The Edmonton Oilers may have fallen behind 3-0 to start Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final, but they completed a historic comeback to claim a 5-4 victory and pull the series even at 2-2. In Saturday’s Game 5, they head back home as the Florida Panthers travel northward for this pivotal contest.
I’ve gone two for two with first goalscorer predictions so far this series. As DJ Khaled always says, “Another one.” We’re running it back one more time.
Here are the best first goalscorer prop bets for Oilers vs. Panthers Game 5 on Thursday night.
First goalscorer prop bets for Oilers vs. Panthers Game 5
Oilers pick: Connor McDavid (+1000)
Look, McDavid is the best player in the world and remains highly motivated to take the edge in this series, especially as the sting of last year’s Stanley Cup loss probably still lingers. The good news is that he’s putting plenty of shots on goal with 76 across 20 playoff games, an average of 3.8 per contest. The bad news is that only six of those have slipped past the goalie for a score. It’s only a matter of time until McDavid finds the back of the net again, and considering he hasn’t scored a goal over the last four games, a bit of puck luck feels inevitable. Who better to start the scoring in a must-win game than McJesus?
Panthers pick: Matthew Tkachuk (+1600)
Tkachuk has played well this postseason with 21 points in 21 games, but it felt like he disappeared at times and had long stretches without much box-score success. Well, he took his goal tally from five to seven last game with two converted attempts, one of which was actually the opening score of the game. That allowed us to cash our Panthers first goalscorer pick in Game 4, and now that he’s coming off a three-point game, I do believe Tkachuk will be energized on Saturday. I’m very comfortable taking him to score first again since he’s on the ice plenty and has four shots in each of his last two contests.
