Stanley Cup Final Game 5: Edmonton Oilers at Florida Panthers best prop bet picks and predictions

Here are the 5 best prop bets for Tuesday’s Stanley Cup Final Game 5 between the Oilers and Panthers.

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The Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers meet Tuesday in Game 5 of their best-of-7 Stanley Cup Final. The Panthers lead 3-1. Puck drop from Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla., is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET (ABC/ESPN+). Below, we break down BetMGM Sportsbook’s Stanley Cup Final Game 5 prop bet odds and lines, and tab the 5 best Oilers vs. Panthers prop bets to make among SportsbookWire’s expert NHL picks and predictions.

The Oilers showed signs of life and then some with an 8-1 can-opening in Game 4 at home. Even more astonishing was that it was the role players tickling twine. C Connor McDavid scored his 1st goal of the series, but the game was already in hand, and he really wasn’t as big of a factor as his goal and 3 assists would indicate.

How will the Cats respond to their worst loss of the playoffs? They return home, and they’ll need to flush Game 4 down the toilet and realize they have the opportunity to hoist the franchise’s 1st chalice at home. LW Matthew Tkachuk has done next to nothing offensively in the series, and they’re still on the brink of a title.

BetMGM has issued an Any Sport 33% profit boost token to most users. You can apply it to any of these for a bigger return.

Game 5: Best Oilers at Panthers prop bet picks

Odds provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 12:41 p.m. ET.

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Panthers RW Vladimir Tarasenko OVER 1.5 shots (-175)

I’ve been riding this prop all series, and it has cashed in each game. I’m frankly stunned it hasn’t elevated to 2.5. Vladi has hit this in 8 straight games, and he has goals in the last 2 games. He’s a sniper, and his confidence is through the roof as he sniffs his 2nd Stanley Cup. Look past the juice, because this is cashing again.

Panthers C Aleksander Barkov UNDER 2.5 shots (-145)

Sasha Barkov has 2, 1, 2 and 2 shots on goal in this series. He has been more of a facilitator, and his defensive assignments on McJesus and C Leon Draisaitl have been large priorities. He’s flanked by wingers Sam Reinhart and Evan Rodrigues, and they have 4 goals in this series. It’s not a lock, but I’m feeling the Under here.

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Panthers C Anton Lundell OVER 0.5 points (+115)

You might not know this 22-year-old by name, but he has made a big impact in this series. He centers the 3rd line and plays on the 2nd power play, both of which with Tarasenko, and he has 4 assists in the last 3 games. The books must not know who he is either as we’re still getting plus-money for a single point.

Oilers C Leon Draisaitl OVER 2.5 shots (-140)

Draisaitl has hit this in 3 of 4 games, and the only one he failed to, was Game 2, when he checked out mentally and took a dumb penalty late in the game. He had 2 assists in the runaway Game 4 and doesn’t have a goal in the series. I look for him to try to change that and cash this early.

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Oilers G Stuart Skinner UNDER 26.5 saves (-105)

Skinner was great in Game 4 with 32 saves on 33 shots. That game was in hand early, though. That was the first time in the series he has eclipsed this number. He had 19, 25 and 15 saves in the other 3 games. I look for a different type of game in this elimination game, and I don’t see Skinner making this many stops. He could also be on a short leash since there is no tomorrow guaranteed.

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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

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Stanley Cup Final Game 2: Edmonton Oilers at Florida Panthers best prop bet picks and predictions

Here are the 5 best prop bets for Monday’s Stanley Cup Final Game 2 between the Oilers and Panthers.

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The Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers meet Monday in Game 2 of their best-of-7 Stanley Cup Final. The Panthers lead 1-0. Puck drop from Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla., is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET (ABC/ESPN+). Below, we break down BetMGM Sportsbook’s Stanley Cup Final Game 2 prop bet odds and lines, and tab the 5 best Oilers vs. Panthers prop bets to make among SportsbookWire’s expert NHL picks and predictions.

We drilled 3 of the 5 prop bets in Game 1 as Florida took the opener 3-0. The only 2 we missed on were a single SOG by Zach Hyman and Sam Bennett. Those happen, but we hit on Bennett’s Over 0.5 points for +120 and more than came out ahead.

Florida dominated Game 1 despite being outshot 32-18. LW Matthew Tkachuk only spent 13:57 time on ice as the Panthers deployed C Aleksander Barkov‘s line to combat C Connor McDavid and C Leon Draisaitl. Edmonton’s lethal power play went 0-for-3, and the Panthers outhit the Oilers 57-32. What could be in store for Game 2?

Game 2: Best Oilers at Panthers prop bet picks

Odds provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 1:30 p.m. ET.

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Oilers C Connor McDavid OVER 3.5 shots (-110)

McDavid had 6 SOG in Game 1 as he clearly came out motivated to make an impact. That probably had an effect on Hyman not reaching the 4 SOG needed in Game 1. Barkov is one of the best defensive forwards in the league, and he’s playing McJesus tightly. He still managed to fire 6 on net, and I like the odds here to get 4 again.

Panthers G Sergei Bobrovsky OVER 24.5 saves (-130)

Bobrovsky stopped all 32 shots he faced in Game 1. The Oilers should break through with a couple in this one. However, for the amount of shots they took in a shutout, they are finding the angles and holes in the defense to get them on net. I look for 26+ saves in this one.

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Panthers C Sam Bennett OVER 0.5 points (+115)

Bennett might have been the most impactful player in Game 1. He had 1 assist, 2 SOG and 11 hits in 15:57 TOI. He has a point in 4 straight and 9 of 13 games played in these playoffs. His plus-money output remains ripe after cashing at +120 in Game 1.

