The 2024-25 Stanley Cup Final between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers gets underway Wednesday night at Rogers Place in Alberta.
By now, you know the storylines.
It’s a rematch of last year’s classic seven-game series and Connor McDavid’s second opportunity to win his first Stanley Cup. It’s also the third consecutive trip to the Final for the Panthers.
The Stanley Cup Final is always dripping with drama, but this year’s showpiece has everything you want in a matchup.
To get ready, we’ve combed through the entire betting menu for the Stanley Cup Final and honed in on our favorite props for what should be a thriller between the Oilers and Panthers.
Best bet to lead the series in points: Anton Lundell, Panthers (100/1, FanDuel)
Look, it’d be easy to make the case for McDavid (+170) or Leon Draisaitl (+220), but their prices are too short to get excited about, especially since Florida can make life difficult for the Oilers’ dynamic duo.
If you want to go with one of McDavid or Draisaitl, don’t let me stop you. But I will make the case for a long shot, too.
Anton Lundell comes into the Stanley Cup Final with 12 points in 17 games. That’s a healthy total, but it puts him eighth on the Panthers this postseason and five points behind Aleksander Barkov for the lead.
However, I think Lundell has more scoring upside than usual in this series.
Paul Maurice is going to do everything he can to get Barkov out against McDavid, which will make it quite difficult for Florida’s No. 1 center to continue his scoring pace.
Similarly, I think we’ll see a lot of Sam Bennett’s line, which features Matthew Tkachuk, squaring up against Draisaitl.
That should leave a pretty favorable matchup for Lundell’s line, which has been dynamite all postseason. Lundell, Brad Marchand, and Eetu Luostarinen have combined for 39 points in the first three rounds.
Betting on the NHL?
Best bet to lead the series in goals: Connor McDavid (+500, FanDuel)
If you want to make one McDavid-related bet before the Final, I’d make it this one.
Draisaitl is the favorite to lead the series in goals at +300, but he’s only got one more goal than McDavid in the playoffs so far.
Plus, it’s McDavid who leads the playoffs in shots with 59, eight more than the next player.
Best bet to win the Conn Smythe for the Oilers: Leon Draisaitl (+800, bet365)
McDavid is sitting at -110 odds to win the Conn Smythe, which suggests he will take home the award for the second year in a row if Edmonton wins this series.
That certainly could happen, but it seems premature to connect an Oilers win to McDavid being named Playoff MVP. Not when Draisaitl is just one point behind No. 97 in the scoring race.
Let’s put it this way: Draisaitl is +220 to lead this series in scoring and +300 to score the most goals. If he does either of those things, and the Oilers win, it will be tough not to give him the Conn Smythe.
Best bet to win the Conn Smythe for the Panthers: Sam Bennett (33/1, FanDuel)
Sergei Bobrovsky has the shortest odds of any Panther and the Russian netminder has been superb this spring, but he’ll have his work cut out for him against the Oilers.
Instead, we’ll zero in on Bennett, who leads the Panthers in goals (10) and shots (51) this postseason.
Florida’s No. 2 center has a penchant for scoring massive goals, and his physical style of play could help tilt the scales in the favor of the defending champs.
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.
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