Oilers vs. Panthers: Stanley Cup Final Game 3 odds, picks, prediction
Gambling content 21+. The New York Post may receive an affiliate commission if you sign up through our links. Read our editorial standards for more information.
The Stanley Cup Final rematch between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers may be just two games old, but it has already delivered on the hype.
Game 1 was extraordinary, with the teams exchanging early leads before the Oilers stormed back from 3-1 down to win, 4-3, thanks to a Leon Draisaitl game-winning goal in overtime.
Not to be outdone, Game 2 featured five goals in the first period and a last-gasp game-tying goal from 40-year-old Corey Perry, but it was for naught as hockey's best heel, Brad Marchand, scored on a breakaway in double-overtime to send the series to Florida tied, 1-1.
Oilers vs. Panthers Game 3 betting preview
After earning the split in Edmonton, the Panthers are now priced as the favorites to win the Stanley Cup, though the odds are extremely tight.
Florida is -118 at FanDuel Sportsbook, which is essentially where the Oilers were ahead of Game 1.
In other words, the series started as a coin flip, and it remains one after two games.
And it's not just the odds that are tight; the tale of the tape through nearly nine periods shows us that there's really nothing that separates these two heavyweights.
The Oilers and Panthers have split 16 goals evenly through two games, though the Cats have outscored the Oil, 5-4, at 5-on-5.
Both teams have a pair of power-play goals, but Florida also added a short-handed goal in Game 2.
Things only get tighter from there, as the two teams are separated by 0.01 expected goals (xG) at 5-on-5, per Natural Stat Trick.
Florida has created 7.03 xG at full strength, while Edmonton has generated 7.02.
Getting any separation in this series will be tough, as both teams have proven to be unflappable in big moments.
Nate Schmidt gloves a puck in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final.
AP
Betting on the NHL?
Considering how tight things have been through the first two contests, it is a bit surprising to see Florida getting some love from the bookies for Game 3.
Edmonton closed as a -125 favorite in Game 1, and Game 2 was a pick'em, but the Panthers are sitting at -140 for Game 3.
Ignoring Game 2 because the series scoreline impacted the market for that game (bettors tend to back the team down 1-0 in a best-of-7 when it's supposed to be close), we're seeing a 65-cent shift from Game 1 to Game 3.
Oilers vs. Panthers Game 3 pick
That seems like a bit much, and puts value on the Oilers on the moneyline on Monday night.
And while I will be backing Edmonton, that isn't my favorite bet on the board.
Jake Walman has one goal so far in the 2024-25 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
NHLI via Getty Images
Jake Walman has been superb for the Oilers for the entire playoffs, but he's got more to give offensively.
The smooth-skating defenseman doesn't log a ton of minutes, but he's making the most of his ice-time with 31 shots this postseason, including seven through the first two games of this series.
It was Walman's shot that rebounded to Perry for his tying goal with less than 20 seconds left in the game.
Kris Knoblauch is not afraid to send Walman over the boards in big moments, when the Oilers need a goal, and I think he's great value to find the back of the net in Game 3.
Walman is 15/1 to score a goal on Monday night, and he's a whopping 85/1 to be the first goalscorer.
THE PLAY: Oilers (+126, Caesars Sportsbook) | Jake Walman to score a goal (15/1, BetMGM)
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
23 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Bayern Munich advances in the Club World Cup with 2-1 win over Boca Juniors
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Michael Olise fired Bayern Munich into the knockout stages of the Club World Cup, scoring in the 84th minute for a 2-1 win over Boca Juniors on Friday night. German champion Bayern made it two wins in Group C and advanced to the round of 16 with a game to spare. Olise secured the victory at Hard Rock Stadium after Miguel Merentiel had put Boca in position for a draw with a brilliant solo goal in the 66th. Bayern, which tops the group, took the lead on Harry Kane's clinical finish in the 18th and went on to miss of a slew of chances before Merentiel's equalizer. South American teams had been unbeaten in their first nine games of this expanded Club World Cup. Bayern looked like it would be held until Olise's cool finish. Collecting Kane's layoff inside the box, the forward curled a powerful first-time effort low into the bottom corner. Bayern has the luxury of resting players for its final group game against second-place Benfica on Tuesday, which could be bad news for Boca. Argentine giant Boca, which plays Auckland City, needs Bayern to beat Benfica to have any chance of advancing to the next round. 'We knew it wasn't going to be easy, we knew we were coming into a hostile environment, hot weather, it was tough. It's a massive tournament. We are playing against the best teams in the world. We just have to compete to our highest level and we should be able to beat most teams.' — Kane. 'We have to find a way (to advance). A draw would've been great but it's up to us to compete and do our best and I would not be surprised if that happened.' — Boca Juniors coach Miguel Angel Russo. ___ James Robson is at ___ AP soccer:
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Club World Cup: Is European soccer's superiority being exposed as a myth?
