All of a sudden, the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals have some drama as the Edmonton Oilers have won back-to-back games after trailing 3-0 and host the Florida Panthers in Game 6 on Friday, trying to improve to 5-0 in these playoffs in potential elimination games. The Oilers are favored on the NHL odds.
Florida at Edmonton, Game 6: 2024 NHL Expert Analysis
| NHL Lines: Oilers -125, Panthers +105 (total 5.5) Score Prediction: Oilers 4, Panthers 2 |
Florida Panthers Betting Lines -103
Is it time to worry about goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky? He had been fabulous in these playoffs but was pulled from the Game 4 loss in Edmonton and then not much better in Game 5 in South Florida on Tuesday in the 5-3 loss. The Russian allowed four goals on 23 shots, as the fifth goal was an empty-netter.
Bobrovsky has been torched for nine goals on just 39 shots over the last two games, taking consecutive losses to follow up a six-game winning streak. Early in the series, the 35-year-old was generating Conn Smythe buzz, but that has faded with his recent struggles.
Bobrovsky is 15-7 with a 2.35 GAA and a .906 save percentage over 23 playoff outings and is expected to remain the starter. The Panthers have lost back-to-back games for just the second time this postseason.
“Absolutely nothing has changed for our situation in the last two games, except we learned some things,” Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said. “Some lessons we don’t need to learn. We’ve learned them enough, but we keep getting taught those lessons.”
Matthew Tkachuk recorded his eighth multipoint game of this postseason with a goal and assist in the loss. Tkachuk’s goal was his first since Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. He had been limited to one assist over his previous six appearances.
Overall, Tkachuk has 22 points in these playoffs. His 15 multipoint games in the postseason since the start of the 2023 playoffs are tied for second in the NHL over that span, behind Connor McDavid (20).
Evan Rodrigues also had a goal and assist in the loss. With four goals and two helpers over five Stanley Cup Finals games, Rodrigues has been a standout forward for Florida and has seven goals and seven assists overall in these playoffs.
Only five teams have won the Stanley Cup in a game in which they allowed four or more goals, including only one instance of allowing five or more: 1992 Penguins (6-5 W in Game 4), 1980 Islanders (5-4 W OT in Game 6), 1973 Canadiens (6-4 W in Game 6), 1944 Canadiens (5-4 W OT in Game 4) and 1932 Maple Leafs (6-4 W in Game 3).
The Panthers players say they are disappointed they couldn’t win the Cup at home, but it changes nothing with their focus: “We’ve just got to win one game,” forward Sam Bennett said. “It’s as simple as that. We’re not thinking about that. We’re just thinking about winning one game.”
^MyBookie Stanley Cup Odds & Lines to Win
Edmonton Oilers Betting Lines -123
The Oilers became the first team in NHL history to win Game 5 on the road after facing a 3-0 series deficit in the championship series with Tuesday’s 5-3 win. Overall, Edmonton is the fourth team in NHL history to force a Game 6 after losing the first three contests of the Finals.
Connor Brown scored a shorthanded goal to open the scoring, the second straight contest where Edmonton went up 1-0 via a shorthanded goal (also Mattias Janmark in Game 4). It’s the second time they have tallied shorthanded in consecutive Stanley Cup Finals games.
Brown’s tally was the sixth shorthanded goal in the Stanley Cup Finals for Edmonton all-time. Brown scored his second goal of the playoffs (17 GP), half his goal total from the regular season (71 GP). It was the first shorthanded goal of his playoff career and first in any contest since March 12, 2022 (with Ottawa).
Connor McDavid was brilliant again with two goals and two assists. He became the first player in NHL history with consecutive four-point games at any point in a Stanley Cup Finals.
He and Wayne Gretzky (twice in 1985) are the only players in NHL history with multiple four-point games at any time in a final. McDavid has totaled three goals and eight helpers through five games against the Panthers.
The superstar center is also just the third player in NHL history to collect 40-plus points in a single postseason — he’s at eight goals and 34 helpers. Wayne Gretzky did it three times and holds the record with 47 points in 1985, while Mario Lemieux did it once. McDavid now has more playoff games with 3+ points (18) than he does with 0 points (16).
Defenseman Evan Bouchard notched his 24th, 25th and 26th assists of the 2024 playoffs in Game 5 to break Paul Coffey’s NHL record for most by a defenseman in a single postseason. Bouchard became the sixth defenseman in NHL history with three points in a potential elimination game during the Final.
The Oilers’ 13 goals when facing elimination in the Finals are the most in the NHL’s modern era (since 1943-44) and the second most in NHL history, behind the 19 goals scored by the 1942 Maple Leafs en route to the only successful rally from a 3-0 series deficit in Stanley Cup Finals history.
Edmonton is the 20th team in NHL history – and 10th in the expansion era (since 1967-68) – to win multiple games when facing elimination in a Stanley Cup Final and first since the 2012 Devils (2-1).
The Panthers power play was 0-for-3 in Game 5 has gone 1-for-16 in the series and has been outscored 2-1. Not quite the way the Panthers coaching staff drew it up. Edmonton went 2-for-5 with the man advantage on Tuesday, including Zach Hyman getting his first goal of the Stanley Cup Final on a deflection early in the middle frame.
“Special teams are so important,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. “We won so many games throughout the playoffs and regular season on special teams: power play, penalty kill have been really good.”
^Bet Panthers at Oilers NHL Odds
When: Friday, 8 PM ET
Where: Rogers Place
TV: ABC
Stream: ESPN+
Radio: Tunein.com
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Onto Game 6… 🫡 #StanleyCup
— NHL (@NHL) June 20, 2024
📺: @FlaPanthers vs. @EdmontonOilers Game 6 Friday at 8p ET on ABC, @ESPNPlus, @Sportsnet, Sportsnet+, and @TVASports pic.twitter.com/C4Us3Oyt8V
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