VW'S NHL STANLEY CUP FINAL BLANK CHECK WINNER
- Handicapper
- Vegas Writer
- League
- NHL
- Competition
- Edmonton Oilers vs Florida Panthers
- Time
- 06/18/2024 08:20 PM
- Bet Type
- Moneyline
- Pick
-
Florida Panthers -135
(BetMGM)
- Outcome
- Loss
- Analysis
- Okay, the Edmonton Oilers had their fun, and now it's time to bring an end to the NHL season, just as the Boston Celtics did last night with the NBA season. The Florida Panthers have been waiting for this moment for one year and a few days now, since watching the Vegas Golden Knights skate around their ice with the Stanley Cup in a gentlemen's sweep.
Your turn Panthers.
I know the Oilers won 16 consecutive games earlier this season, so fans in Edmonton are hoping they'll see their boys perform a reverse sweep and become the first team since the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs to win the Stanley Cup after going down 0-3.
It would have been different if the Oilers won a tight contest in Game 4, but the fact they rolled past Florida with an 8-1 win tells me the Panthers had no life in that game and Edmonton played well and above what the Cats have allowed teams to do.
Florida netminder Sergei Bobrovsky was smoked for five goals on 16 shots in Game 4, the third time this postseason Bob allowed five goals or more in net during a game. The previous two times? He allowed one goal in a win over the Lightning after allowing six in a first-round loss, and later allowed two goals to beat the Rangers after giving up five in the Eastern Conference Final.
On his own ice, I'm looking for a big game from Sasha Barkov, who leads Florida in points (21) and I think will skate off with the Conn Smythe Award after Florida wins. The fact Barkov has just one playoff goal in his last seven games tells me he's overdue. We're also going to get a stellar effort from captain Matthew Tkachuk, whose goalless streak is now at nine games with four assists in that time.
It's those two offensive leaders' droughts why I think the Panthers will win this game and their names will be at the forefront. Think about it, the Panthers went up 3-0 without a strong presence from their offensive leaders. Now, at home, with last year's SCF loss in Vegas still in their heads, this is their time to shine.
