2025 NHL Stanley Cup Finals Preview and Predictions – Edmonton Oilers vs. Florida Panthers: Florida Panthers vs. Edmonton Oilers Series Price: Edmonton Oilers (-115) Florida Panthers (-105) The Stanley Cup Final gets underway on Wednesday, June 4, as hockey fans are given a rematch of last year’s Cup Final between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers. Edmonton seeks to become the first Canadian-based team to win the Cup since the 1993 Montreal Canadiens. For Connor McDavid and the Oilers, they are looking to follow in the footsteps of Sidney Crosby and the Penguins and Wayne Gretzky and the 1984 Edmonton Oilers, defeating the team they lost to the year prior in the Final. Last year, the Panthers jumped out to a 3-0 series lead before Edmonton stormed back before losing in Game Seven, 2-1. The Oilers and Panthers have played a combined 33 games in reaching the Final, just three shy of the record (30 games) set by the (1995) New Jersey Devils and Detroit Red Wings, (2008) Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings and the (2022) Tampa Bay Lightning and Colorado Avalanche. After losing the first two games to the Los Angeles Kings in round one, Edmonton won 12 of its next 14 games to earn its chance at redemption against the Florida Panthers. For the Panthers, they are looking to become the first team to win back-to-back championships since their Florida neighbors, the Tampa Bay Lightning (2020, 2021). Sandwiched around a pair of five-game series wins, Florida was pushed to the brink of elimination by the Toronto Maple Leafs, dropping the first two games of the series before winning in Game Seven. This is the sixth consecutive year a team from Florida will be represented in the Cup Final. Connor McDavid (26 pts -1st), Leon Draisaitl (25 pts – 2nd), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (18 pts – 4 th ) and Evan Bouchard (17 pts – 5 th ) are four of the top five point leaders in this year’s playoffs. But unlike years past, the Oilers are not a top-heavy team. Nineteen different Oilers scored a goal, and 20 different players registered a point. Edmonton leads the playoffs, having eight players with five goals or more, led by 40-year-old Corey Perry and Leon Draisaitl with seven goals. Like the Oilers, the Panthers have used a balanced attack with 19 different players with a goal and 21 players with a point. All seven Florida defensemen have scored a goal, and Florida has 10 players with at least 10 points or more (most in the playoffs). The Panthers’ Sam Bennett leads the playoffs with 10 goals. Carter Verhaeghe’s 24 goals over the past three postseasons trails only Leon Draisaitl’s 30. When these two teams met in last year’s Cup Final, Connor McDavid led all players with three goals and 11 points, including back-to-back four-point games. Florida’s Evan Rodrigues’ four goals and seven points led all Panthers players. For the second straight postseason, McDavid leads the playoffs in points (26) and was tied for the team lead with nine points in the Western Conference Final. Evan Rodrigues was one of three Florida Panthers players with seven points in the Eastern Conference Final. Time to dive into some player props. Let’s start with the Conn Smythe Trophy (Playoff MVP). If the Oilers can knock off the Panthers, barring four shutouts from Stuart Skinner (80/1 to win the Conn Smythe) in the Final, it’s hard not to see Connor McDavid (+100) repeat as the Playoff MVP. If McDavid were to win the award, he would join Wayne Gretzky, Sidney Crosby, Mario Lemieux, Patrick Roy, Bobby Orr and Bernie Parent as players to have won the award multiple times. Other options on the Oilers side are Leon Draisaitl (+850) and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (180/1). Unlike last season, when McDavid won the Conn Smythe despite being on the losing team, I don’t see that happening again this year. Sergei Bobrovsky is the short shot (+250), and Aleksander Barkov is next up at (+500). I’m already holding a Bobrovsky ticket at (+850). While I am never against making a wager where you can make two and a half times on your investment, I will also sprinkle a half-unit wager on Sam Bennett at 39/1 to win the Conn Smythe. Here are the best of the rest of the series plays. I am banking on the fact that the Final won’t go the distance. I like the Oilers to get their revenge and win in six games or fewer. My play is Edmonton (-1.5) games at (+182). Like playing both teams to win games by -1.5 goals, I will also play Edmonton to win Game One and win the series (+160) as well as Florida to win Game One and Edmonton to win the series (+420). Two Edmonton player props that are in my portfolio are for Connor McDavid to lead the series in points (+170) and Corey Perry to score at least two goals (-125). Best of luck to all. Back on Wednesday with my Game One preview. The post 2025 NHL Stanley Cup Finals Preview and Predictions: Edmonton Oilers vs. Florida Panthers appeared first on VSiN .