Panthers vs Oilers Score Prediction, Odds, Pick Game 5

The Florida Panthers were blown out in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals with a chance to sweep the Edmonton Oilers, and the series returns to South Florida for Game 5 on Tuesday, with the Panthers favored on the NHL odds to win the first cup in franchise history.

Edmonton at Florida, Game 5: 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Finals Analysis

NHL Lines: Panthers -135, Oilers -115 (total 5.5)
Score Prediction: Florida 3, Edmonton 2

Edmonton Oilers Betting Line

The Oilers got all their frustrations out in Game 4 with an 8-1 rout of Florida to avoid the sweep in quite possibly Edmonton’s final home game of the season. The Oilers had just four goals in their first 180 minutes of the series.

Connor McDavid was brilliant with a goal and three assists in Game 4. With 32 assists this postseason, McDavid broke an NHL playoff record set by Wayne Gretzky in 1988. The 27-year-old McDavid has 11 multipoint efforts through 22 playoff contests, and it’s just the second time he’s had back-to-back multipoint games this postseason. The superstar center is at six goals and 38 points overall.

Those 38 points are fifth highest in NHL playoff history after Gretzky’s 47 points in 1985, Mario Lemieux’s 44 in 1991, Gretzky’s 43 in 1988 and Gretzky’s 40 points in 1993 with Los Angeles.

“I mean, Gretzky’s The Great One,” said McDavid’s teammate Zack Hyman. “And Connor’s putting together one of the best postseasons. He’s the guy who sets everybody up.” The 32-year-old Hyman didn’t have a point during the Stanley Cup Finals, as the Panthers had neutralized the Oilers’ top players in the first three contests, but he had two helpers in Game 4 and is up to 20 points in the postseason.

Leon Draisaitl also broke out of a slump with two assists. He’d been held off the scoresheet for three straight contests before he broke through in Game 4. The 28-year-old is up to 30 points (15 on the power play) with 69 shots on net, 23 hits, 15 blocked shots and an even plus-minus rating over 22 playoff appearances.

Edmonton got short-handed goals from Mattias Janmark, his second such goal of this series. He’s the Oiler had potted two shorties in the same playoff year since Todd Marchant did it in their storied 1997 run when they knocked off Dallas in the first round.

Edmonton set a club record for goals when facing elimination in any playoff game, besting its previous high of seven achieved in Game 6 of the 2017-Second Round (7-1 W vs. ANA) and Game 7 of the 1984 Division Finals (7-4 W vs. CGY).

Stuart Skinner stopped 32 of 33 shots in the win, but still has given up 10 goals over four contests in the Stanley Cup Finals.

The odds remain long for the Oilers to win the series, given that the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs are the only team to erase a 3-0 deficit at this stage of the playoffs, and only four teams total have ever done it. Forward Evander Kane made the trip Sunday after sitting out Games 3 and 4 with an injury. Coach Kris Knoblauch said there is a possibility he will be inserted back into the lineup Tuesday.

The Oilers can become the fourth team in NHL history to force a Game 6 after facing a 3-0 series deficit in the Finals.

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Florida Panthers Betting Line

With five goals on their first 16 shots in Game 4, the Oilers broke down the wall that was Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky and sent him to the bench not even halfway through the game, while 15 of Edmonton’s skaters registered at least a point. Bobrovsky saw a six-game winning streak come to an end but will remain the starter. He’s had one dud in each round of these playoffs. Overall, the Panthers appeared to struggle with Edmonton’s speed and rush game.

“He’s been unbelievable all year, all playoffs,” Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk said. Of Bobrovsky. “That was more of a wake-up call to the forwards and the ‘D’ as opposed to (him). It had nothing to do with Bob. It was more of a wake-up call to everybody. We know he’s going to come back better than ever. None of the goals were his fault. I still thought he made some unreal saves.”

The Panthers finished under 50% in the face off circle for the first time this series but led 50-33 in hits. Vladimir Tarasenko had the lone Florida goal in Game 4. The winger has three goals and an assist over his last five contests, a rare run of consistency for him this postseason. Overall, he’s at nine points, 40 shots, 41 hits and a plus-5 rating through 21 playoff outings.

Tuesday is the Panthers’ second opportunity to win their first Stanley Cup championship since joining the NHL for the 1993-94 season, and now they can do it on home ice. Florida has two in a row once in these playoffs, May 24 and 26 to the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Final. Outside of Game 4 in Edmonton, they’ve gotten balanced scoring in their lineup.

Bobrovsky is 8-3 with a 1.90 goals-against average, .921 save percentage and one shutout at home. Florida is 8-3 at home in these playoffs. That includes an active stretch of four consecutive home victories, the longest in Panthers playoff history and tied for the longest home winning streak by any club in the 2024 playoffs (also 4-0 for the Rangers).

“At the end of the day, we’re up 3-1, we’re going back home,” Tkachuk said. “I thought that in the first two [games we] did a lot of good things and [continued] that into Game 3, but definitely did not like it tonight at all. Myself and the rest of the guys will come back tomorrow, a new day, and [a] chance to win at home in Game 5.”

The Stanley Cup has been awarded to Florida twice over the last three seasons and four times overall. For the second straight year, there will be only one sweep in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. This is the first time in the NHL’s expansion era (since 1967-68) that there have been one or fewer best-of-seven sweeps in consecutive postseasons.