The Stanley Cup Final continues on Friday, and the Edmonton Oilers are favoured to take a 2-0 lead.
The pregame narrative: Edmonton looks to capitalize on home ice, where it has gone a stellar 7-1 this postseason, one more time before heading south. But the Florida Panthers have been dominant on the road during their three straight Cup Final appearances and have been in this spot before.
Check out my Panthers vs. Oilers SGP predictions, featuring Sam Bennett and Evan Bouchard.
Panthers vs. Oilers predictions
Parlay: Panthers +1.5 | Bennett 1+ points | Bouchard 1+ points (+300)
Panthers +1.5 (-235): Florida was hanging on for dear life in overtime before Leon Draisaitl stuck a fork in ’em. But I expect some serious pushback from this seasoned group and wouldn’t be surprised if they won Game 2 handily.
The Panthers are 8-3 on the road this postseason, covering a +1.5 puck line in all of those games.
They’re averaging 4.63 goals per game in those contests and have only lost back-to-back games once in the playoffs.
Edmonton is a force to be reckoned with at home, but Kris Knoblauch’s group was still outplayed for stretches of the opener and needed a late goal to force overtime.
If the Oilers take a 2-0 lead, it won’t be stress-free.
NHL SGP legs
Bennett 1+ points (-139): I cashed a +440 SGP in Game 1 involving Bennett logging a point and will happily run it back while playing this as a standalone. The man is on fire.
- Bennett is leading the Panthers in goals (12) and points (18) in the playoffs after scoring a pair of goals in Game 1.
- The centre also paces the team in xG (7.88), shots (56), and scoring chances (110), per Natural Stat Trick.
Bennett has cashed this wager in eight of his last 11 games and skates alongside Matthew Tkachuk, who found his footing against the Carolina Hurricanes in the ECF.
He’s not the flashiest player, but Bennett has mastered the art of getting greasy goals in the playoffs. I’ll keep riding until proven otherwise.
Bouchard 1+ points (-175): Bouchard is only 25 years old, but he’s flying up the all-time playoff points list for defencemen.
He sits 32nd with 76 points in 70 games and is second in playoff points per game (1.086) by a d-man. The one person ahead of him? Bobby Orr.
Bouchard logged an assist in the series opener and has now cashed this bet in four of his last six games.
He led the Oilers in shots (seven) and shot attempts (14), which makes him a great candidate to score on a screen or log an assist via tip or rebound.
Panthers vs. Oilers predictions made at 11:02 a.m. ET 06/06/2025.
Avery joined NorthStar Gaming as an intern in 2022 before stepping into a full-time role soon after. He loves betting on and analyzing golf — mainly because it’s easier than actually playing — but is a fan of all sports, from the NFL to the UFC.