Last Word On Hockey
NHL News, Analysis, History, Schedule, Rumors
Welcome back to another NHL Predictions. Each day our writers here at Last Word on Hockey look at the games and give in-depth analysis. Our team breaks down the key matchups, storylines, and stats, then makes predictions based on how they might play out. For this edition, we will look at the Florida Panthers taking on the Edmonton Oilers in this opening Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final series. Don’t forget to check out more NHL Predictions, as our writers continue this series throughout the 2025 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Time: 8:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)
TV: TNT, TruTV, CBC, Sportsnet, TVAS; Max
The big day has finally arrived and we’ve reached the 2025 NHL Stanley Cup Final. This round of NHL predictions takes a look at the opening game in the rematch of last year’s championship series. Florida defeated Edmonton in seven games last season, but Game 1 will be at Rogers Place.
The Oilers will have the home-ice advantage. However, the Panthers have been road warriors this postseason with an 8-2 mark away from Sunrise, Fla. The Cats only losses away from home were against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second round.
Edmonton is looking to end its own (1990) and Canada’s (1993) Stanley Cup drought. The Montreal Canadiens were last Canadian team to hoist the vaunted silver chalice. A whole country has put its faith in the Oilers.
Let’s take a look at the stats, storylines and matchups in this set of NHL predictions.
Florida took out the Carolina Hurricanes in five games to book its third straight appearance in the Cup Final. The Panthers have looked like the defending champions at many points in their third consecutive post-season.
Sergei Bobrovsky really locked in during the second round of the series. The Russian did have some struggles against the Maple Leafs at time. However, he looked like the goalie that played a massive hand in Florida’s first championship.
Depth-scoring has been something the Panthers have hung their hat on this post-season. Aleksander Barkov leads the team in points with 17, but 10 different players have at least 11 points heading into the Final.
Edmonton is looking to get revenge from last year’s Game 7 loss against Florida after taking down the Dallas Stars in five games. The Oilers had some nervy moments in the first round against the Los Angeles Kings. However, things turned around quickly for the defending Western Conference champions.
Stuart Skinner is seemingly locked in after some rough patches in the opening portion of the playoffs. Skinner can be a streaky goalie, but he seems to be playing well at this points.
Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are leading the way with 26 and 25 points, respectively. The team will be without Zach Hyman and will need to get depth scoring if the Oilers have designs on winning a Stanley Cup.
The Oilers are 6-1 at home while the Panthers are 8-2 away from home. Both teams are well-rested and there could be some rust going into this game. The opening part of the game could tell the story in this one.
Goaltending and depth are in Florida’s favour and that should carry it to a Game 1 win in a hostile environment.
Prediction: Panthers win 4-2.
We close out NHL predictions with some prop bets of the night. The over/under for this game is 6.5 and we feel the under gets the nod by a slight margin.
As for individual prop bets, go with Matthew Tkachuk to get a point in this game for the Panthers. On the Oilers’ side of things, go with Evan Bouchard to get a power-play point in this game.
Main photo by: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
Please play responsibly. Check your local rules and age restrictions. Some jurisdictions require ages 21+. Have a gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.
Longtime sportswriter for the Watertown Daily Times. I have covered minor league and NCAA hockey in women’s Division I and men’s Division III. Also produce the nationally-syndicated Spadora on Sports radio show.
Share your thoughts and join the discussion
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Jan 2, 2024
May 17, 2023
Apr 9, 2025
Sep 28, 2021
Get the latest sports news and analysis delivered to your inbox.
Your ultimate destination for honest sports coverage, analysis, and breaking news since 2011.
Get the latest sports news delivered to your inbox.
© 2025 Last Word on Sports. All rights reserved.
Built with ♥ by LWOS Development Team
