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Oilers vs Panthers Game 6: Betting on Draisaitl’s Breakout
The Edmonton Oilers are two victories away from making history, and the first step is to win Game 6 as the slight betting favorite against the visiting Florida Panthers on Friday night.
The trend in the Stanley Cup series has been toward the offensive end with 24 goals scored in the last three games. For that to continue and for the Oilers to become the first team since 1942 to rally from a 3-0 deficit to win the finals, they will need a Leon Draisaitl moment or two.
Draisaitl has not scored a goal in seven games and managed just two assists in the series. You won’t get great value, but a goal from the big German center gets you +140 odds and 2+ points +181. He recorded 61 points in 41 home games during the regular season. He is overdue.
Florida’s NHL best bets are upward trending Vladimir Tarasenko, who has the most shots for the Panthers in the series.
However, it may come down to an appearance from Canadian superstar singer Shania Twain. The Oilers are 2-0 since her pregame concert.
Shania Twain is LOVING what she’s seeing from the home team tonight. pic.twitter.com/s78UDs53Dq
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 16, 2024
Cash In With Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
Florida hopes to contain superstar center Connor McDavid, who has been on quite a tear with 10 points in the last three games.
Meanwhile, Draisaitl has been quiet while normal linemate Evander Kane is injured and questionable for Game 6. Coach Kris Knoblauch moved Ryan Nugent-Hopkins from McDavid’s line to Draisaitl’s wing. Nugent-Hopkins had four shots on net in Game 5.
Draisaitl did not break out, managing just one shot on net in over 22 minutes, and finished with three giveaways. His whole outlook would change – for a player with 41 goals in 72 playoff games – if he puts together two big efforts.
The Oilers have made it to Game 6 with Leon Draisaitl putting up no goals and two assists in five games. He’s got to bust out at some point, right? If I’m the Panthers, that thought terrifies me.
— Arpon Basu (@ArponBasu) June 19, 2024
Expect Draisaitl to get his game going, and Nugent-Hopkins –who is +300 to score a goal and +202 to post 2+ points– to cash in cash in at the sportsbook.
Want to Bet on Florida? Go With Matthew Tkachuk
The 26-year-old Arizona native was a menace in Game 5 with a goal, an assist, and four shots on net. Matthew Tkachuk is second to Vladimir Tarasenko with 15 shots in the series.
You can get some decent odds for another Tkachuk goal (+200) on Friday and +350 for 2+ assists. Unless coach Paul Maurice shuffles his lines, Tkachuk could be playing with Sam Bennett (four points in series) and Evan Rodrigues (four goals, two assists).
That line seems very calm in this pressure-filled situation and will likely be the threesome to make Panthers fan Ariana Grande happier than Twain.
Matthew Tkachuk on the Panthers being up 3-2 after building a 3-0 series lead:
“We’re very comfortable in this position.”
He adds…
“We knew this wasn’t going to be a 4-game series, let’s be honest.” pic.twitter.com/giGA2dK7f7
— Will Manso (@WillManso) June 20, 2024
Bennett (+300) and Rodrigues (+350) provide mighty good NHL betting value to score a goal as well.
Lots Of Shots Wins Game 6 Bets
It looked as though it might be a tightly played series in Games 1 and 2. But both teams have been finding the net since.
Edmonton goalie Stuart Skinner has outplayed Sergei Bobrovsky the last seven periods and the big question for bettors is if that can continue. Bobrovsky seemed to be fighting the puck a bit in Game 5, but the veteran has turned things around before.
Since the start of the third period in game three…
Sergei Bobrovsky: .756 SV% & 6.43 GAA
Stuart Skinner: .943 SV% & 1.71 GAA
pic.twitter.com/fLItEOs7UT— World Hockey Report (@worldhockeyrpt) June 19, 2024
I expect the Oilers to keep getting shots to the net and Bobrovsky has excellent value to stop 30+ in Game 6 at +233. Win or lose, Bob will be busy.
The best player prop bet you can get on McDavid might be at 5+ shots on net (+161), even though he is averaging 3.6 in the series.
Questions Of The Day
What player on either team has the most career playoff goals?
Corey Perry. The Edmonton forward scored his 54th in Game 5.
Who leads the Panthers in career playoff assists?
Aleksander Barkov. The two-way center had 40 postseason assists, 11 more than any other Florida player.
