NHL player props for Stanley Cup Final: Connor McDavid among Wednesday's best bets
SportsLine NHL analyst Scott Erskine gives his thoughts and top picks for Wednesday's Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers begin their final step toward repeating as champions when they visit the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday for Game 1 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final. Florida, which is aiming to become the third team to win back-to-back NHL championships since the salary cap era began in 2005-06, outlasted Edmonton in seven games last year to capture the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history.
Both teams posted five-game victories in the conference finals to set up this rematch, which marks the 11th time same clubs have met in back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals in NHL history and first since the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins accomplished the feat in 2008 and 2009. The Panthers defeated the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final, while the Oilers beat the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Final.
Florida is making its third consecutive appearance in the Stanley Cup Final, giving the Sunshine State a representative for the sixth straight postseason as the Tampa Bay Lightning enjoyed a three-year run from 2020-22. The Panthers are just the fourth team to reach the Final three times in a row since the NHL playoff field expanded to 16 clubs in 1980.
The Oilers are seeking their sixth overall championship and first since concluding their run of five Cups in seven years in 1990. They have won 12 of their last 14 games after beginning this postseason with a pair of losses in their first-round series against the Los Angeles Kings.
Edmonton, which is looking to become the first Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup since the 1993 Montreal Canadiens, is 6-1 at home in these playoffs and scored at least three goals in all five of its conference final games. Florida has gone 8-2 on the road and has won five straight, netting five or more tallies in each triumph, but is 1-7 all-time away from home in the Stanley Cup Final and 0-2 in Game 1s on the road.
Oilers captain Connor McDavid leads all players this postseason with 26 points after amassing a league-best 42 last year to become the sixth member of the losing team in the Stanley Cup Final in NHL history to win the Conn Smythe Trophy. Teammate Leon Draisaitl is right behind McDavid with 25 points, while Florida's Sam Bennett is first in the league with 10 playoff goals.
Edmonton will be without Zach Hyman, who suffered a season-ending upper-body injury in Game 4 of the Western Conference Final. Fourth-line forward A.J. Greer, whose first career postseason goal was the game-winner in Florida's 5-2 triumph over Carolina in the Eastern Conference Final opener, has a lower-body injury and will be a game-time decision.
Here are some players with value to consider when making NHL player prop bets for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Connor McDavid, Oilers: 2+ points (+100, FanDuel)
Despite having recorded five more points through the first three rounds last postseason, McDavid is red-hot as he enters the 2025 Stanley Cup Final. The 28-year-old superstar posted four multi-point performances against Dallas in the conference final, giving him a league-leading nine in these playoffs. McDavid registered two or more points three times versus the Panthers in last year's Cup Final and did so in one of Edmonton's two regular-season meetings with Florida in 2024-25. He enters Wednesday with a three-game streak and will be looking to make a statement as he continues his quest for his first championship.
Evan Bouchard, Oilers: Over 0.5 assists (+100, bet365)
Bouchard failed to notch an assist in the last two games of the Western Conference Final but recorded three over the previous two contests and leads all defensemen with 11 assists this postseason. The 25-year-old registered 26 assists in last year's playoffs to finish second in the NHL behind McDavid, racking up five of them against the Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final. Bouchard helped set up six goals over as many games prior to his current drought and should figure in the scoring for the Oilers on Wednesday.
Sam Bennett, Panthers: Anytime goal scorer (+280, DraftKings)
While backing McDavid to record a multi-point performance has been a good wager of late, so has the goal-scoring trend of Bennett. Since the playoffs began, the 28-year-old center has followed a pattern in which he has tallied in back-to-back games, then gone two straight contests without a goal. According to the sequence, Bennett is due to score on Wednesday, as he converted against Carolina in the clinching Game 5 of the conference final after a two-game drought. Until the trend comes to an end, it's difficult to bet against it.
Evan Rodrigues, Panthers: Over 0.5 points (+115, bet365)
Rodrigues got off to a very slow start this postseason, registering just one assist over five games against Tampa Bay in the first round and three in Florida's seven-game triumph over the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second round. But the 31-year-old center came alive versus the Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final, posting three straight two-point efforts and finishing the five-game series with seven points. Rodrigues was an offensive force for the Panthers in their victory against the Oilers in last year's Stanley Cup Final as he led the team with four goals and seven points. He landed on the scoresheet in five of the seven contests in that series, and I like him to do so on Wednesday as well.
