One year after suffering a heartbreaking defeat in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final at the hands of the Florida Panthers, the Edmonton Oilers have made it all the way back to the finals, and they're met by a familiar foe, the defending champs.
The Stanley Cup rematch will begin on Wednesday night, but this time around, the series will begin in Edmonton.
Let's take a look at my best bets for the series opener.
I'm on the Oilers to win the Stanley Cup Final, which naturally leads me to believe they'll win Game 1 on their home ice.
Stuart Skinner has been fantastic since returning to the starting job between the pipes, allowing more than one goal just twice in his last seven starts. If he starts this series off on the right foot, the Oilers are going to be tough to beat on their home ice.
The Oilers have been great when playing in Edmonton in the postseason, going 6-1 on their home ice. Their only loss came in a 4-3 decision against the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 3 of their second-round series.
From an X's and O's perspective, the Panthers got off to a hot start against the Oilers in last year's final due to their aggressive counter-attack completely throwing the Oilers off their game. Once Edmonton figured out how to counter the counter-attack, the series flipped on its head. I expect the Oilers to be much better prepared this time around.
Pick: Oilers -130
Both teams have played much better defensive hockey in the playoffs than you might think. In fact, the two teams have allowed just 21.39 combined high-danger scoring chances per 60 minutes of play.
On top of that, both goaltenders come into this game red-hot. If Sergei Bobrovsky and Stuart Skinner continue that level of play into the final, it's going to be a low-scoring series.
Pick: UNDER 6.5 (-125)
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has been fantastic for the Oilers in the playoffs, which is a big reason why they're back in the Cup Final. At 6.6 expected goals, Nugent-Hopkins has the eighth-highest expected goals of all players in the playoffs and the second most, behind only Connor McDavid, on the Oilers. At +275 odds, he seems like a great bet to find the back of the net in Game 1.
Pick: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins Anytime Goal (+275)
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You can check out all of Iain's bets here!
Originally from Nova Scotia, Iain MacMillan is a senior editor covering betting, with a focus on NFL, NHL, and golf. He hosts the Bacon Bets Podcast and has been featured on VSIN, BetQL and Monumental Sports Network. He is a member of the Metropolitan Golf Writers Association and his beloved Falcons and Maple Leafs break his heart on a yearly basis.
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