Oilers vs Panthers Game 7 Closing Odds are a Pick’em
Bettors Nearly Split Ahead of Cup-Deciding Game
The NHL season will end Monday night when the Florida Panthers host the Edmonton Oilers in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, and bettors and oddsmakers alike are torn over which hockey team will ultimately end up lifting Lord Stanley’s Cup when all is said and done. The Panthers are narrowly favored at -113 though this could change by puck drop.
After falling behind 3-0 in the best-of-7 Cup Final series, Edmonton has gotten off the mat and dramatically forced the do-or-die game by winning the past three by a combined score of 18-5.
Connor McDavid has gone from disgruntled star to Conn Smythe Trophy favorite and could become the fifth playoff MVP to do so in a losing effort if the Panthers win.
Despite the Oilers’ momentum, the Panthers are a slight favorite for Game 7, and the betting action has only favored Edmonton slightly.
With hours before the Stanley Cup is awarded, here’s a look at the Oilers vs Panthers Game 7 closing odds.
Game 7 Information
Oilers vs Panthers 
📊Records: Edmonton Oilers (64-35-7) at Florida Panthers (67-30-8)
📍Location: Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise, FL
⏰Day/Time: 📺Streaming: ABC, ESPN+
Game 6 Recap
McDavid may have not showed up on the scoresheet for the first time since Game 1, but Edmonton built a 3-0 lead — with the help of a disallowed Panthers goal. Florida played listlessly, putting up just 21 shots and getting outshot 11-2 in the first period.
Oilers depth forward Warren Foegele had two points, including a goal, and Zach Hyman scored his 16th goal of the playoffs in the 5-1 win.
Aleksander Barkov scored Florida’s lone goal, and Sergei Bobrovsky made just 16 saves in defeat. Bobrovsky, the Conn Smythe Trophy favorite through three games, has made fewer than 20 saves in four of the six games and has stopped just 46 of 58 shots (.793 save percentage) in Florida’s three-game losing streak.
Bettors Back Edmonton (Barely)
The Oilers are trying to become the first NHL champion to rally from a 3-0 series deficit since the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs. But even though all the momentum is with the Oilers, the Panthers are around -115 moneyline favorites. Some books have each team at -110, effectively calling Game 7 a coin toss.
The Panthers are 8-4 on home ice during the playoffs. They have won four of their past five games at Amerant Bank Arena, which may be why they are slight favorites. Still, the betting action has been behind the Oilers dramatically over the past four games (though the Panthers won Game 3).
But as the Oilers vs Panthers closing odds approach, only 53% of bettors are backing Edmonton in Game 7. Many are still leery of the fact that no Canadian team has won the Cup since 1993 and just four of 210 teams that trailed 3-0 have come back to win the series.
Despite History, Action Favors Over
Only once in 17 previous Stanley Cup Final Game 7s has there been more than six goals, and 13 of the games featuring four goals or fewer with four finishing with an exact score of 2-1.
With heightened angst and nerves, and teams sticking to their structure, the first period becomes tough sledding for the offenses.
Thus, the Oilers vs Panthers closing odds for Game 7 are plus-money, with DraftKings Sportsbook and others going as high as +130 — or an implied probability of 43.5%.
But the Over is 4-2 in this Cup Final, and with the heavy juice in favor of the Under, many are targeting 6+ goals as a top NHL pick for Game 7.
Puck Line Worth a Sprinkle
The puck-line odds have lengthened slightly, opening at +230 before moving to about +235 in the hours before Game 7 gets set to begin.
But bettors can still get Florida -1.5 at +235 for Game 7 — or Edmonton to cover the puck line at -295 — ahead of the do-or-die game.
Those feeling daring would be wise to put a small bit on either team to cover. The team that has won the Cup Final in Game 7 has done so by 2+ goals 10 times.
Only one of the previous six Cup Final games have been settled by one goal, and Edmonton hit for multiple empty-net goals in Game 6.
There’s been an empty-net goal in four of the previous six games. Thus, betting one side to win by at least two goals is a tasty bet at these odds.
Prediction
The team that scores first has won five of the six NHL games in the series. And the team that has scored first has won the past seven Cup Final Game 7s dating back to 1987. The Oilers are also the most recent team to turn around a Game 7 deficit in the Cup Final.
Edmonton has scored first in all but two of the games in the series. Look for the Oilers to break the ice early and hang on late, taking the Cup back to the Canadian City of Champions.
- Oilers 4, Panthers 2
Oilers vs Panthers Odds
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