The Stanley Cup Finals move to Edmonton after Florida took a 2-0 lead on Monday, with the Panthers listed as +115 underdogs at BetMGM.
Everything the Oilers did effectively in Game 1 was wiped away in a 4-1 loss in Game 2.
The Panthers got the ball back and created 63 scoring chances compared to the Oilers’ 47.
With the Panthers’ return to their glue-like defense, coupled with the sensational play of Sergei Bobrovsky, you should think carefully about placing any prop bets or straight bets on the Oilers at this point.
Those lines, along with a dominant performance at home in the playoffs, fuel the talk that they need a break.
In fact, Edmonton is averaging four goals per game on just over 30 shots over the past three series at Rogers Place.
Now it’s the Panthers’ turn to board their first flight over 2,500 miles, and with Aleksander Barkov’s availability uncertain and the team allowing 2.25 goals per game on the road, there could be some room on the scoreboard.
Evan Bouchard, Connor McDavid, Leon Draiseitel and Zach Hyman each have an expected goals rating of at least 2.98 in this series, the highest of any Panther.
It’s also clear that Stuart Skinner is not strong enough to compete against Bobrovsky, a decorated veteran at the highest level.
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Skinner has a .889 save percentage and an expected goals against of 4.34.
In the third game, let’s chase the favorable price of the over as the pendulum swings in the other direction.
play: Panthers vs. Oilers 5.5+ (-104, FanDuel).
