Conor McDavid is the Wayne Gretzky of his generation. And it’s no coincidence that he plays for the same team that launched Gretzky’s career, the Edmonton Oilers. Could be a coincidence if McDavid mirrors Gretzky’s path to his first Cup?
In 1983, Gretzky and the Oilers went to their first Stanley Cup final and were beaten by the New York Islanders. A year later, the same two teams matched up, and the Oilers reigned as champions, with the Oilers and the Florida Panthers going to a thrilling seven-game series last year before the Panthers won. But the Panthers blew a three-game-to-nothing edge to force game seven. Could this year be a repeat of the 1984 Cup finals?
Oilers fans surely hope this year will be different, and not coincidentally so do the oddsmakers. They have installed the Oilers at a -125 favorite. A bet on the Panthers will return +105 at BetMGM. But there are strong arguments on both sides.
Panther Power
To start with, the Florida Panthers are the defending champions and are appearing in their third consecutive Stanley Cup finals, having won last year and lost to the Vegas Golden Knights two years ago. But they do not have the home ice advantage, so they have to win at least one at Rogers Place in Edmonton to feel comfortable going back to Miami for games three and four. If history teaches us anything, that should not be a problem. After all, Florida beat the Carolina Hurricanes by winning the first two games on the road and the fifth and deciding game on enemy ice. And overall in the playoffs thus far, Florida is 8-2 on the road.
While the Panthers don’t have a McDavid, they do have their own stable of great players. Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk was put on the shelf late in the year, only to return in time for the playoffs, where he has been a monster. Tkachuk has 16 points in 19 games, with 7 goals and 9 assists.
Sam Bennett has been a beast in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He has 16 points and leads the NHL in this year’s playoffs with 10 goals. Aleksander Barkov is the Panthers’ captain and played a key role in shutting down McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in Game 7 of last year’s final. And he leads Florida with 17 points.
For the defense, there is no one better than goalie Sergei Bobrovsky. He was clearly the hero of last year’s Cup, and this year is another key reason the Panthers made it this far.
But the addition of former Boston Bruin Brad Marchand has added new blood to Florida and has helped them get back to the Cup Finals
Oilers Upbeat
First of all, let’s start with the Canada thing. The country that invented hockey has not won the Stanley Cup since 1993, when the Montreal Canadiens emerged victorious. So we’re talking about a 27-year drought. All of Canada is going to be rooting for the Oilers, even though they were extremely jealous of Edmonton during the Gretzky dynasty.
We all know about McDavid. Even if his career ended today, he’d still be in the NHL Hall of Fame. But the fact that he has yet to win a Cup will be held against him, so this series is crucial for his legacy. After all, when Gretzky won in 1984, the Oilers repeated the next three years. But even if we don’t compare McDavid to the GOAT, he needs a Cup under his belt.
The one-two punch of McDavid and Leon Draisaitl is the key to the offense. McDavid leads the NHL playoffs in scoring with 26 points (6 goals, 20 assists) in 16 games, while Draisaitl has 25 points (7 goals, 18 assists). Shutting down at least one of the dynamic duo would go a long way for Florida.
So, other players must come through for the Oilers to take the Cup back to Canada. The most glaring perceived weakness is at goalie, where Stuart Skinner has been the story. He guided the team through the regular season with lots of ups and downs, causing the Oilers to be the road team for the first two series against the Los Angeles Kings and the Vegas Golden Knights. Skinner was so bad in the first two games of the Kings series—stopping only 46 of 58 shots—that he was replaced by Calvin Pickard, who led the team to victory in that series. But Pickard was injured in the second game of the Vegas series, and Skinner was forced back in. He won the next three games and was stellar against the Dallas Stars, winning in five games. So the weakness became a strength, and another Skinner-Bobrovsky showdown is imminent.
Winger Evander Kane, the cagey veteran who blew out his knee in Game 2 of last year’s Cup final, is healthy and could play a crucial role in this year’s final. Observers will be playing close attention to Kane’s matchup with Matthew Tkachuk to see who gets the upper hand.
Despite the loss of Zack Hyman to injury, the Oilers are relatively healthy. Two injured players returned to the lineup in the Dallas series, winger Jeff Skinner and defenseman Mattias Ekholm. Also returning in the Cup series is Connor Brown, the left winger. Brown is a great penalty-killer and good offensive contributor with five goals and three assists this postseason. And with Ekholm paired with Evan Bouchard on defense, the blue line becomes a real strength for Edmonton.
Best Bets for Stanley Cup Final
As we mentioned, the Oilers are slight favorites to take the Cup, so a bet on the overall winner is somewhat of a toss-up. The Oilers are the sentimental favorite, which may account for the small edge.
But how about total goals in the series? Shop around, but many books have it at 35.5 at -115. Last year, the two teams scored 41 in seven games, so if you believe it will go fewer than seven games, the under looks good.
Here’s one that looks sweet. Which player could score 2 goals in any game in the series? Leon Draisaitl is -120, while McDavid is +110. Tkachuk comes in at +200, followed by Aleksander Barkov at +250.
Or how about players who will score more than three goals in the series? Draisaitl is -225, with McDavid at -125. Panthers players Tkachuk and Sam Reinhart get you plus money at +130 and +120, respectively.
Betting on a sweep? Doesn’t happen often. The last time was when the Detroit Red Wings swept the Washington Capitals in 1996. This year, it’s a +700 underdog, while the over 4.5 games is -1600.
There are lots of bets on the championship series, as is the case in all sports. Check out your favorite sports book to get in on the action.
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