<p>After a pair of incredible matchups in Edmonton, the Stanley Cup Final will shift to Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, where the Florida Panthers have played to a record of 4-3 so far this postseason.</p>
<p>Oddsmakers appear to be giving plenty of credit to the Panthers&#8217; home ice advantage, as they are currently priced at -142 after Game 2 closed as a pick-em. Another factor in the line movement between Game 2 and <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/edmonton-oilers-florida-panthers-game-3-information-line-combinations-starting-goaltenders-and-more">Game 3</a> is the potential absence of <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/game-time-decision-edmonton-oilers-ryan-nugent-hopkins-misses-practice-defensive-pairings-shuffle-game-3">Ryan Nugent-Hopkins</a>, who is considered a game-time decision.</p>
<p>I&#8217;ll detail the relevant game notes and outline my favourite betting angles below.</p>
<p></p>
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<h2><strong>Oilers vs Panthers Game 3 Odds</strong></h2>
<ul class="gmail-mb-5 gmail-list-disc gmail-pl-8">
<li class="gmail-"><strong class="gmail-text-lg gmail-font-bold">Oilers Moneyline Odds:</strong> +120</li>
<li class="gmail-"><strong class="gmail-text-lg gmail-font-bold">Panthers Moneyline Odds:</strong> -142</li>
<li class="gmail-"><strong class="gmail-text-lg gmail-font-bold">Puck Line Odds: </strong>Oilers +1.5 (-208), Panthers -1.5 (+170)</li>
<li class="gmail-"><strong class="gmail-text-lg gmail-font-bold">Game Total:</strong> 6.5 goals (over +100, under -120)</li>
</ul>
<table class="w-full border-collapse">
<thead class="bg-slate-100">
<tr class="even:bg-slate-100">
<th class="border pl-2 pr-2">Regular Season Stats</th>
<th class="border pl-2 pr-2">Oilers</th>
<th class="border pl-2 pr-2">Panthers</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr class="even:bg-slate-100">
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">Goals For per 60 minutes (5-on-5)</td>
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">2.48 (14th)</td>
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">2.32 (22nd)</td>
</tr>
<tr class="even:bg-slate-100">
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">Goals Against per 60 (5-on-5)</td>
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">2.52 (22nd)</td>
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">2.09 (4th)</td>
</tr>
<tr class="even:bg-slate-100">
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">Expected Goals per 60 (5-on-5)</td>
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">2.88 (2nd)</td>
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">2.76 (6th)</td>
</tr>
<tr class="even:bg-slate-100">
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">Expected Goals Against per 60 (5-on-5)</td>
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">2.43 (11th)</td>
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">2.44 (2nd)</td>
</tr>
<tr class="even:bg-slate-100">
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">High-Danger Scoring Chances % (5-on-5)</td>
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">55.81 (1st)</td>
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">53.16 (7th)</td>
</tr>
<tr class="even:bg-slate-100">
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">Goal Differential</td>
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">+23 (11th)</td>
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">+29 (10th)</td>
</tr>
<tr class="even:bg-slate-100">
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">Power Play %</td>
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">23.7% (12th)</td>
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">23.5% (13th)</td>
</tr>
<tr class="even:bg-slate-100">
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">Penalty Kill %</td>
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">78.2% (16th)</td>
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">80.7% (4th)</td>
</tr>
<tr class="even:bg-slate-100">
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">Save Percentage (Stuart Skinner vs Sergei Bobrovsky)</td>
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">.896</td>
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">.906</td>
</tr>
<tr class="even:bg-slate-100">
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">Goals Saved Above Expectation (Skinner vs Bobrovsky)</td>
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">-1.5</td>
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">+7.2</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h2><strong>Edmonton Oilers</strong></h2>
<p>As expected, both teams had strong spells of play in Game 2, but it was the Panthers that were able to dictate more of the overall play. Particularly when the scoreline was tied and in the long-change second period, in which the Oilers struggled to move the puck and were caved in at even strength.</p>
<p>Edmonton pushed hard in the third before finally earning a game-tying goal but ultimately suffered a fairly deserving loss, and it&#8217;s hard to dispute that 1-1 is the most fair series scoreline given the way that Games 1 and 2 were contested.</p>
<p>The Oilers led 24 to 17 in high-danger scoring chances in Game 2 but also allowed more breakaways and more obvious defensive collapses. Throughout the first two games of the series, the Oilers hold a slight edge in expected goal share with a mark of 52.32% but have spent more time pushing for offence while playing from behind.</p>
