The Edmonton Oilers are out for revenge in a rematch of last year's Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers, and bettors are favoring the Canadian team to hoist the famous trophy according to the latest NHL odds.
Key Takeaways
- Oilers are getting the majority of the handle at sportsbooks
- Connor McDavid is a popular pick to win the Conn Smythe Trophy again
- Bettors are piling on the over in Wednesday’s Game 1 of the Final
The Edmonton Oilers are getting the majority of wagers and a heftier amount of money to knock off the Florida Panthers in the best-of-seven series heading into Wednesday’s Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.
“BetMGM is pulling for the Panthers in a Stanley Cup Final rematch,” BetMGM senior sports trader Matthew Rasp said. “The Oilers have been a losing result for us all season.”
Following a Western Conference title over the Dallas Stars in five games, Edmonton opened at BetMGM as a -125 favorite. That line has moved to -130, and the Oilers have received 68% of the handle at BetMGM.
They’re only getting a slight 52% of the bets against the reigning champions, who opened at -105 and have fallen to +105 in the series market.
Odds history
ESPN BET reported that the Oilers have received 67% of the bets and 60.4% of the handle.
Including eliminated teams, Edmonton accounts for 22.5% of tickets and 18.5% of the market’s money, more than any team. The Maple Leafs are second with a 15.2% handle, with the Panthers third at 12.1% of the handle and a second-most ticket count of 10.3%.
ESPN BET opened Florida with odds of +1000 to repeat as Stanley Cup champions when the regular season began and got as low as +550 in mid-March.
The Panthers started the playoffs at +700, and odds to win it all went as high as +1300 in-game after dropping the first two against the Maple Leafs.
The Oilers were at +750 and fell as low as +600 in January. Odds reached +2500 when they were down 2-0 to the Kings in the first round and as high as +3500 during Game 3.
Repeat honor?
Oilers star Connor McDavid is a very popular pick to claim his second consecutive Conn Smythe Trophy, which is given to the most outstanding player of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The veteran center became the sixth player since the award was established in 1965, and the first since 2003, to win it despite playing on the losing team.
With 12% of the tickets and 17.7% of the handle, McDavid, who’s gone from +1300 to +100 in the Conn Smythe market, is BetMGM’s biggest liability heading into the series.
Dallas' Mikko Rantanen was second on the liability list and has been eliminated, but Florida’s Brad Marchand, who’s third, still has a shot.
Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, who opened at +3000, is now at +250 to win the award. Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl (+700) has the second-highest ticket count at 6.4%.
ESPN BET has McDavid getting a whopping 49.6% of the Conn Smythe Trophy market’s handle. Bobrovsky is second at 24.7%.
Getting started
The Oilers are getting plenty of love at DraftKings for Wednesday’s Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final. Edmonton is a -130 favorite at home and has seen 56% of the handle and 52% of the bets.
BetMGM reported that the Oilers are getting 54% of the money and 53% of the tickets. With the -1.5 spread, 67% of the bets and 58% of the handle back Edmonton at +185. DraftKings has seen a true split, with 63% of the tickets on the Oilers and 63% of the handle coming in on the Panthers’ +1.5 at -225.
Over 6.5 (+105) represents 71% of the money at DraftKings, but 52% of the tickets are backing the under (-125). BetMGM has the total set at 6 (-118) with both the handle and tickets coming it at over 70%.
Keep up to date with all the NHL news throughout the Stanley Cup Final.
