A wild turn of events
The Florida Panthers took a 3-0 lead in the Stanley Cup and looked well on their way to winning it all for the first time in franchise history. But, the Oilers couldn’t be counted out and made it clear they weren’t going down without a fight. First, it was an 8-1 blowout in Game 4 before a 5-3 victory in Game 5. Game 6 on Friday was more domination from Edmonton, taking it 5-1. This should be a thrilling Game 7.
Edmonton Oilers
What a season for the Oilers, who started off the year in disappointing fashion before going on a run that led them to a comfortable seeding in the playoffs. Fast forward to now and Edmonton is now on the verge of their first Stanley Cup win since 1990. It’s been a long time coming. Kris Knoblauch’s squad has truly shown guts in this series and cannot be underestimated in Game 7.
With McDavid leading the way, the Oilers have done the unthinkable. The superstar has eight points in the last three games and although he didn’t tally a point in Game 6, the rest of the roster stepped up. Darnell Nurse, Adam Henrique, Warren Foegele, Zach Hyman, and Ryan McLeod all got on the scoresheet, while the likes of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Leon Draisaitl supplied assists. Edmonton was outhit and had the same number of shots as the Panthers but managed to beat Sergei Bobrovsky five times.
Needless to say, the Oilers will need McDavid, Draisaitl, and the rest of the core to bring their absolute best on Monday. It’s the difference between winning the Cup and finishing as a runner-up, and no one remembers that. Edmonton has the same odds as Florida for this decisive contest at BetVictor.
Florida Panthers
The Panthers are on the verge of a massive collapse that the sports world will never forget. As previously mentioned, Florida looked like the surefire Cup winner a couple of weeks ago but they’ve gone completely cold, scoring a mere five goals across the last three contests. On top of that, Bobrovsky, who is typically solid in net, has been poor after such a fantastic season.
The storyline over the last week is the Cats’ defensive struggles. Yes, the Oilers have so many weapons that can do damage, but the Panthers have one of the best blue lines in the NHL. McDavid is having his way with Florida and if he does again on Monday, it will mean trouble for Paul Maurice’s team.
Florida also has to be a mile better offensively. The likes of Matthew Tkachuk, Carter Verhaeghe, and Aleksander Barkov haven’t done much over the last three losses. The home crowd should help the Cats and playing at Amerant Bank Arena may provide them with enough motivation to close this thing out and send the Oilers home without a title. As previously mentioned, there’s little difference in the odds between the two at most NHL sportsbooks.