<p>Edmonton has been excellent on the road so far this postseason, as it holds a record of 6-3 on the road this postseason versus a trio of opponents that were highly successful on home ice during the regular season.</p>
<p>Coaches Paul Coffey and Kris Knoblauch appear to be shifting up their defensive pairings ahead of this matchup. At Sunday&#8217;s practice, Darnell Nurse was elevated to the top pairing alongside Evan Bouchard; Mattias Ekholm and John Klingberg were paired together on the second unit, and Brett Kulak and Jake Walman formed the third unit.</p>
<p>The pairing of Nurse and Kulak has struggled mightily in this series, so it does make sense to break up that pairing in hopes of better results. However, Bouchard and Nurse have not formed an effective pairing this season, and Nurse is the only defensive partner with whom Bouchard has struggled to find any level of success.</p>
<p>Nugent-Hopkins is expected to take warm-ups and seems to be a true game-time decision. Jeff Skinner skated in Nugent-Hopkins role on the top line at practice, but he was likely just placeholding to keep the regular lines together in the event that Nugent-Hopkins can play.</p>
<p>Knoblauch will likely continue to adjust his lines in game Monday based varying situations and will offer hefty workloads to Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl after a less convincing performance from the bottom six in Game 2.</p>
<p>Stuart Skinner stopped 37-of-42 shots in Game 2 and had a fairly mediocre performance, all things considered. His play was not the greatest reason the Oilers lost by any means, but given the amount of back pressure from Draisaitl on Marchand&#8217;s overtime winner, it&#8217;s entirely fair to say that Skinner has to have the bottom of the ice sealed.</p>
<h2><strong>Florida Panthers</strong></h2>
<p>The Panthers were able to cause enough chaos with their heavy forecheck and aggressive play to force the Oilers into making too many mistakes in Game 2, and ultimately were deserving winners.</p>
<p>Edmonton has been able to generate plenty of offensive chances in even-strength play all postseason long, including versus a pair of elite defensive teams, the Los Angeles Kings and the Vegas Golden Knights. That really hasn&#8217;t changed in this series, and head coach Paul Maurice can&#8217;t be overly thrilled with how many chances the Oilers have generated, but his side has done well to catch aggressive Oilers defenders in too deep at the offensive blue line, leading to breakaways and odd-man rushes.</p>
<p>The Panthers have allowed 29.85 shots against per 60 at even strength in this series, and the average difficulty of those saves for Sergei Bobrovsky has certainly been higher than it was last round versus a Carolina Hurricanes side known for pouring low-grade shot attempts toward the goal.</p>
<p>Aleksander Barkov has zero points and a -4 rating in the series, and the Oilers have fared well versus the Panthers&#8217; top line in the first two games. Brad Marchand and the second line of Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett and Carter Verhaeghe have been able to do just enough to help pick up the slack, but it could be hard for Florida to hang around with a high-powered Oilers side if the top line can not find a higher level of play.</p>
<p>Bobrovsky holds a +10.5 GSAx rating and a .912 save percentage this postseason across 19 appearances. Skinner has not been bad in this series, but Bobrovsky still appears to remain the Panthers&#8217; most significant edge based on the first two games.</p>
<h2><strong>Best Bets for Panthers vs Oilers Game 3</strong></h2>
<p>The first two matchups of this series have been well contested back-and-forth affairs, and chances are that with both teams playing at such a high level, every game will continue to feature a very marginal winner that capitalized on one more scoring opportunity.</p>
<p>The Panthers were able to raise their level of play to some extent in Game 2 and force the Oilers into a few more mistakes, but Edmonton was still able to generate enough at the other end of the ice that it easily could have emerged victorious.</p>
<p>The Oilers have arguably played at an even higher level on the road this season, while the Panthers have not fared any better on home ice. From a betting perspective, there seems to be a little too much home ice advantage baked into the Game 3 prices, as we will probably see this game be comparably competitive as Games 1 and 2, which makes me lean toward the Oilers at a price of +120 in terms of betting on a side.</p>
<p>This does appear to be a good spot to target the under in a game with a high total of 6.5. As this series wears on, we will probably see high-quality chances become more difficult to come by and fewer undisciplined penalties, aided by the referees likely calling things more loosely.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>Best Bet: Under 6.5 -120 (Sports Interaction, Play to -125)</strong></p>
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After a pair of incredible matchups in Edmonton, the Stanley Cup Final will shift to Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, where the Florida Panthers have played to a record of 4-3 so far this postseason.

