Zach Hyman Injury Aside, Stanley Cup Final is a Near Toss-Up

Posted on: June 3, 2025, 01:37h. 

Last updated on: June 4, 2025, 03:30h.

Mark Keast Read More
Expertise: Canadian Gaming, iGaming, Las Vegas, Sports Betting, NFL, Boxing, UFC.
  • The Edmonton Oilers lost their 50-goal scorer for  the season in the Western Final series
  • Connor McDavid has 19% of bets on Play Alberta to win MVP
  • Oilers favored in Game 1 on Wednesday night

A quick scan of the injury report for Game 1 of Wednesday’s Stanley Cup opener in Edmonton between the Oilers and Florida Panthers shows an advantage for the Panthers, from a betting perspective.

The Florida Panthers celebrate last season’s Stanley Cup win. The Panthers enter Game 1 in their Cup rematch with the Edmonton Oilers tomorrow night. Image/Shutterstock.

The loss of Zach Hyman for the season, with a wrist injury, can’t be overstated. You simply can’t replace a 50-goal first-liner (54 goals in 2023-24, dropping to 27 this past season). Hyman’s last appearance in Game 3 of the Western Conference final versus the Dallas Stars, a game the Oilers won 6-1 saw him score two goals and one assist.

Hyman had been leading the playoffs with 111 hits leading up to his injury early in Game 4.

No one knows for sure what players on both rosters are going through on the injury front, but the Panthers don’t have any players matching Hyman’s skill out for the long term when scanning their lineup. Connor McDavid left Sunday’s practice early but was back zipping around the ice on Monday.

Oilers Betting Favorites

Game 1 starts at 8 pm EST on Wednesday, marking a Stanley Cup rematch between the Oilers and Panthers. The Panthers won the Cup last year in seven games.

According to Play Alberta, bettors there are heavy on the home team. Fifty-four percent of futures bets on Play Alberta are on the Oilers to win outright.

McDavid has 19% of all bets to win the playoff’s Most Valuable Player (Conn Smythe) award. Edmonton to win in six games is one of the popular prop bets (+550), with Leon Draisaitl to lead the series in goals (+275) and Over 0.5 hat tricks in the series (+150) also popular.

For Game 1, BetMGM has the Oilers at -130 (46% of bets, 52% of handle) while the Panthers are at +110. The current spread is Panthers +1.5 (-225, 34% bets, 40% handle), Oilers -1.5 (+180, 66% of bets, 60% of handle).

“BetMGM is pulling for the Panthers in a Stanley Cup Finals rematch. The Oilers have been a losing result for us all season, and we hope anyone besides Connor McDavid or Sergei Bobrovsky wins the Conn Smyth trophy,” said BetMGM Senior Sports Trader Matthew Rasp.

Bobrovsky the Difference Maker

With Hyman’s injury, Panthers’ goalie Sergei Bobrovsky is another reason the Panthers might have an advantage in the series. Bobrovsky, 36, has a record of 12-5-0 in 17 playoff games so far, with a goals against average of 2.11 and a save percentage of .912.

Bobrovsky is in his 15th NHL season and has two Vezina Trophies and a Stanley Cup under his belt. Meanwhile, Oilers’ goalie Stuart Skinner is known to go wobbly with his play. One game where Skinner doesn’t perform at 100% could likely tilt the series.

McDavid to Score First Goal a Popular Prop

McDavid to score a goal (+150) is the most bet prop at BetMGM, as is McDavid to score the first goal of the series (+1000).

Both teams retooled for another Cup run – through the playoffs so far, every single Oiler forward has scored a goal, a testament to the job management did in retooling the bottom six forwards, led by contributors like Corey Perry, Connor Brown, Mattias Janmark, Jeff Skinner, and Adam Henrique.

The Panthers swung big at the trade deadline, acquiring Brad Marchand and Seth Jones. Marchand especially has been everything the Panthers could have expected – four goals, 14 points, and a +11 so far over 17 games in the playoffs, skating 16:22 per night on average. Not bad for a third-line winger.

What Do DraftKings’ Bettors Think?

DraftKings’ bettors across North America are siding with the Oilers, with even stronger support in Ontario. Across DraftKings’ North American platform, 78% of the total handle is on Edmonton as are 65% of all bets. In Ontario, 83% of handle and 69% of bets are on the Oilers. Just 17% of handle and 31% of bets are on the Florida Panthers.

The latest DraftKings series odds are a near toss-up with the Oilers -120 and the Panthers +100.

At ESPN BET, Game 1 betting has 40.8% of bets and 85.2% of handle on the Oilers at –1.5.  Forty-two percent of bets and 56.3% of handle are on Panthers ML +110, while 53.9% of bets and 70.1% of handle are on Over 6.5.

At OLG, 67% of PROLINE players are backing the Edmonton Oilers to win Game 1, while 80% have bet the Oilers on the Puckline -1.5 and 56% are taking the Over at 6.5.