The Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers head south in an even Stanley Cup Final.
The pregame narrative: Hockey fans have been treated to an absolute classic series thus far. Two overtime games have revealed just how evenly matched these squads are. Florida fired back in Game 2, but who will break ahead in Game 3?
Check out my Oilers vs. Panthers best bets for Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final, featuring Evan Bouchard and Brad Marchand.
Oilers vs. Panthers best bets
Best Bet: Oilers moneyline (+120)
There’s not much that separates Edmonton and Florida through two games.
The goals are even (8-8) with overtime victories going to either side, but the advanced numbers do an even better job of highlighting the stalemate.
| Category | Edmonton | Florida |
| Expected Goals | 7.03 | 7.02 |
| High-danger chances | 31 | 27 |
| Shot attempts percentage | 48.6% | 51.4% |
There’s really not much of an edge either team can point to in this series.
The reason why I’m picking Edmonton, however, has to do with the performance of each team’s star players.
The Oilers’ top talents have been excellent through the first two games. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have combined for nine points. The Panthers’ best players, Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk, haven’t found much room to operate.
Barkov and Tkachuk have combined for one assist, as the former is still searching for his point of the series.
Could the benefit of playing at home and having last change help free up Florida’s best players? Maybe, but I’d prefer backing players like McDavid and Draisaitl, who are proven to be matchup-proof.
Key stat: Edmonton has won six of its last seven road games, including two series-clinching victories.
Stanley Cup Final Game 3 picks
Marchand to score 1+ points (-112): This price seems too good to ignore.
Marchand has been Florida’s best forward. The ex-Boston Bruins captain has three goals in this series, including the Game 2 overtime winner.
He’s making things happen every time he steps on the ice. Marchand is the only player in the series with a goal at all three strengths.
None of this production is happening by chance, either, as the pesky winger leads all Panthers players in shots on goal (10).
Marchand is tied for second on the Panthers in playoff points (17), and he’s a great pick to find the score sheet at this price.
Bouchard to score a goal (+400): I don’t typically bet on defencemen to score, but Bouchard’s performance in the Stanley Cup Final has been otherworldly.
The rearguard is peppering Sergei Bobrovsky as the Panthers dedicate more attention to the net front than the points. Bouchard leads the series with 15 shots through two games.
The star defenceman was rewarded for his efforts with his first goal of the series in Game 2.
Bouchard has been heavily involved offensively in the Cup Final, as his four points are tied for second among all skaters. He’s a great pick to score a goal at this price.
Oilers vs. Panthers best bets made at 12:35 p.m. ET 06/08/2025.
Stevie’s an avid NFL, NHL, and tennis bettor who has no problem talking himself into the underdog. His previous stops include Yahoo! Sports Canada and Toronto Metropolitan University, where he received a degree in Sport Media.