Panthers vs. Oilers Prediction, Odds, and Key Players for Stanley Cup Final Game 3

June 13, 2024 Jimm Sallivan

The Florida Panthers head to Edmonton with a 2-0 lead in the Stanley Cup Final. The Oilers are in a near must-win situation in tonight’s Game 3, in danger of falling down 0-3.

The Oilers have been fantastic on their home ice throughout the playoffs. Will that trend continue tonight?

Let’s dive into everything you need to know to bet on tonight’s game.

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

Puck Line

Moneyline

Total

Panthers Injury Report

Oilers Injury Report

Edmonton Oilers

Connor McDavid: Great players step up in big moments and this might just be the biggest moment of Connor McDavid’s career. He needs to drag his team to a Game 3 win and scoring just one goal as a team through the first two games is unacceptable. The Oilers turnaround in this series starts with him.

Florida Panthers

Sergei Bobrovsky: The Panthers’ goalie has stepped up in a big way in this series, allowing just one goal through the first two games. If he continues playing at this level, the Oilers have no chance in this series could be over before the end of the weekend.

I’ve bet the UNDER in the first two games and I see no reason to back away from that. It’s hit in both games and the advanced metrics so far this series have supported the idea both teams are playing a defensive style of hockey.

The Oilers have an expected goals mark of 2.4 per 60 minutes while the Panthers are at 2.33 per 60 minutes. That’s a combined expected goals of just 4.73 per game, well below the set total for Game 3 of 5.5. Both teams are also averaging fewer than 10 high-danger scoring chances per game.

If you want a bet for the side, I’d recommend the Oilers. They have been fantastic on their home ice throughout the postseason with a 6-3 record and an average goal differential of +0.99 per game. It’s desperation time for Edmonton and I expect the Oilers’ stars to come through in impressive fashion.

Picks: Oilers -138 and UNDER 5.5 (-118)

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

You can check out all of Iain’s bets here!

13 Jun 24 Jimm Sallivan

Canadian Air Traffic Controllers Joke About Diverting Panthers Plane Ahead of Game 3

The Florida Panthers have proven a major headache for the Edmonton Oilers thus far in the Stanley Cup Final.

First, Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky dominated Game 1 as Florida scored a 3-0 shutout win. Then, a big third period from center Evan Rodrigues paced the Panthers in Game 2.

Ahead of Game 3 Thursday in Edmonton, drastic measures appear to have been placed on the table. Among them: diverting Florida's team plane from Edmonton, as Canadian air traffic controllers joked about doing Wednesday.

"I've got about a two-hour hold for you, or whatever it would take that you'd be low enough on fuel that you'll have to divert from Edmonton," a controller said over the radio in audio posted by Andy Slater of WMEN-AM in Royal Palm Beach, Fla. "Mention it to your passengers, maybe they'll figure it out."

NEW: Florida Panthers pilots were jokingly told by a Canadian air traffic controller to run low on fuel so the team wouldn’t be able land in Edmonton.
Pilots from other flights join in on the conversation.
(h/t @JOSE97LUIS) pic.twitter.com/IlbauIcVJM
— Andy Slater (@AndySlater) June 13, 2024

That appeared to be followed by authorization for the plane to land in Edmonton "against (the controller's) better judgment."

As Slater noted, pilots from other flights proceeded to join in on the conversation.

"Maybe you can divert them," one noted.

"I threatened them with a hold until they would have to divert," the original controller said, to laughter over multiple radios.

"The last call you guys need is (NHL commissioner) Gary Bettman calling the (air traffic control)," one replied.

3 Jun 24 Jimm Sallivan

Oilers Fend Off Stars in Game 6 to Reach First Stanley Cup Finals Since 2006

Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers are headed to the Stanley Cup Finals.

The Oilers shut the door on the Dallas Stars in Game 6 of the Western Conference Final on Sunday night, propelling themselves to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 2006.

McDavid led the charge offensively, providing two points, including a sublime toe-dragging goal in the first period, in order to lift Edmonton over Dallas, 2–1. The Oilers registered just 10 shots on target in the game, 25 fewer than the Stars and the fewest ever by a team in a win to clinch the Western Conference Final.

Despite their lack of shooting, Edmonton’s special teams effort was sensational. Both Oilers goals game on the power play and they denied Dallas on each of their man advantages on Sunday night. They've prevented a goal on 28 consecutive penalties.

It marks the first time in McDavid's career that he'll be playing in the Stanley Cup Finals, and he'll be looking to help the franchise lift Lord Stanley's Cup for the first time since 1990. The Oilers have five championships in their history, and they'll be looking to add a sixth, with the championship bout against the Florida Panthers due to get underway on Saturday, June 8.

11 Jun 24 Jimm Sallivan

Every Seven-Game Stanley Cup Final Series in History

Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final is one of the most exhilarating scenes in sports, and NHL fans will certainly be hoping to see the championship clash between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers go the distance this year.

Throughout Stanley Cup Playoff history, seven-game series have been a fairly regular occurrence. Since 1939, when the NHL adopted the best-of-seven format, there have been 196 game sevens. Included in that tally is 17 in the Stanley Cup Final, and seven since the turn of the century.

We'll take a look at each of the 17 seven-game series in Stanley Cup Final history:

YEAR	MATCHUP
1942	Toronto Maple Leafs def. Detroit Red Wings, 3–1
1945	Toronto Maple Leafs def. Detroit Red Wings, 2–1
1950	Detroit Red Wings def. New York Rangers, 4–3 (2OT)
1954	Detroit Red Wings def. Montreal Canadiens, 2–1 (OT)
1955	Detroit Red Wings def. Montreal Canadiens, 3–1
1964	Toronto Maple Leafs def. Detroit Red Wings, 4–0
1965	Montreal Canadiens def. Chicago Black Hawks, 4–0
1971	Montreal Canadiens def. Chicago Black Hawks, 3–2
1987	Edmonton Oilers def. Philadelphia Flyers, 3–1
1994	New York Rangers def. Vancouver Canucks, 3–2
2001	Colorado Avalanche def. New Jersey Devils, 3–1
2003	New Jersey Devils def. Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, 3–0
2004	Tampa Bay Lightning def. Calgary Flames, 2–1
2006	Carolina Hurricanes def. Edmonton Oilers, 3–1
2009	Pittsburgh Penguins def. Detroit Red Wings, 2–1
2011	Boston Bruins def. Vancouver Canucks, 4–0
2019	St. Louis Blues def. Boston Bruins, 4–1

The last time the Stanley Cup Final went the distance was in 2019, when the St. Louis Blues defeated the Boston Bruins in Game 7, 4–1, courtesy of goals from Alex Pietrangelo, Ryan O'Reilly, Brayden Schenn and Zach Sanford.

Of the 17 winner-take-all games since 1939 in the Stanley Cup Final, only twice has the game-winning goal occurred in overtime. Both of the two overtime goals were scored by the Detroit Red Wings, in 1950 and '54, respectively. The Red Wings were involved in each of the first six Game 7s under the current format of the Stanley Cup Final, winning three of them.

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Panthers vs. Oilers Prediction, Odds, and Key Players for Stanley Cup Final Game 3

Panthers Injury Report

Oilers Injury Report

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Jimm Sallivan