We have officially made it to Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final! If you’re having deja vu from last year, you’re certainly not alone. The Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers are back at it, hoping to provide similar fireworks to last year’s seven-game series.
Florida got the best of the Panthers last season, but can Connor McDavid and company figure out a way to best them in the second go-around?
We’ll find out as the series unfolds. For now, we’re focused on Game 1, heading over to Underdog to get our favorite player props from the action. Let’s get into our top picks, hoping to start the series with a clean sweep!
Connor McDavid is nothing if not consistent. The 28-year-old was awesome against the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Final, putting up 2+ points in every game of the series.
He’s had several days off, which might make some people think that he’s in for a rusty game, but we’re heading the opposite direction. He’s too strong a player to be held down by a particular opponent for a long series, so we’re looking forward to seeing what he can do in this one, taking the over on his points total.
Plus, he had two four-point performances against the Panthers last year, so he’s more than familiar with the formula for dominating this particular opponent.
Leon Draisaitl might have been the leading goal-scorer in the NHL this season, but we’re fading him against the Panthers tonight. He didn’t have a single goal against them in the Final last year despite putting up 15 shots.
McDavid should lead the way in this one, which is part of the reason we don’t think Draisaitl will score tonight, but we’re also confident in Sergei Bobrovsky’s skills in the net (see below). He might eventually break through in this series, but we’re not betting on tonight being that night.
Sergei Bobrovsky has been a beast all season. He was a top-five goaltender during the regular season in the most important metrics, including goals allowed, giving up just 2.44 per game.
He was on a roll against the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final, only giving up 3 goals on one occasion. McDavid might log two points in this one, but that might be all the Oilers get, so we’re taking the under on Bobrovsky’s goals against total as a result.