Panthers RW Vladimir Tarasenko OVER 1.5 shots (-150)

We’re going back to the well with this one. Vladi scored the eventual game-winner in the clincher against the New York Rangers. He had 2 SOG and 4 hits in 12:22 TOI. I could see an increase in that playing time, and he has 2+ SOG in 5 straight games.

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Oilers C Leon Draisaitl anytime goal (+165)

Draisaitl was kept out of the net for the 3rd straight game Saturday. He is very close to cashing in, though. He had 4 SOG in Game 1, which was the most he had on net in the last 9 games. He’s playing with desperation, and this price is a steal for a superstar itching to score.

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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

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Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl deserved better in the Stanley Cup Playoffs

The NHL playoffs are cruel, and Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl know it only too well.

As it turns out, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl can’t do it all.

The Edmonton Oilers season ended Monday night in the Western Conference Final after being unceremoniously swept out of the playoffs by the Colorado Avalanche. Artturi Lehkonen had the game-winner for the Avalanche in the 6-5 overtime loss, sending the Oilers home packing after a frustrating and unsatisfying end to their season.

There’s probably no one more disheartened at how Edmonton’s season ended than the team’s two star players, McDavid and Draisaitl. After all, the pair led the playoff field in points by a wide margin, with McDavid posting 10 goals and 33 points and Draisaitl right behind with seven goals and 32 points.

The next highest point total from a player in the playoffs? Mika Zibanejad of the New York Rangers with 24.

It’s been 32 years since the Oilers hoisted the Stanley Cup, with this trip to the Western Conference Final the first for McDavid and Draisaitl in their tenure with the team. Given how good Edmonton was for a majority of the season, there’s room for optimism with this team for the future. The Oilers finally seem to have gotten a talented supporting core around their two stars with Evander Kane and Zach Hyman, something Edmonton can build upon in the seasons to come.

And yet, McDavid and Draisaitl deserved better than what they got in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

After yet another season of both McDavid and Draisaitl cresting over 100 points, the pair were the most electric players in this postseason. The Oilers were never out of it when McDavid and Draisaitl were on the ice and it showed. The two combined for just five total games out of 16 played in these playoffs where neither were able to notch a point, with the Oilers going 0-5 in those games.

Not only that, Draisaitl was clearly battling a leg injury for a good portion of these playoffs and yet still managed to put up four huge assists in the deciding Game 4 against the Avalanche.

It’s just a shame the rest of the Oilers weren’t able to rise to even a fraction of McDavid and Draisaitl’s level in the Western Conference Final. A lot of the focus will be on goaltender Mike Smith, who collapsed in key points during this series and gave up some truly awful goals this postseason. The 40-year-old goaltender had some standout moments in the playoffs, but it’s well past time for the Oilers to move on.

The problem? Smith is signed for another season in Edmonton at $2.2 million. It’s a tradable contract for sure, but it’s one that’s indicative of the process that’s still holding this team back from truly being great.

In the Oilers postgame press conference Monday night following their playoff exit, McDavid discussed the process Edmonton has gone through in recent years, which landed them in their first conference final since 2006.

“It feels like it’s steps right?” McDavid said, via NHL.com. “Every team kind of goes through it. They become a playoff team and then they get there most years and then they go on a little bit of a run and they learn that lesson and then it becomes their time to win.

“You look at a Colorado team that’s been in that situation many, many times, and obviously they’re knocking on the door right now. It’s a step in the right direction, but that’s all it is.”

That’s all it is, but it could have been so much more.

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Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl snaps back at reporter as tensions boil over in Edmonton

Leon Draisaitl is not happy!!!

To say things are going poorly for the Edmonton Oilers right now would be an understatement.

Since sitting atop the Pacific Division on December 1 with a 16-5-0 record, the Oilers have lost 12 of its last 14 games — including six straight defeats — and have plummeted out of playoff contention entirely. A big reason why is due to the Oilers’ goaltending duo of Mikko Koskinen and Stuart Skinner playing disastrously this year, with save percentages of .900 and .907 respectively.

However, around Edmonton, a lot of the blame has fallen at the feet of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, two players who have each put up over 50 points this year and are doing everything in their power to drag the Oilers into the playoffs. On Tuesday, frustration boiled over during a press conference with Draisaitl, as the 26-year-old had a very tense interaction with reporter Jim Matheson after a question.

The original question Matheson asks — what the Oilers need to be better at — is a legitimate one, but things spiral once the reporter asks Draisaitl why he is “so pissy” at him.

Here’s the exchange between the two in full:

Matheson: What do you think is the number one reason for the losses now? Is there one thing in your own mind where you say ‘we’ve got to get better at that?’

Draisaitl: We have to get better at everything.

Matheson: Would you like to expand on that?

Draisaitl: Nope. You can do that. You know everything.

Matheson: Why are you so pissy, Leon? Why are you so pissy?

Draisaitl: I’m not, I’m just answering.

Matheson: Yeah you are, whenever I ask you a question.

Draisaitl: I gave you an answer.

Matheson: Not a very good one.

Hilariously, Matheson asks another question after that tense back-and-forth, but Draisaitl clearly is exasperated and his answer is curt at best before the press conference ends.

To me, this is a clear example of playing stupid games and winning stupid prizes. Of course being combative with the person you’re interviewing is going to lead to getting an acrimonious response in turn. Not only that, it’s tense all around in Edmonton with the way the team has been spiraling, so it’s no surprise frustrations are coming to a head here.

Honestly, Edmonton media should be pivoting their hard-hitting questions to general manager Ken Holland, who put the Oilers in this mess with his inability to craft a team around McDavid and Draisaitl, instead of the two players trying harder than most to will this team into playoff contention.

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