The 2024 Stanley Cup Finals matchup between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers is predicted to be a somewhat evenly matched affair. Florida is the home team, and they are listed as the slight favorites at sportsbooks across the country, with their designation coming in somewhere around -135.
Bobrovsky Could Be The Difference In Stanley Cup Finals
Sergei Bobrovsky in the last 2 playoff runs to the SCF:
2023 playoffs:
— Record: 12-6
— GAA: 2.78
— SV%: 0.915
— 585 total saves
— 1 shutout2024 playoffs:
— Record: 12-5
— GAA: 2.20
— SV%: 0.908
— 377 total saves
— 1 shutoutPlayoff B🚫B really living up to his name pic.twitter.com/A2dIJyhCik
— FL PanthersMuse (@flpanthersmuse) June 5, 2024
One of the main reasons that they are the team with better odds is the outstanding play of their goalie, and they’re hoping that Sergei Bobrovsky can provide the needed edge to bring the franchise its first championship.
The Oilers arguably have the two best players in the series on their roster. Connor McDavid is widely regarded as the best player in the NHL, with his 3 MVPs and 5 finishes as the top point scorer in the league. His teammate, center Leon Draisaitl, is a former MVP winner himself, and finished 7th in points during the 2023-24 season.
But the difference for the Panthers is their goalkeeper. Sergei Bobrovsky was outstanding for much of the Eastern Conference Finals series against the New York Rangers, where he averaged 2 goals allowed per game with a save percentage of 92.1%. It came on the tail end of a great regular season performance, one that saw Bobrovsky tie for the league lead in shutouts and 8th in total saves.
Skinner Was Excellent Against The Stars
Stuart Skinner: Last 8 games
6-2 Record
1.81 GAA
.920 Save %#LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/A3ByJ84EMI— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) June 3, 2024
While Oilers keeper Stuart Skinner is solid in his own right, and has done enough to get his team into the Stanley Cup Finals, he hasn’t been on the same tier as Bobrovsky this year. He finished just behind his counterpart in total saves during the regular season, but was in the middle of the pack when it came to save percentage.
Skinner had some tough games during the first two rounds of the playoffs, but he too averaged 2 goals against in the Conference Finals, with a save percentage of 92.2%.
Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals will be played in Sunrise, Florida on Saturday evening. The Panthers are the favorites on the money line with a designation of -135, the same number that they carry for the series overall.
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