Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA – Photo by Icon sport
Edmonton Oilers vs Florida Panthers: Stanley Cup Finals Game 2
The Edmonton Oilers are hoping for a much better performance when the visit the Florida Panthers for Game 2 of the Stanley Cup series on Monday at Amerant Bank Arena.
The Oilers did not show up in Game 1
The Edmonton Oilers made a big deal about getting back to the Stanley Cup final for the first time since 2006, but failing to score in the opening game of the series does not look promising at all. The Oilers were very aggressive in Game 1, having 32 shots against only 18 of the Panthers, but they still failed to convert on any of those shots. Connor McDavid leads the team with 31 points in the playoffs, followed by Leon Drainsaitl with 28.
The Panthers are on the right track
The Florida Panthers finished the regular season in third place in the Eastern Conference, and not many gave them any shot of returning to the Stanley Cup Finals. Now, not that they did that, but the Panthers took a 1-0 series lead with a 3-0 win in the opener. Carter Verhaeghe put Florida on the board at the four-minute mark of the first period. Evan Rodrigues made it 2-0 in the second, and Eetu Luostarinen set the final score on an empty net. Still, goalie Sergei Bobrovsky was the hero for the Panthers with 32 saves. Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov lead the Panthers with 19 points so far in the playoffs.
Betting Trends
Florida is 16-5 SU in their last 21 games overall and 12-3 SU in their last 15 home games. They have played under the total goal line in 9 of their last 10 games overall and in 8 of their last 10 games against teams from the Pacific Division. The Oilers are 6-3 SU in their last 9 games overall, 12-3 SU in their last 15 games against the Panthers, and 8-5 SU in their last 13 games against teams from the Atlantic Division. Edmonton has played under the total goal line in 6 of their last 8 games overall and the last 6 road games.
Prediction and Conclusion
The final score of Game 1 looks like there was only one team on the ice, but that wasn’t the case. The Panthers definitely have momentum, but the Oilers can be dangerous when wounded. Edmonton has bounced back many times in the playoffs, and they will do that again on Monday, tying the series at 1-1.
