NHL Stanley Cup Odds Update
The top teams from the Western and Eastern Conferences have emerged in the Stanley Cup playoffs. After three hard-fought rounds, the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers have punched their tickets to the finals and will meet Saturday for Game 1. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl can solidify themselves amongst the Oilers’ greats with what would be the franchise’s first Stanley Cup since 1990, and the first Canadian triumph since 1993. But to do so, they’ll need to solve the Panthers, who have put on a defensive masterclass in these playoffs. Bodog’s NHL Stanley Cup odds update covers all bases.
Florida Panthers Odds: Bodog’s Picks
The hockey betting world has been buzzing since we posted the Stanley Cup odds. The Florida Panthers are back for the second straight year and are favoured to hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup. They’re -135 on the moneyline and -1.5 (+160) on the spread to win the series. For Game 1, they’re -133 home favourites on the moneyline and -1.5 (+195) on the spread. The total is set at 5.5 goals.
There are endless other ways to bet on the series in our sportsbook. Pick out the top goalscorer and top point producer for a chance to score an extra payout beyond the series prices.
Paul Maurice: A Profile
After taking the Panthers to the finals last year, Canadian head coach Paul Maurice has returned with a team who is more determined and focused than ever to win the Cup. This is Maurice’s third appearance at the finals, having also brought the Carolina Hurricanes there in 2002 when they lost to the Detroit Red Wings.
Maurice’s 26-season coaching career started with him being the youngest coach in the league and brought him to head coaching positions for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Winnipeg Jets, in addition to the Hurricanes and Panthers. Maurice’s lighthearted and often humorous approach, infused with the occasional profanity, helps break tension with the team when they need it most.
Florida Panthers Season So Far
Florida was a threat from Game 1 to Game 82 in the 2023-24 regular season. They finished first in the Atlantic Division with 110 points and were first in the NHL with a +68 goal differential. That dominance was made possible by outstanding team defense and stellar goaltending. Florida finished first in goals allowed per game (2.42) and the duo of Sergei Bobrovsky and Anthony Stolarz was the best in the league.
Offensively, the Panthers pride themselves in making life difficult for the opposition, and as a result are rightly favourite in Bodog’s Stanley Cup odds. They’re a grinding team that works to cycle and possess the puck in the opponent’s zone. Their star forwards, Matthew Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart, fit that mold perfectly.
Florida Panthers Standout Performers
The leadership group headed by captain Barkov, and supported by Tkachuk and Aaron Ekblad is perhaps what sets the Panthers apart from every other team in the NHL. Barkov is often regarded as the most well-rounded player in the league, while Tkachuk is willing to fight, take a hit and block shots to help his team win. That approach rubs off on the rest of the players and means that you’ll rarely see the Panthers take off a shift.
What had been missing for Florida is the game-changing goaltending that Bobrovsky has offered this season. With the netminder in Vezina form, this version of the Panthers looks unbeatable.
Florida Panthers Stanley Cup History
This is the second straight appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals for the Florida Panthers. The team’s roster is mostly the same and should be well positioned to build on last year’s experience after losing to the Vegas Golden Knights. The only other time Florida has competed for the Cup was way back in 1995-96, when the Panthers were in their third season and lost handily to Patrick Roy, Joe Sakic and the Colorado Avalanche. Back then it was John Vanbiesbrouck between the pipes, Ed Jovanovski was a rookie and Scott Mellanby led the team in scoring. That season started the legend of the rat in Florida, which continues today in the Sunshine State.
Edmonton Oilers Odds: Bodog’s Picks
The Edmonton Oilers have returned to the finals for the first time since their glorious 2006 run as eighth seeds and are +115 underdogs to win the series on the moneyline and +1.5 (-195) on the spread. For Game 1, they’re +112 road dogs on the moneyline and +1.5 (-235) on the spread.
Beyond the standard Stanley Cup odds of gamelines and series prices, there are other ways to bet including most goals and points, which pit players against each other (McDavid v Draisaitl), alternate spreads and totals, and the ever-popular Series Correct Score odds, which offer payouts up to +1400 for nailing the exact series outcome.
Kris Knoblauch: A Profile
The Edmonton Oilers made a head coaching change mid-season, and it paid off. Their rookie head coach Kris Knoblauch came in November when the Oilers were at a low point, sitting seventh in the Pacific Division and third-last in the league for goals allowed per game.
Having coached in the AHL for many seasons, Knoblauch worked with Connor McDavid from 2012 to 2015 in the Ontario Hockey League. He has been referred to as the ‘mad scientist’ due to his bold and sometimes questionable lineup changes. When the Oilers were down 2-1 in their Western Conference series, there were three healthy scratches that created the spark needed to overcome the deficit.
Edmonton Oilers Season So Far
The Stanley Cup odds underdogs have had an unconventional season. While many had the Oilers among the favourites leading into the season because of their immense offensive talent, they were in a huge hole to start the season. At 3-9-1, the Oilers were winless at home and seventh in the Pacific Division. Management made the quick decision to fire coach Jay Woodcroft in favour of the 45-year-old rookie head coach Knoblauch. After he took over, Edmonton went 46-18-5 and finished second in the Pacific.
When the postseason started, Edmonton looked vulnerable at times against the Los Angeles Kings, and the Vancouver Canucks took them to Game 7. But against the Dallas Stars, who many had pegged as the favourites, the Oilers found another gear and resoundingly defeated them 4-2.
Edmonton Oilers Standout Performers
Look no further than Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl for cream of the crop stars on the Oilers. These two regularly finish first and second in the scoring race and have been absolutely dominant for Edmonton in the postseason, combining for a ridiculous 60 points in just 18 games played.
But as we’ve seen with other teams, it takes more than a couple of stars to win in the NHL playoffs. Players such as Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Evan Bouchard have been integral to the Oilers’ supporting cast and have allowed Edmonton to get as far as they have. Goaltender Stuart Skinner has had his ups and downs this postseason, but has been good enough for the Oilers to this point.
Edmonton Oilers Stanley Cup History
It’s hard to compete with the glory days of Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Paul Coffey and Grant Fuhr. Arguably the greatest dynasty of all time, the Oilers of the 1980s were a dream for hockey fans. The youthful genius of Gretzky is what most people remember from this version of the Oilers, but the depth of these teams is what allowed them to win five Stanley Cups in seven years.
Since then, the Oilers haven’t had much luck in the NHL’s second season. They were snake bitten by the Dallas Stars in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and lost their only Stanley Cup Finals appearance in 2005-06 to the Carolina Hurricanes in a seven-game heartbreaker. This is the first real opportunity for this version of the Oilers and you can bet we’ll see the best out of Edmonton’s star players as they seek to begin a new dynasty.
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