Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA – Photo by Icon Sport
Edmonton Oilers vs Florida Panthers: Stanley Cup Finals Game 5
The Florida Panthers have a chance to win the Stanley Cup trophy tonight when they host the Edmonton Oilers at Amerant Bank Arena.
The Oilers are coming off the biggest win of the season
The Edmonton Oilers struggled in the first three games of the series and found themselves in a deep hole. However, they refused to back down and put up an amazing performance in Game 4, winning 8-1. They were already 3-1 up at the end of the first period but did not stop until the end of the game. Dylan Holloway scored twice, and six other players put their names in the scoring line. Connor McDavid leads the league with 38 points so far in the playoffs, and Leon Draisaitl has added 30 points for the Oilers.
The Panthers can get the job done tonight
The Florida Panthers have been the better team in the series, absolutely dominating the first two games at home and then taking a 3-0 lead on the road. However, the loss in Game 4 was a huge blow to their confidence. Vladimir Tarasenko scored for the Panthers in that game, but that goal made no difference. Aleksander Barkov leads the Panthers with 21 points so far in the playoffs, one more than Matthew Tkachuk.
Betting Trends
The Panthers are 6-1 SU in the last 7 games and 8-2 SU in the last 10 games against teams from the Eastern Conference. They have played under the total goal line in 10 of the last 13 games overall, in 5 of the last 6 home games, and in 9 of the last 13 games against teams from the Pacific Division. The Oilers are 12-4 SU in the last 16 games when visiting Florida but have lost 5 of the last 6 against the Panthers overall. Florida has played under the total goal line in 4 of the last 6 games overall and in the last seven games on the road.
Prediction and Conclusion
It seemed like the Panthers had full control of the series, taking a 3-0 lead, but then the Oilers showed up and had their best game of the season. No team has ever come back after being 3-0 down in the Stanley Cup finals, but it seems that all the Oilers need to do to have a realistic chance of returning is win tonight. They scored only one goal in the first two games on the road in the series but have won 12 of the last 16 visits to Florida, so we are going with the Oilers to keep the series alive and win tonight.
