The first match of the Stanley Cup Final between the Edmonton Oilers and the Florida Panthers will take place on June 5 at Rogers Place. Edmonton vs. Florida: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Edmonton Oilers
For the second consecutive season, Chris Knoblauch's team has reached the Stanley Cup Final. In the semifinals, Edmonton faced Dallas, defeating them in five games. Notably, the club is a five-time cup winner, but since the turn of the century, they have reached the final only twice, losing both times in seven games – in 2006 and 2024.
Edmonton ranks second in this playoff in terms of goals scored, having found the net 65 times, but they are also one of the most conceding teams (45 goals). The team is among the top five in power-play conversion in this Stanley Cup run (30%). The club's and league's top scorer in this playoff is Connor McDavid, with 26 points (6 goals, 20 assists), closely followed by Leon Draisaitl, who is currently the second most productive player in this postseason (7 goals, 18 assists).
- Edmonton has scored at least three goals in regular time in their last four home NHL meetings.
- The team has won after three periods in 7 of their last 10 home league games.
- Edmonton has not conceded more than one goal in regular time in their last three home NHL matches.
Florida Panthers
In the Stanley Cup semifinals, Paul Maurice's team faced Carolina, defeating them in five games. This allowed Florida to reach the final for the third consecutive time. Recall that two years ago, the club lost to Vegas in the final series (1-4), but in the 2023/24 season, they defeated Edmonton. Notably, the team has won the Stanley Cup only once in its history.
Florida is the highest-scoring team in the league in this Stanley Cup run, with 66 goals. Additionally, they lead this postseason in penalty killing (87.9%). The club's top scorer in this playoff is Alexander Barkov, with 17 points (6 goals, 11 assists), closely followed by the top sniper of this Stanley Cup, Sam Bennett (10 goals, 6 assists), and Matthew Tkachuk (5 goals, 11 assists).
- Florida has scored at least three goals in regular time in 9 of their last 11 NHL meetings at Edmonton's venue.
- The club has won after three periods in five of their last away league games.
- At least seven goals have been scored in regular time in 7 of Florida's last 8 away NHL matches.
Edmonton vs. Florida: Match Prediction
In this Stanley Cup run, both teams are among the most productive, averaging at least three goals per game. Both teams finished the semifinals almost identically and are therefore on equal footing, meaning a lack of match fitness on one side won’t be a factor.
Edmonton has been consistent in this playoff in terms of scoring, and over a stretch of 16 playoff games, they have only failed twice to score at least three goals. The absence of a key leader like Zach Hyman in the last match did not significantly impact the team's performance, so they are unlikely to face scoring issues. Florida, too, has been stable in this regard, scoring at least three goals in 5 of their last 6 NHL games in regular time. All their key players are fit, and given the opponent's less reliable defense throughout this playoff, Paul Maurice's team should not limit themselves in terms of scoring.
Additionally, in the last 11 NHL meetings at Edmonton's venue, the teams have scored at least six goals in regular time. Edmonton’s squad played with similar productivity in 5 of their last 7 home league games, and Florida did so in 7 of their last 8 away NHL matches. I believe that at least in the first match of the series, both teams should showcase their attacking potential, so my prediction: Total over 5.5 goals
