Stanley Cup Finals Odds Game 3, Series Update: Can Edmonton Bounce Back?

Although the Florida Panthers dominated the Edmonton Oilers in the first two games of the Stanley Cup finals, losing the first two games on the road isn’t a death sentence. How can the Oilers rebound to become the first Canadian team in over 30 years to claim the cup?

“It ain’t over until it’s over.” That Yogi Berra-ism not only applies to baseball, it applies to all other sports—and life—as well.

That’s the only solace that the Edmonton Oilers have as they return home for games three and four. They have a 6-3 home record in the 2024 playoffs, so they’ve got a shot. Still, the losses in games one and two were demoralizing. The two Oiler stars, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have been held scoreless and Florida Panthers’ goalie Sergei Bobrovsky has stopped 50 of 51 shots in the two games for a .980 save percentage.

Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov, who took a high hit from Draisaitl with 10 minutes remaining in the game, is questionable for game three. Draisaitl avoided a suspension for the hard hit, but did receive a 5-minute major penalty at the end of that game. Barkov is ruled “questionable” for game three.

Odds Shift

So now that the Panthers seem to be on the doorstep of the Stanley Cup, let’s see how the odds have changed. Despite their dominance in the first two games, the Panthers are underdogs in game three at BetMGM at +115 vs. -135 for the Oilers. But for the series now, the Panthers are the overwhelming favorite at +500 vs. -550 for the Panthers.

If you believe Bobrovsky will continue his hot streak, a bet on the Over/Under might make some sense. Will the two teams score less than 6 goals? If you believe that, you can bet the Under for -115. If not the Over is more attractive at -105.

Here’s a good one. With the Florida powerhouse just ramping up, how about a sweep, winning the two games in Edmonton? You can get that at +320. More likely is that the Panthers split in Edmonton and return to Florida to win the cup on their home ice 4-1, so that’s just +240. And maybe Edmonton turns it on and sweeps the next four games? Yeah, right +1100.

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Conn Smythe Over?

After his performance in the first two games, it seems that Panthers’ goalie Sergei Bobrovsky has the Conn Smythe trophy locked up. And the oddsmakers agree, marking him at -160. The vicious hit on Barkov dropped Draisaitl’s odds to +3300. Barkov, however, improved to +480. And because of his lack of scoring in the first two games, the previous favorite, McDavid plunged to +500.

So it’s a pivotal game three but there are still betting opportunities for those who follow their gut.

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