2025 NHL Playoffs: Stanley Cup Final Betting Guide

After a full year of high-octane hockey, the NHL sees a rematch of last season’s Stanley Cup Final with the Edmonton Oilers once again squaring off with the Florida Panthers. This marks the 12th time that the same two teams have appeared in consecutive Stanley Cup Final, and the series drops the puck on Wednesday.

Last year, the Panthers came out on top after taking a 3-1 lead in the series. However, the Oilers grabbed two wins to send it to seven games, only to see the Panthers win 2-1 in the final game to bring a Cup to South Florida.

The Panthers have put together an amazing run, reaching the final in three straight years. However, Edmonton is much improved, as the Dallas Stars found out in the Western Conference Championship.  

The Oilers are also hoping to bring a Cup to Canada for the first time since the Montreal Canadiens won in 1993. Can the Oilers get it done? Keep reading for some insight on the matchup.

Note: Odds were correct at the time of writing.

Stanley Cup Insights

Rinse and repeat – that’s what hockey fans will find with this year’s Stanley Cup Final. But can fans expect a different result?

The Panthers and Oilers were both dominating in the first round, knocking off the Carolina Hurricanes and Dallas Stars in just five games. After the Western Conference Championship, Dallas coach Pete DeBoer gave Edmonton the nod for an improved team over last year’s squad.

“That Edmonton team is better than the team we played last year — deeper, defend harder, harder to play against,” DeBoer said. But will that be enough?

Analyzing the Panthers

The Panthers rolled through the Eastern Conference playoffs, showing some real resilience after falling behind 2-0 to Toronto in the second round. Florida had no problems with what looked to be a solid Carolina team, never giving up more than three goals and 

Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky remains sharp and got better in the Eastern Conference Championship, dropping his goals against average to 2.11. His save percentage also rose from .901 to .912. He’ll be key once again against a potent Oilers offense with two of the best players in the world.

On offense, Florida is a team that sees several players pitch in rather than points coming in bunches from a single player or two. Aleksander Barkov leads the team with 6 goals and 11 assists, followed by Sam Bennett with 10 goals and 6 assists.

Matthew Tkachuk remains a dominating force for the Panthers as well, with 5 goals and 11 assists. Carter Verhaeghe and Brad Marchand als both have 14 points, with Sam Reinhart and Eetu Luostarinen chipping in another 13 points each.

A punishing defense makes the Panthers extremely tough to get much going against, but face a different level of offense against the Oilers.

Analyzing the Oilers

As if dealing with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl weren’t enough of a challenge, the Oilers have been finding some other goal scorers to add to the concerns among opponents in the playoffs.

Against Dallas, that included Corey Perry, Evander Kane, Evan Bouchard, Zach Hyman, and others. The Oilers have proven they aren’t just a two-headed beast necessarily. But those two beasts can definitely strike as well, and McDavid and Draisaitl gave the Stars some real fits and seemed virtually unstoppable at times

McDavid is a force on the ice, chalking up 26 playoff points with 6 goals and 14 assists. Draisaitl has been just as dangerous with 7 goals and 18 assists. The tandem would be tough for any team to defend.

The Oilers defense and goaltending have been better as well. After a bumpy ride the first three rounds, Stuart Skinner settled down in goal against the Stars, shutting out Dallas once and giving up just a single goal twice. That helped improve his goals against average from 3.05 to 2.53 and save percentage from .884 to .904.

The Oilers defensemen also proved worthy of the challenge against the Stars, and were adept at blocking shots throughout the series to help out Skinner. The Dallas offense looked terrible throughout much of the series, and the Oilers defense and goaltending were a huge part of that.

Another thing going for the Oilers? Edmonton has the home-ice advantage throughout the series.

Stanley Cup Final – Odds

Ready to handicap what should be a great Stanley Cup Final again? Here’s a look at the odds for the matchup, courtesy of FanDuel.

Matchup	Series Winner
Edmonton Oilers vs. Florida Panthers	Oilers -102 Panthers -118

Additionally, bettors can wager on how long the series will go. Here’s a look at that wager as well.

• Over 5.5 games: -210
• Under 5.5 games: +168

Betting remains open on which player will also be named the Conn Smythe winner, the most valuable player in the playoffs. Here’s a look at odds on those selections.

• Connor McDavid (+100)
• Sergei Bobrovsky (+270)
• Aleksander Barkov (+600)
• Leon Draisaitl (+800)
• Matthew Tkachuk (+2600)
• Sam Bennett (+2600)

Where to Watch

In the U.S., the Stanley Cup Final can be found on TNT and truTV. Fans can also stream the national games on Max.

In Canada, games will be shown on Sportsnet, CBC, and TVA Sports (in French). The action also streams on the Sportsnet and the TVA apps.

Picks for the People

After a 9-3 record in the first round, we went 1-1 in the second round, although the two matchups were much quicker than we expected, both in just five games. This looks to be a close battle between two truly talented teams. Here are our picks for the Stanley Cup Final.

• Edmonton vs. Florida – Florida has been amazing over the last three years and making a triumvirate of Stanley Cup appearances has been no easy feat. But the Oilers seem extremely motivated and mostly dispatched a talented Stars team with ease. It won’t be easy, but look for the Oilers to finally get it done – breaking the streak of three-decade American teams winning the Cup. The Oilers win the Cup for the first time since 1990 and that offense is just a little too overwhelming for the Panthers.
• Number of games – That Oilers win won’t be easy and look for this one to go six or seven games. Take the over 5.5 games at -210.
• Conn Smythe winner – Everyone will be betting McDavid, but the +800 on Draisaitl can’t be passed up because of the nice potential payout. Draisaitl has been great and is just one point behind McDavid, who won the award last year despite losing the series. A solid finish by Draisaitl could give McDavid’s partner the award instead. It may not happen, but the potential payout is solid.

Good luck with your own picks as the and enjoy some great action in the Stanley Cup Final!