When you buy through affiliate links in our content, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Learn A 30-plus-year Stanley Cup drought is going to expire over the next few weeks, which means Stanley Cup Final 2024 odds are extremely competitive.
The Florida Panthers are back in the Stanley Cup Final for the second time in as many seasons and will try to claim their first championship. Yet, the Edmonton Oilers are standing in their way, with arguably the greatest player of his generation, Connor McDavid.
Florida will play for the Cup for the third time in its 30-season existence but is just 1-8 in its first nine championship-round games.
The Panthers were swept by the Colorado Avalanche in 1996 and were ousted in five games by the current Stanley Cup champions Vegas Golden Knights a season ago.
The Oilers will play for the Cup for the first time since 2006 — nine years before McDavid was selected first overall — and are trying to bring the trophy back to Canada’s City of Champions for the first time since 1990.
No Canadian team has won the Stanley Cup since the 1993 Montreal Canadiens, though the Oilers are the seventh Canadian club to reach the Final in that span.
That these teams are in the Stanley Cup Final isn’t particularly shocking, since each was an NHL betting line favorite to represent its conference in the preseason. But Edmonton and Florida took vastly different paths to the championship round.
Here’s a look at the Stanley Cup Final 2024 odds and breakdown, so you can successfully wager on the Stanley Cup, for what seems like a compelling series.
How the Edmonton Oilers Reached the 2024 Stanley Cup Final
Edmonton dug itself a massive hole by starting 2-9-1 under then-coach Jay Woodcroft. McDavid was injured early in the year, and the Oilers had a minus-16 goal differential when coach Kris Knoblauch took over for Woodcroft after he was fired on Nov. 12.
But the Oilers quickly took off under Knoblauch, who they hired from the New York Rangers’ AHL affiliate in Hartford, Connecticut.
Edmonton went 46-23 against the moneyline under Knoblauch, including a 24-3 stretch between Nov. 24-Jan. 27, culminating in a 16-game winning streak.
The Oilers have had regular season success in the past, but they finally scaled the hellacious Western Conference mountain this year.
Edmonton knocked off the Los Angeles Kings in five short games then outlasted the Vancouver Canucks, in seven in an epic, knock-down, drag-out series between Western Canadian rivals.
The Oilers rode their red-hot power play and dominant penalty kill past the Dallas Stars in six games in the Western Conference Final.
Edmonton will enter the Cup Final with a franchise-record 28 straight power plays killed and scored four of its 17 WCF goals on the power play — including both with the man advantage in its 2-1 series-clinching win in Game 6.
Despite Edmonton’s special-teams dominance, and McDavid’s playoffs-leading 31 points that has him as the Conn Smythe Trophy favorite (+220 at BetOnline.ag), it is the underdog in the Cup Final. The Oilers’ odds of winning the Cup sit at +117 per BetOnline.ag as of June 5.
You can learn more about the sportsbook’s offering through our BetOnline.ag review and how it is one of the fastest payout betting sites.
How the Florida Panthers Reached the 2024 Stanley Cup Final
The Panthers have played like a team on a mission to win the Stanley Cup from the minute they took the ice this season. Florida won the Atlantic Division with 110 points and took off with a 25-6 stretch from December through early March.
The Panthers finished tied with three other teams for second-most regular season wins (52) and haven’t looked back, going 12-5 in the Stanley Cup playoffs. They have not yet faced elimination this year and have only trailed in one of their three best-of-7 series so far.
The Panthers are deep and talented, led by captain and Selke Trophy winner Aleksander Barkov and a skilled, tenacious forward group highlighted by super pests Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett and 57-goal-scorer Sam Reinhart.
They are excellent defensively too, led by emerging star defender Gustav Forsling, who has four goals and 11 points in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Florida has no weaknesses, except maybe in goal, though Sergei Bobrovsky is a finalist for the Vezina Trophy, given annually to the NHL’s best goalie.
Bobrovsky hasn’t been as dominant as he was in the playoffs last year, where he had a .915 save percentage and 7.1 goals-saved above average while winning 12 of 18 starts, but he also hasn’t needed to be.
The Panthers are allowing just 2.29 goals-against per game, and Bobrovsky has a 2.20 GAA in these playoffs. That’s why Florida is a -137 favorite to hoist the Cup.
Stanley Cup Final 2024 Odds and Outright Bets
Panthers Win the Stanley Cup (-137) at BetOnline.ag
If you’re a fan of NHL finals and peruse Stanley Cup betting lines, you know this is the shortest the odds have been for a Cup champion all year.
The Oilers may have McDavid, the best and most celebrated player of his era, but the Panthers have a much deeper roster.
Plus, Florida coach Paul Maurice is almost certain to match up Barkov against McDavid’s line so the two-time winner of the best defensive trophy award can keep Edmonton’s dominant top-line center in check.