Oddsmakers appear to be giving plenty of credit to the Panthers' home ice advantage, as they are currently priced at -142 after Game 2 closed as a pick-em. Another factor in the line movement between Game 2 and <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/edmonton-oilers-florida-panthers-game-3-information-line-combinations-starting-goaltenders-and-more">Game 3</a> is the potential absence of <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/game-time-decision-edmonton-oilers-ryan-nugent-hopkins-misses-practice-defensive-pairings-shuffle-game-3">Ryan Nugent-Hopkins</a>, who is considered a game-time decision.

I'll detail the relevant game notes and outline my favourite betting angles below.


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<h2><strong>Oilers vs Panthers Game 3 Odds</strong></h2>
<ul class="gmail-mb-5 gmail-list-disc gmail-pl-8">
 	<li class="gmail-"><strong class="gmail-text-lg gmail-font-bold">Oilers Moneyline Odds:</strong> +120</li>
 	<li class="gmail-"><strong class="gmail-text-lg gmail-font-bold">Panthers Moneyline Odds:</strong> -142</li>
 	<li class="gmail-"><strong class="gmail-text-lg gmail-font-bold">Puck Line Odds: </strong>Oilers +1.5 (-208), Panthers -1.5 (+170)</li>
 	<li class="gmail-"><strong class="gmail-text-lg gmail-font-bold">Game Total:</strong> 6.5 goals (over +100, under -120)</li>
</ul>
<table class="w-full border-collapse">
<thead class="bg-slate-100">
<tr class="even:bg-slate-100">
<th class="border pl-2 pr-2">Regular Season Stats</th>
<th class="border pl-2 pr-2">Oilers</th>
<th class="border pl-2 pr-2">Panthers</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr class="even:bg-slate-100">
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">Goals For per 60 minutes (5-on-5)</td>
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">2.48 (14th)</td>
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">2.32 (22nd)</td>
</tr>
<tr class="even:bg-slate-100">
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">Goals Against per 60 (5-on-5)</td>
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">2.52 (22nd)</td>
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">2.09 (4th)</td>
</tr>
<tr class="even:bg-slate-100">
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">Expected Goals per 60 (5-on-5)</td>
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">2.88 (2nd)</td>
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">2.76 (6th)</td>
</tr>
<tr class="even:bg-slate-100">
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">Expected Goals Against per 60 (5-on-5)</td>
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">2.43 (11th)</td>
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">2.44 (2nd)</td>
</tr>
<tr class="even:bg-slate-100">
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">High-Danger Scoring Chances % (5-on-5)</td>
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">55.81 (1st)</td>
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">53.16 (7th)</td>
</tr>
<tr class="even:bg-slate-100">
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">Goal Differential</td>
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">+23 (11th)</td>
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">+29 (10th)</td>
</tr>
<tr class="even:bg-slate-100">
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">Power Play %</td>
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">23.7% (12th)</td>
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">23.5% (13th)</td>
</tr>
<tr class="even:bg-slate-100">
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">Penalty Kill %</td>
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">78.2% (16th)</td>
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">80.7% (4th)</td>
</tr>
<tr class="even:bg-slate-100">
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">Save Percentage (Stuart Skinner vs Sergei Bobrovsky)</td>
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">.896</td>
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">.906</td>
</tr>
<tr class="even:bg-slate-100">
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">Goals Saved Above Expectation (Skinner vs Bobrovsky)</td>
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">-1.5</td>
<td class="border pl-2 pr-2">+7.2</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h2><strong>Edmonton Oilers</strong></h2>
As expected, both teams had strong spells of play in Game 2, but it was the Panthers that were able to dictate more of the overall play. Particularly when the scoreline was tied and in the long-change second period, in which the Oilers struggled to move the puck and were caved in at even strength.

Edmonton pushed hard in the third before finally earning a game-tying goal but ultimately suffered a fairly deserving loss, and it's hard to dispute that 1-1 is the most fair series scoreline given the way that Games 1 and 2 were contested.