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — European soccer's superiority had, throughout the 21st century, become self-evident; inescapable and irreversible; extreme and presumed. It was apparent in the salaries and prices of players, in the exodus of talent from the Americas and Africa, in the prestige of the UEFA Champions League and, twice per year, on the field. At the former Club World Cup, the seven-team version played each winter, since 2007, European teams played 34 games. They lost once. So they strolled into this expanded version, the 2025 Club World Cup, as runaway favorites. They negotiated outside appearance fees. Their supporters assumed they'd waltz to the latter stages, untouched. Advertisement Instead, halfway through the group stage, they've been humbled. In six games so far against South American opposition, they've lost two, drawn three, won one. They have also dropped seven points to the Saudi Pro League, MLS and Liga MX. Their early stumbles have delighted fans from other continents. They've surprised Western pundits. And they've ignited a combustible debate: Is European club dominance a myth? Or at least exaggerated? The two sides of the Europe-South America debate On one side, there are the raw results and the performances here over the past week. Flamengo didn't just beat Chelsea 3-1 on Friday in Philadelphia; at times, it pummeled the free-spending English Premier League giants. And Fluminense — Brazil's 13th best team last year — held Borussia Dortmund to a 0-0 draw and outplayed what was, a month ago, the hottest team in Germany. Advertisement In almost every single match between South American and European foes, there was evidence that the gap is slimmer than most Europeans (and non-Hispanic Americans) realize. Botafogo's upset of PSG was a so-called 'smash-and-grab,' but even smash-and-grabs require a certain level of physical, technical and tactical quality. Boca Juniors, similarly, bellied up to Bayern Munich and snatched a second-half equalizer, before conceding late. There was also Monterrey 1, Inter Milan 1; and Al Hilal 1, Real Madrid 1, 'a very balanced match,' as Al Hilal fullback João Cancelo said afterward. On paper, per Opta, these were games between the 9th best team in the world and the 81st; between No. 15 and No. 238; No. 4 and 132; No. 7 and 131; No. 6 and 130; No. 8 and 77. On the field, they looked very different, and begged the question: Is Opta wrong? Are the assumptions of European preeminence wrong? Were we all wrong? Flamengo players celebrate during their statement win over Chelsea at the 2025 Club World Cup in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton) (ASSOCIATED PRESS) But on the other side of the debate, there are excuses — or at least other explanations, some legitimate. Advertisement There is the timing of this tournament, which falls at the end of 10-month European seasons, but mid-campaign for clubs from Brazil, Argentina and MLS. Whereas South American teams built up to the Club World Cup, weary European bodies and minds were ready to wind down. Most got a couple weeks off before reconvening with teammates 7-10 days before their Club World Cup openers. 'There are many tournaments that they've had to play, and perhaps they'll arrive with some fatigue,' Inter Miami forward Luis Suarez predicted before the competition began. 'I think there will be some surprise results.' There is also the suffocating U.S. summer heat, which has seemed to affect European teams more than others. 'We are used to the heat,' Al Hilal's Brazilian winger Malcom said after his team hung with Real Madrid on a humid 90-degree afternoon in Miami. Atlético Madrid's Spanish midfielder Marcos Llorente, on the other hand, called an 88-degree afternoon in Southern California 'impossible.' There is travel to which the Europeans aren't accustomed. There are games that kick off after all their friends and family back home are asleep. There are all sorts of confounding variables that preclude the Club World Cup from being an accurate point of comparison. Advertisement And most of all, there is the unavoidable sense, or narrative, that the European teams just don't really care. Many players do, to be clear. But do they care, with every last ounce of their being, like some of their South American counterparts do? There has undoubtedly been an intensity gap that has neutralized the quality gap, and helped some South American sides show well. To them, these games are among the most significant in recent club history. To the Europeans, the Champions League and, in some cases, their domestic league were and are more prestigious. Public attitudes toward the Club World Cup have also colored this excuse. While European fans have stayed home, and in some cases slept through games, supporters of South American and North African clubs have filled stadiums with balloons, flags, banners and unceasing noise. They've turned Palmeiras-Porto and Boca Juniors-Benfica and Flamengo-Chelsea into quasi-home games for the South American teams. That, too, is an equalizing factor. The conclusion None of that entirely explains the upsets. But there is nuance in the conclusion that the gap is somewhat narrower than many thought — because there are also gaps within Europe and within South America. Advertisement There is a massive gulf, for example, between Bayern Munich, which ultimately outclassed Boca here on Friday night; and Porto, which finished third in the Portuguese Primeira Liga, closer to fourth-place Braga than the top two. There is also a massive gulf between Palmeiras or Flamengo, the two most powerful teams in South America's richest league, and most of the other non-European teams at this Club World Cup. What we probably overestimated was the distance between the Portos and the Inter Miamis; between the Dortmunds and the Fluminenses; between the Benficas and Bocas; between the Chelseas and the Flamengos. Most of the teams Porto and Benfica play, weekend after weekend, are probably worse than the top half of MLS — and certainly worse than Boca, River Plate and much of the Brasileirão. Some of the Brasileirão, and certainly the top two, meanwhile, could compete with the top halves of the top flights in Germany, Italy, Spain and France. Advertisement There is still, though, a distance to the tippy-top. 'There is an elite in soccer that is superior,' Flamengo coach Filipe Luis, who played for Atlético Madrid and Chelsea, said Friday. 'Brazilian clubs are competitive at the second level of European football. Flamengo will not devalue themselves against any opponent. But the squads of the elite are better. That's a fact.'
Washington Post
an hour ago
- Washington Post
Fans of Argentinian club Boca Juniors take over South Florida during the Club World Cup
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Boca Juniors plays two of its three group-stage games of the Club World Cup in South Florida, and the Argentinian club's traveling fans have made their presence known. In the club's first game of the tournament, a 2-2 draw against Benfica, the announced attendance of 55,574 at Hard Rock Stadium was mostly Boca fans. Supporters of the club have been highly visible in Miami-Dade County, gathering on the beach in the thousands and singing in local Walmarts.
