The Oilers took Game 1 in overtime thanks to the usual magic from the duo of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl and will defend home ice in Game 2 tonight before the series shifts to Florida. On DraftKings Sportsbook, the Panthers are -105 underdogs on the Moneyline with the game total set at O/U 6.5 total goals.
Florida opened at +105 odds on the Moneyline but with 60% of the bets and 55% of the money flooding in, the odds are beginning to shift to a straight-up, pick ’em game. See below for a full preview of tonight’s Oilers vs. Panthers Game 2 matchup as well as my top prediction and pick.
Oilers vs. Panthers Game 2 preview
If Game 1 told us anything, it’s that this Stanley Cup Final rematch is going to be elite. A delay of game penalty in overtime ultimately cost Florida the game as it is already hard enough to limit both McDavid and Draisaitl at even strength, let alone on the man advantage. It wasn’t the outcome that the Panthers wanted but they still recorded the higher 5v5 Corsi percentage in Game 1 and have been historically good on the road this postseason.
Bobrovsky stopped 33-of-36 shots in regulation and then went on to stop an additional 9-of-10 shots in overtime. Still, 42 saves in a Stanley Cup Final game is noteworthy and I’d be willing to bet he comes out stronger in Game 2 and doesn’t let weaker shots slip past him like he did in Game 1. Skinner showed some early jitters but adjusted accordingly as the game went on, stopping 29-of-32 shots in his 26th career postseason win. The goaltending is strong but it can also quickly cancel out due to elite offensive play on both sides.
Edmonton narrowly won the 5v5 expected goal percentage battle (50.39%) in Game 1 and scored three unanswered goals to secure the win at home. Considering the Oilers fell to a 0-3 deficit last Cup Final, this is a good sign for things to come. McDavid has recorded four straight games with at least two points and set up the game-winning overtime goal. Draisaitl netted that game-winning goal and has recorded three straight games with at least two points. These two are the best players in the series and with Aleksander Barkov’s line primarily focused on limiting the Oilers’ potent duo, the Panthers’ other primary pieces not named Sam Bennett need to step up tonight. Bennett scored two of Florida’s three goals in Game 1 but Florida needs its stars––particularly Sam Reinhart and Matthew Tkachuk––to be a bit more noticeable tonight.
Oilers vs. Panthers Game 2 prediction, pick
The Panthers opened at +105 on the Moneyline and I was even able to grab them at +110 early this morning before the odds started to shift.
Now, they hold -105 odds with the public expecting them to even the series tonight. Game 1 stung as someone who backed the Panthers but the difference-maker was a delay of game penalty in overtime, and I’m willing to bet it won’t happen again. Florida has no issue facing adversity and has played its best hockey while on the road this postseason. It had control of Game 1 and was the slightly better 5v5 team, too. This series will be back-and-forth and the Panthers will even the series tonight before it heads to Florida for Games 3 and 4.
