This article is part of our NHL Picks series.
NHL Bets Tonight: Edmonton Oilers 
at
Florida Panthers 
Game 1 NHL Best Bets and Player Props
The 2024 Stanley Cup Final is set, as the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers will battle in Game 1 on Saturday night at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla. Puck drop is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET, and the game can be viewed on ABC or streamed on ESPN+.
Stay up to date on the Stanley Cup odds now that the finals are here, as well as the latest NHL odds for each game of the series. Going into Game 1, the Panthers are -130 favorites to hoist the Cup. The BetMGM bonus code now gets new players a first-bet offer worth up to $1,500, allowing them to get in on the action for the rest of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Edmonton Oilers have the weight of a nation on their shoulders, as Canada hasn't secured a Stanley Cup since the Montreal Canadiens in 1993. The Oilers are making their first trip to the Stanley Cup Final since 2006, when they lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in seven games.
For the Florida Panthers, they're hoping the third time is a charm. In 1996, the Panthers, still in the early days of their franchise history, were swept by the Colorado Avalanche in the Stanley Cup Final, losing Game 4 on an Uwe Krupp winner at the old Miami Arena. During that playoff run, Scott Mellanby killed a rat at the old, decrepit South Florida arena, and a tradition was born.
The Panthers made their second-ever trip to the Stanley Cup Final last season, coming up short in five games against the Vegas Golden Knights. Florida won its first-ever game in the Stanley Cup Final round in Game 3, a 3-2 overtime win over VGK on June 8, 2023. They're 1-8 all-time in the Stanley Cup Final round.
The Oilers have won the Stanley Cup five times, with the last title coming with the late John Muckler behind the bench in 1990. The other four titles came in 1984, 1985, 1987 and 1988, with Glen Sather as the head coach, and a Hall of Famer named Wayne Gretzky, whom you might have heard about.
The Oilers have a high-octane offense, led by Connor McDavid, making his first-career appearance in the Stanley Cup Final. McDavid leads the team with 26 assists and 31 points in the postseason, including two goals and 12 assists on the power play. Zach Hyman leads the team with 14 goals in the playoffs, while Leon Draisaitl has 10 goals and 28 points. Evan Bouchard has been strong, too, going for six goals, 27 points and a plus-14 rating, with 11 helpers on the man advantage.
The Panthers have seven players with 10 or more points in the postseason, showing off tremendous depth. Matthew Tkachuk leads the team with 14 helpers an 19 points, with six of those assists coming on the power play. Aleksander Barkov and Carter Verhaeghe are tied for second with 17 postseason points, while Verhaeghe and Sam Reinhart have four power-play goals to lead all Panthers.
Look for Florida to use its experience in the Stanley Cup Final last season to help it early on in this series against the more inexperienced Oilers.
NHL Moneyline Bets for Oilers at Panthers
- Oilers ML (-148 at DraftKings)
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Sergei Bobrovsky (12-5-0, 2.20 GAA, .908 SV%, 1 SO) has been tremendous in the playoffs, while Stuart Skinner (11-5-0, 2.50 GAA, .897 SV%, 1 SO) has collected himself after some shaky play in the Vancouver series. In fact, Skinner has allowed just four goals in the past three wins on 76 shots, and he has allowed two or fewer goals in seven of the past eight outings.
Bobrovsky has allowed just five goals in the past three wins on 74 shots, while allowing two or less goals in 10 of the past 11 outings.
With two red-hot goaltenders, goals are going to be at a premium in this series. Look for an Under result in Game 1, and perhaps quite frequently, despite some high-octane offenses and solid power-play units for both sides.
NHL Totals Bets for Edmonton Oilers at Florida Panthers
- Under 5.5 (-105 at Caesars)
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NHL Player Props for Edmonton Oilers at Florida Panthers
It's Game 1, and normally you'll get some big offense early on in a series before things tighten up as the series goes along. However, with Bob and Skinner in between the pipes, playing an Anytime Goal Scorer (AGS) prop is not recommended. We'll have to get creative in Game 1, and we'll give you a special Same-Game Parlay (SGP) play, too.
Looking to the road side, the Panthers might not score a lot in Sunrise in Game 1, but it won't be from lack of trying. The Panthers managed just 3.2 goals per game during the regular season, ranking 11th, but they took 33.7 shots on goal per game, ranking 2nd in the NHL. Look for Skinner to face a lot of rubber in the series opener.
- Stuart Skinner Over 27.5 Total Saves (-119 at Caesars)
On the home side, Aaron Ekblad went on a rubber-eating diet in Game 6. He blocked six shots in the series-clinching win against the New York Rangers, and he had five blocked shots in Game 5. He pays the price on the back end, and the rearguard is a good bet to block at least two shots in this series opener.
- Aaron Ekblad Over 1.5 Blocked Shots (-129 at Caesars)
BONUS – Same-Game Parlay +950 (at Caesars)
- Panthers ML (-150)
- Under 5.5 Goals (-105)
- Stuart Skinner Over 27.5 Total Saves (-119)
- Aaron Ekblad Over 1.5 Blocked Shots (-129)
Let's get it!