The Oilers led 24 to 17 in high-danger scoring chances in Game 2 but also allowed more breakaways and more obvious defensive collapses. Throughout the first two games of the series, the Oilers hold a slight edge in expected goal share with a mark of 52.32% but have spent more time pushing for offence while playing from behind.

Edmonton has been excellent on the road so far this postseason, as it holds a record of 6-3 on the road this postseason versus a trio of opponents that were highly successful on home ice during the regular season.

Coaches Paul Coffey and Kris Knoblauch appear to be shifting up their defensive pairings ahead of this matchup. At Sunday's practice, Darnell Nurse was elevated to the top pairing alongside Evan Bouchard; Mattias Ekholm and John Klingberg were paired together on the second unit, and Brett Kulak and Jake Walman formed the third unit.

The pairing of Nurse and Kulak has struggled mightily in this series, so it does make sense to break up that pairing in hopes of better results. However, Bouchard and Nurse have not formed an effective pairing this season, and Nurse is the only defensive partner with whom Bouchard has struggled to find any level of success.

Nugent-Hopkins is expected to take warm-ups and seems to be a true game-time decision. Jeff Skinner skated in Nugent-Hopkins role on the top line at practice, but he was likely just placeholding to keep the regular lines together in the event that Nugent-Hopkins can play.

Knoblauch will likely continue to adjust his lines in game Monday based varying situations and will offer hefty workloads to Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl after a less convincing performance from the bottom six in Game 2.

Stuart Skinner stopped 37-of-42 shots in Game 2 and had a fairly mediocre performance, all things considered. His play was not the greatest reason the Oilers lost by any means, but given the amount of back pressure from Draisaitl on Marchand's overtime winner, it's entirely fair to say that Skinner has to have the bottom of the ice sealed.
<h2><strong>Florida Panthers</strong></h2>
The Panthers were able to cause enough chaos with their heavy forecheck and aggressive play to force the Oilers into making too many mistakes in Game 2, and ultimately were deserving winners.

Edmonton has been able to generate plenty of offensive chances in even-strength play all postseason long, including versus a pair of elite defensive teams, the Los Angeles Kings and the Vegas Golden Knights. That really hasn't changed in this series, and head coach Paul Maurice can't be overly thrilled with how many chances the Oilers have generated, but his side has done well to catch aggressive Oilers defenders in too deep at the offensive blue line, leading to breakaways and odd-man rushes.

The Panthers have allowed 29.85 shots against per 60 at even strength in this series, and the average difficulty of those saves for Sergei Bobrovsky has certainly been higher than it was last round versus a Carolina Hurricanes side known for pouring low-grade shot attempts toward the goal.

Aleksander Barkov has zero points and a -4 rating in the series, and the Oilers have fared well versus the Panthers' top line in the first two games. Brad Marchand and the second line of Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett and Carter Verhaeghe have been able to do just enough to help pick up the slack, but it could be hard for Florida to hang around with a high-powered Oilers side if the top line can not find a higher level of play.

Bobrovsky holds a +10.5 GSAx rating and a .912 save percentage this postseason across 19 appearances. Skinner has not been bad in this series, but Bobrovsky still appears to remain the Panthers' most significant edge based on the first two games.
<h2><strong>Best Bets for Panthers vs Oilers Game 3</strong></h2>
The first two matchups of this series have been well contested back-and-forth affairs, and chances are that with both teams playing at such a high level, every game will continue to feature a very marginal winner that capitalized on one more scoring opportunity.

The Panthers were able to raise their level of play to some extent in Game 2 and force the Oilers into a few more mistakes, but Edmonton was still able to generate enough at the other end of the ice that it easily could have emerged victorious.

The Oilers have arguably played at an even higher level on the road this season, while the Panthers have not fared any better on home ice. From a betting perspective, there seems to be a little too much home ice advantage baked into the Game 3 prices, as we will probably see this game be comparably competitive as Games 1 and 2, which makes me lean toward the Oilers at a price of +120 in terms of betting on a side.

This does appear to be a good spot to target the under in a game with a high total of 6.5. As this series wears on, we will probably see high-quality chances become more difficult to come by and fewer undisciplined penalties, aided by the referees likely calling things more loosely.

&nbsp;

<strong>Best Bet: Under 6.5 -120 (Sports Interaction, Play to -125)</strong>

<hr />

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NHL Betting Preview (June 9): Panthers vs. Oilers Game 3 Predictions

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