Oilers at Panthers: Stanley Cup Final Game 7 Picks

Stanley Cup Final Game 7

There is nothing in sports quite like Game 7 unless that Game 7 is for the Stanley Cup. Tonight, we once again get to witness one of the best viewing experiences you will see as a fan, this time for all of the marbles.

After going up 3-0 in the series, and looking like a sure-fire bet to win the Stanley Cup, Florida has blown it and allowed Edmonton to storm all the way back to tie the series at three games a piece. Only one time ever has a team come back from a 3-0 series deficit to win the championship, and that was the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs 82 years ago against the Detroit Red Wings. To say it would make modern sports history if the Oilers manage to win tonight on the road would be an understatement. It would be one of the greatest achievements in history, and I'm not sure the Panthers would be able to recover from a loss like that for a long time.

Right now, the game is lined as a virtual dead heat. Some books have Florida as a small favorite, while some have Edmonton as a small favorite. The total is set at 5.5, as it has been for the entire series.

One thing is for sure, and that is the fact that we are in for a treat. Take a look below at some of my favorite bets for Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.

Best Bets

Oilers ML (-106, BetRivers)

We all know that the fourth win in any best-of-seven series is always the most challenging, as you will be getting the last-ditch best effort from the opposing team every game after. The Panthers have been quite large favorites for every home game this series (-145 Game 1, -125 Game 2, -150 Game 5), but now they find themselves as home underdogs at some places. That is giving the Oilers a ton of respect based on the last three games, but I would argue that Edmonton never really deserved to be down 0-3 and caught some really bad breaks early on.

Edmonton has completely destroyed Florida since the end of Game 3, and a lot of that has to do with how many odd-man breakaways the Panthers have allowed since then. While goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky's play has declined a bit as well, it is really difficult for anyone to be successful when the Oilers have a 19-6 lead in odd-man chances over the last three games. Most of the goals he has allowed in those instances were impossible to save due to defensive breakdowns and miscues.

Even in a couple of the games that Florida won, Edmonton looked like the better team, they have just been rewarded for it with wins lately. We also can't understate how incredible the Oilers penalty kill unit has been, squashing 94.1% of opponent power play chances. It has been much better than Florida's has in this series, which is another reason for their comeback.

I also would push back on home-ice advantage a bit. Road teams are 93-81 over the last two postseasons, and have also won the last three Stanley Cup Final Game 7s. Edmonton also already won a Game 7 on the road this postseason in their series against the Vancouver Canucks.

Under 5.5 (-143, BetRivers)

There is a reason that the under is juiced to the moon here, some places even having it at -150. In Game 7s, players tend to play more conservatively, and defenses are playing with an extraordinary amount of attention and discipline. Referees also tend to not call anything unless it is extremely blatant so as not to be blamed for costing a team a game, and players also are more careful about penalties for the very same reason. I do not expect that there will be many defensive breakdowns as both teams know that every goal holds an extreme amount of weight.

Game 7 unders are 3-0 so far this postseason, and I would expect this game to make that 4-0. My biggest fear is a late-game empty net goal, as we have seen plenty of times in this series, and played a HUGE part in the over cashing in Game 6. I felt very bad for anyone who had the over there.