Florida Panthers vs Edmonton Oilers Updated Picks for tonight

The Oilers are riding a massive wave of momentum, having won the last three games. Edmonton’s offense has been on fire lately, scoring 22 goals in the series, 18 of which came in the last three games. They’re simply not the same team they were for games one through three, in a positive regard that is, of course. Connor McDavid has been exceptional, tallying three goals and eight assists, positioning himself as a likely favorite for the Conn Smythe Trophy. Alongside McDavid, Warren Foegele and Zach Hyman have combined for four goals and five assists, while defenseman Evan Bouchard has chipped in five assists. On the defensive end, Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm have been a brick wall, supported by Darnell Nurse and Cody Ceci, who have been effective in creating turnovers and limiting the Panthers scoring chances. Stuart Skinner has also been stellar, saving 81 of the last 86 shots he’s faced.

The Florida Panthers, return home for game 7 of the Staney Cup Finals tonight, where they disappointingly find themselves in a position of immense pressure after a strong start to the series. The Panthers' offense has ran quite dry in the last three games, scoring only five goals. While Rodrigues, Bennet, and Barkov have contributed seven goals and eight assists collectively, the rest of the offense has struggled. The team is counting on Matthew Tkachuk to step up and make an impact in game 7, as he has been relatively quiet this series with just one goal and two assists. Defensively, the Panthers have faltered tremendously after allowing just one goal in the first two games, giving up a whopping 21 goals in the last four. Despite the efforts of Gustav Forsling and Brandon Montour, the defensive unit has allowed the Oilers to dominate them. It doesn’t help that the panthers goalie, Sergei Bobrovsky has had a difficult time making as many saves as he’s used to as he conceded 16 goals on 144 shots this series

With the series tied and everything on the line, the Oilers enter Game 7 with an edge. Their offensive firepower, led in this series by McDavid, Hyman, and Foegele, is likely going to continue generating high-quality scoring chances and capitalizing on them. The defensive unit, supported by strong goaltending from Skinner, has proven to be more than capable of stopping the Panthers’ attack in its current form. The Panthers may have the home advantage, but I think the Oilers momentum far outweighs any advantage the Panthers have at home. The Panthers look like a team that’s scared and cracking under pressure while Edmonton looks like a well-oiled machine that’s absolutely capable of winning their first Stanley Cup in 34 years. With the current odds being close to even ahead of tonight’s game, I can’t see any reason to fade the Oilers.