers aim to avoid having to play one more home game when they visit the Edmonton Oilers on Friday for Game 6 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final. Florida won the first three games of the series to get within one victory of the first championship in franchise history but has been unable to seal the deal, getting outscored 13-4 in losing the last two contests -- including Game 5 at home. Edmonton will attempt to become just the third team in history to force a Game 7 after trailing 0-3 in the Stanley Cup Final.
Opening faceoff at Rogers Place is set for 8 p.m. ET. Edmonton is a -120 favorite (risk $120 to win $100) in the latest Oilers vs. Panthers odds, while the over/under for total goals scored is 5.5. Before making any Panthers vs. Oilers picks, 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 Stanley Cup Final on a 7-4 run on top-rated puck-line picks.
Now, the model has set its sights on Oilers vs. Panthers 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 Panthers vs. Oilers:
- Oilers vs. Panthers money line: Edmonton -120, Florida +100
- Oilers vs. Panthers over/under: 5.5 goals
- Oilers vs. Panthers puck line: Edmonton -1.5 (+210)
- EDM: The Oilers have outscored Florida 15-4 over the last seven periods
- FLA: The Panthers have allowed 13 goals in the last two games after yielding 12 over six contests against the New York Rangers
- Oilers vs. Panthers picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why you should back the Oilers
Limited to a total of just one goal in the first two games of the Stanley Cup Final, Edmonton has produced 16 over the last three contests. The club has netted five tallies in the third period over that span after scoring one in the session over its previous nine contests. The Oilers' special teams have been dangerous since the team was pushed to the brink of elimination, recording three power-play goals and a pair of short-handers in the last two games.
Edmonton owns a 93.9% success rate on the penalty kill, the highest mark over a minimum of 15 games in a postseason since 1978, and has denied its opponents on 43 of their last 44 power-play opportunities while scoring three short-handed goals during that stretch. The Oilers possess five of the eight players with 20 or more points this postseason, with superstar Connor McDavid leading the NHL with 42 -- five shy of the all-time record set in 1985 by the legendary Wayne Gretzky. Evan Bouchard is second with 32, the most by a defenseman in one playoff year, and Leon Draisaitl has collected 30 while Zach Hyman -- who has scored a league-high 15 goals -- and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins have notched 21 apiece. See who to back at SportsLine.
Why you should back the Panthers
Florida has yet to lose three games in a series this postseason and dropped three in a row only twice during the regular season, most recently when they suffered four straight defeats from March 14-23. Matthew Tkachuk came up with his best performance of the Final in Game 5, scoring a goal and setting up another. The 26-year-old left wing recorded just one assist over his previous six contests, including the final two of the Eastern Conference Final against the New York Rangers.
Tkachuk leads the Panthers with 22 points this postseason and needs two to match the franchise record for most in one playoff year, which he set during the team's run to the Stanley Cup Final last year. Carter Verhaeghe has gone four games without a point but remains Florida's top goal scorer with 10, one shy of Tkachuk's franchise postseason mark (2023). Fellow center Evan Rodrigues netted his fourth tally of the series on Tuesday after recording just three over the first three rounds of the playoffs and has landed on the scoresheet in five of his last six contests. Meanwhile, Sam Bennett has been held without a point in only five of his 17 outings this postseason. See who to back at SportsLine.
How to make Oilers vs. Panthers picks
SportsLine's model is leaning Over on the total, projecting 7.1 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 Oilers vs. Panthers in Game 6 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 Panthers vs. Oilers money line to jump on Friday, all from the advanced model that has simulated this matchup 10,000 times.