McDavid is averaging 1.72 points per game, and teammates Leon Draisaitl (1.56) and Evan Bouchard (1.5) are also over the point-and-a-half-per-game threshold, but those three along with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman are the only Oilers with double-digit points in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Florida has seven players with 10-plus postseason points, led by Tkachuk’s 19.
Even if Barkov fails at holding McDavid down, if the Panthers can play the bulk of the series at 5-on-5 — a likely outcome since the officials tend to swallow their whistles in the NHL finals — they should be able to take care of the Oilers.
Panthers -1.5 Games (+160) at BetOnline.ag
The Stanley Cup Final has only reached a winner-take-all game once over the past 12 years, in 2019 when the St. Louis Blues topped the Boston Bruins in seven games.
If you’re looking at Florida’s 57.8 percent implied probability and thinking the odds aren’t quite as lucrative as you’d like, it would be worth taking the Panthers to win in six games or fewer.
Even though the road team is 44-37 in these playoffs, home-ice advantage has mattered to the Panthers, since they are 6-3 at Amerant Bank Arena in the postseason.
My 2024 Stanley Cup Final pick is Panthers in six games, and if that is what plays out, then bettors who take this wager will win $1.60 profit-per-dollar bet.
If you’re wondering when is the Stanley Cup awarded, look for it to be handed out either June 18 or 21 based on the -1.5 pick.
If you feel the Oilers could surprise the Panthers, it’s worth it to take them to cover -1.5 games at +200 at BetOnline, one of the best online sportsbooks in the US.
Aleksander Barkov Conn Smythe Trophy Winner (+350) at BetOnline.ag
McDavid is a lock to win the Stanley Cup playoff MVP if the Oilers win the Cup, but only one non-goalie has ever won the Conn Smythe for a losing team, Reggie Leach for the Philadelphia Flyers when they lost the Cup Final to the Montreal Canadiens in 1976.
McDavid is as great of a player to buck any historical trends, but the more likely outcome if Florida wins is Barkov ends up showcasing his incredible prowess as the best two-way center in the game.
Barkov may be tied for second on the Panthers in points (17), but he also has played huge minutes and shut down superstar opponents like Nikita Kucherov (44 regular-season goals; 0 in playoffs), David Pastrnak (47 regular-season goals; 1 goal, 3 points in 6 games vs Florida) and Artemi Panarin (49 regular-season goals; 1 goal, 4 points in 6 games vs Florida).
If Barkov can hold McDavid in check, the Panthers will win the Cup and he’ll almost certainly take home the trophy given to playoff MVP.
2024 Stanley Cup Final Picks – Game 1
Panthers Moneyline (-133) at BetOnline.ag
Florida is a juggernaut and has won three straight entering the Stanley Cup Final picks. They are 2-1 in Game 1s in these playoffs, losing only to Jeremy Swayman and the Boston Bruins in the second round.
Plus, it may not seem like much, but Game 1 is crucial, especially for teams with home-ice advantage.
Clubs that have won Game 1 on home ice have claimed 75 percent of all best-of-7 series in NHL history, and home teams that win Game 1 of the Cup Final have won 83.6 percent of all championship-round series.
The odds are favorable enough to wager on just Florida in a moneyline wager, even though winning bettors will only get $0.75 profit per dollar bet. The Panthers have played, and won, loads of one-goal games, since seven of their 12 playoff wins have been by exactly one goal.
Under 5.5 Goals (+100) at BetOnline.ag
Though McDavid and the Oilers are one of the highest-scoring teams in hockey, Game 1 of the Cup Final always seems to have a feeling-out period where the players shake off the nerves and jitters.
Over 5.5 goals has hit in each of the past three Cup Final Game 1s, including last year’s 5-2 Vegas win.
But there have been fewer than six goals in eight of Florida’s past nine games, and despite the Oilers’ high-octane offense, there have been fewer than six goals in seven of their past 10 games.
Plus, the Even money odds for this wager make it even more alluring, since the under will cash at a full $1 profit-per-dollar bet, instead of usual $0.91 that are typically listed with -110 odds.
If the goaltenders are as good as they have been then the under bet should be a safe hit.
Conclusion
Edmonton vs Florida should be a fun Cup Final between the best teams in ice hockey and the greatest player in the sport’s recent history.
As closely evaluated above, the Stanley Cup Final 2024 odds displays a range of different interesting outcomes.
It would be extremely fun to see McDavid put the Oilers on his back and bring the Cup back to Edmonton for the first time in 34 years. Yet, hockey has a way of stymieing superstars, at least initially, in their first Cup Final trip.
Wayne Gretzky lost to the New York Islanders in 1983. Sidney Crosby lost to the Detroit Red Wings in 2008. Even Gordie Howe lost twice in the Cup Final before he and the Red Wings lifted the trophy in 1950.
Don’t be surprised if we add McDavid to that list when this Cup Final is all said and done.
