The Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers meet Saturday in Game 1 of the NHL Stanley Cup Final at the Amerant Bank Arena. Here’s a Florida Panthers vs Edmonton Oilers Prediction.

Edmonton Oilers Betting Preview

The Edmonton Oilers just beat the Dallas Stars in 6 games and are in their first Stanley Cup Final since the 2005-06 season. The Oilers are 6-3 on the road in these NHL playoffs. The Edmonton Oilers are averaging 3.5 goals per game and are scoring on 37.3 percent of their power play opportunities. Zach Hyman leads Edmonton with 14 goals, Connor McDavid has 26 assists and Leon Draisaitl has 57 shots on goal. Defensively, the Edmonton Oilers are allowing 2.61 goals per game and are killing 93.9 percent of their opponent’s power plays. Stuart Skinner has given up 40 goals on 390 shots faced, and Calvin Packard has allowed 5 goals on 59 shots.

Florida Panthers Betting Preview

The Florida Panthers just beat the NY Rangers in 6 games and are in back-to-back Stanley Cup Final appearances. The Panthers are 6-3 at home in these NHL playoffs. The Florida Panthers are averaging 3.24 goals per game and are scoring on 23.3 percent of their power play opportunities. Carter Verhaeghe leads Florida with 9 goals, Matthew Tkachuk has 14 assists and Sam Reinhart has 65 shots on goal. Defensively, the Florida Panthers are allowing 2.29 goals per game and are killing 88.2 percent of their opponent’s power plays. Sergei Bobrovsky has allowed 38 goals on 415 shots faced.

Florida Panthers vs Edmonton Oilers Injury Report

There were no players listed on the Florida Panthers or Edmonton Oilers injury report at the time of this publish.

Why the Florida Panthers will win

• The Panthers have won eight of their last nine games following a home win.
• The Oilers have lost eight of their last 10 Game 1s of a playoff series.
• The Oilers have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last nine road games against Atlantic Division opponents.
• The Oilers have lost the third period in each of their last six games following a win.

Florida Panthers vs Edmonton Oilers Prediction

The Edmonton Oilers are attractive in the underdog role given their offensive firepower, and they’ve had success in these playoffs on the road. However, the Oilers were comfortably better at home than on the road this season overall. Also, I’m not sure if we’re getting enough bang for our buck with the Oilers in this spot. The Panthers are 32-15-3 at home, and they’ve consistently been the better team than their opponents, even in losses. The Panthers are clicking on a high level at both ends of the ice, and they figured out the two top goalies in Jeremy Swayman and Igor Shesterkin. While Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are fantastic, I’m rolling with the Panthers in game 1 and this series.