The Stanley Cup Final took a turn to the wild side on Thursday night. Florida put the hammer down early and took a 3-0 lead. Despite the early lead, the Oilers adjusted, changed their goaltender, and came back to win in overtime.
Edmonton’s offense magically looked like itself, and Leon Draisaitl played hero again. With the series tied, Florida and Edmonton play Game 5 on Saturday night. The scene shifts to Edmonton. What is next?
Below, we look at some of our favorite NHL props and best bets for Game 5. Try using NHL betting bonuses on DraftKings, Caesars and BetMGM.
Predicting Another Close Game in Edmonton
They said 3-0 leads are the most dangerous, so naturally, Edmonton made this a series again. The strangest part was Sam Bennett forcing overtime only to see Edmonton win. It did kind of feel like Game 2 when Corey Perry scored, and then Brad Marchand won the game in double overtime. Three of the four games have seen extra time.
Do we truly see the dominant Edmonton performance once in this series? This is nothing like what bettors and fans saw last year. Here are the results of the games so far.
- Edmonton 4 Florida 3 (OT)
- Florida 5 Edmonton 4 (2OT)
- Florida 6 Edmonton 1
- Edmonton 5 Florida 4 (OT)
Edmonton has scored 4+ goals in three games, and Florida has too. With Calvin Pickard expected to be in goal, does the under finally appear in this series? Edmonton has not named a starting goaltender as of press time.
Again, Pickard presents a different challenge than Stuart Skinner. It felt like Florida read the scouting reports on Skinner and executed. However, when Pickard came in, the same methods did not work. Florida controlled the first period of Game 4, while Edmonton took over in the second. The third was mainly even before Draisaitl’s overtime heroics.
Will Game 5 be close? That answer is yes. Florida plays so well on the road, scores more than four goals a game, and has often bounced back after bad home losses in the past few playoffs.
The natural bet is to keep Florida guessing. It will be a risk, but this is the one time the under becomes a solid bet as both teams realize what is at stake.
Stanley Cup Final Pick: Game Total Under 6.5 Goals (-120 on BetMGM)
Bennett Leads the Rest of the Way in Goalscoring
After four games, we are back to almost where we started.
- Edmonton was a -130 favorite to win Game 1 and a -120 favorite to win the series. Florida was around +100.
- Game 2 featured Edmonton at -210 to win the series, with Florida a +180 underdog.
- Florida was as high as -120 going into Game 3, while Edmonton was +100 on some sportsbooks.
- Game 4 tilted to Florida at -260, and Edmonton was a +215 underdog.
- Game 5 features a few sites have Edmonton in the -110 to -115 range, with Florida hovering between -105 and -110.
Florida and Edmonton continue to be the Stanley Cup Final, so few are watching. The series has seen everything from comebacks to dominant, clutch players. What else may occur?
The two teams still have betting choices on both sides to make for this series. As of now, this is a best-of-three, and the finish line is nearing. Leon Draisaitl, Sam Bennett, and Brad Marchand are all tied for the series lead in goals with four. Which one ultimately tops the list?
Draisaitl and Bennett have already gone past their series goal prop totals, which is great. Taking Sam Bennett to lead all goal scorers is a risk. However, it is a calculated risk.
NHL Series Prop: Bennett to Score the Most Goals (+215 on DraftKings)
)Final Pick for Game 5: Pickett Controls the Net
This is not going to be easy. However, if Calvin Pickard plays as expected, Florida will attack differently to get even more shots on goal. Take the Pickard over on saves at -115. The goaltender should get 26 or more saves in 60 minutes.
Stanley Cup Final Prop Pick: Pickard Over 25.5 saves (-115 on Caesars)
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