Panthers open as Stanley Cup favorites over Oilers

The Panthers are favored to win the Stanley Cup over the Oilers after Edmonton punched its ticket to the finals Sunday night.

Florida is -130 at theScore Bet to hoist Lord Stanley's Cup (56.5% implied probability), while Edmonton sits at +110 (47.6% chance).

The Panthers decisively won both regular-season meetings between these two teams, but Stuart Skinner didn't start either game for the Oilers. Backup netminder Calvin Pickard allowed a combined nine goals.

The Oilers' second trip to Florida came on December 16, and they began their 16-game winning streak two games later. Despite that epic run, the Oilers are still the underdogs. The Panthers won the President's Trophy in 2021-22, made the 2023 Stanley Cup Final, and haven't needed a seventh game on this postseason run.

But the Panthers don't have three-time Hart Trophy and five-time Art Ross Trophy winner Connor McDavid.

Despite not playing for the favored side, McDavid sits atop the oddsboard for the Conn Smythe Trophy at +200. The next three players with the shortest odds are all Panthers: Aleksander Barkov (+400), Sergei Bobrovsky (+400), and Matthew Tkachuk (+600).

McDavid leads the Stanley Cup Playoffs in points, notably scoring a critical overtime winner in Game 1 of the Western Conference Final alongside a highlight-reel tally to open the scoring in Edmonton's series-clinching Game 6 win.

CONNOR M̶C̶D̶A̶V̶I̶D̶ MCNASTY, ARE YOU SERIOUS 😱🚨

(🎥: @Sportsnet)pic.twitter.com/PFv8xoHyW5

— theScore (@theScore) June 3, 2024

Bobrovsky's Conn Smythe odds underwent the biggest change in one round, going from +2500 before the Eastern Conference Final to +400, catapulting him to become his team's co-favorite.

Florida is 0-for-2 in the Stanley Cup Finals in franchise history. Meanwhile, the Oilers have only one final appearance since their run of five Stanley Cups in seven years ended in 1990 - three years before the Panthers' inaugural season.

Continue to check in with theScore for more Stanley Cup Final betting content leading up to Game 1 on Saturday, June 8th.

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