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The NHL Stanley Cup Final is as hectic as ever, with the series between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers tied at 1-1, who knows what to expect heading into Game 3. Both teams look exceptionally strong, making for a spectacular playoff series of hockey.
Don’t miss the puck drop tonight at 8 PM ET at Amerant Bank Arena, but not before reviewing our special picks for the game and deciding whether they’re something you want to fade or follow!
The Oilers were coming into Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on a high after defeating the Dallas Stars comfortably 4-1 in the series. Facing off against the Panthers for the trophy in Game 1, the game sat at 3-3 as it headed to OT before Oilers Leon Draisitl netted the game-winner and his second goal of the night to take Game 1 in nail-biting fashion. Game 2 at home was a bit of a heartbreak, ending 5-4 in OT once again in favor of the Panthers. Tonight’s game could allow the Oilers to take a lead in the series for the second time if they continue to perform as shown.
Both Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl sit atop the NHL postseason stat charts with 6 goals and 25 assists and 10 goals and 19 assists. Defenseman Evan Bouchard continues his remarkable playoff run with 7 goals and 14 assists, while center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins follows close with 5 goals and 13 assists. In this matchup, I foresee Connor McDavid setting up his teammate(s) for another goal with at least 2+ assists as he continues to create goal-scoring opportunities all postseason.
The Panthers appeared just as threatening as the Oilers as they entered Game 1 of the Final after defeating the Carolina Hurricanes 4-1 in the series. The defending Stanley Cup champs may have slipped in Game 1 against the Oilers 4-3 in overtime. However, they completely bounced back with a revenge double OT win 5-4, thanks to Brad Marchand netting the game-winner and his second of the night after 2 periods of overtime.
Both Seth Jones (1 goal and 1 assist) and Anton Lundell (2 assists) heavily contributed to the Panthers’ comeback victory to help tie the series 1-1, and Florida will head to their first home game of the series with the hopes of taking their first lead. The Florida Panthers centers have been putting in work this postseason, with Sam Bennett leading the postseason stats with 13 goals and 6 assists, as well as the highest number of goals in the NHL playoffs, which makes me think he’ll tuck away another 1+ goals tonight to help edge the win over the Oilers.
However, Bennet isn’t alone, with Brad Marchand (7 goals and 10 assists), Aleksander Barkov (6 goals and 11 assists), Carter Verhaeghe (6 goals and 11 assists), Matthew Tkachuk (5 goals and 12 assists), Eefu Luostarinen (4 goals and 10 assists) Anton Lundell (5 goals and 9 assists), Sam Reinhart (4 goals and 9 assists) and Evan Rodrigues (1 goal and 12 assists), all being major contributors to the Panthers success in the playoffs.
It’s about as competitive as the NHL playoffs can get, and with the Panthers taking home ice advantage tonight after netting 5 in their last game, I think they may slightly edge the win with the help of Sam Bennet’s goal-scoring past Staurat Skinner (2.61 goals allowed per game).
That’s not to say that the Oilers won’t find the back of the net past Sergei Bobrovsky (2.21 goals allowed per game) however, especially with Connor McDavid bound to lead the charge with another 2+ points. This won’t be an easy victory for either side, but I expect plenty of scoring!
Liam has been a major sports fan and soccer player for over a decade, with a particular focus on major top-level soccer leagues, including the EPL, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and MLS. He has written numerous promotional articles for various top sportsbooks and continues to publish historical and factual sports articles covering the NFL, MLS, NHL, MLB, EPL and more.