NHL Odds: Three reasons why the Florida Panthers will win the 2024 Stanley Cup
The Cats are back in the Stanley Cup Final for the second year in a row and they are -130 favourites to win the franchise’s first Cup. Let’s take a look at three reasons why the Florida Panthers will win the 2024 Stanley Cup.
Playoff experience
Florida may have lost in the Stanley Cup Final last year, but regardless of what Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch has to say about the Buffalo Bills (look it up, it’s actually pretty funny), the Panthers’ experience last year will help them. The team knows what it takes to play in June. Because of last year, they have a better understanding of how proper rest and recovery will help them as the series goes on.
There’s also one stat that has to scare Edmonton fans and delight the Panthers posse. Since 1927, teams that have lost in the Stanley Cup Final and returned to the Cup Final the following season are 8-0. The last team to do it was the 2009 Pittsburgh Penguins, who beat Detroit in a Stanley Cup Final rematch.
Edge in net
The Panthers have a major advantage in net with Sergei Bobrovsky duelling Stuart Skinner. Bobrovsky, who has the second-shortest Conn Smythe odds at +400, has a 12-5 record in the playoffs with a 2.20 goals-against average, .908 save percentage and one shutout. By comparison, Skinner is 11-5 with a 2.50 GAA, .897 SV and one shutout.
Bobrovsky has been dominant throughout the playoffs, with the two-time Vezina Trophy winner holding opponents to two or fewer goals in 13 of 17 games, including five of six in the Eastern Conference Final. Among goalies who have played at least five games in the playoffs, Bobrovsky’s .855 SV against high-danger shots on goal (106 saves, 124 shots) leads the NHL.
Skinner clearly hasn’t had the same success. The 25-year-old gave up three or more goals in six of Edmonton’s first eight games of the playoffs and he was benched in favour of backup Calvin Pickard for Games 4 and 5 of the second round against Vancouver. While he bounced back with a solid series in the Western Conference Final against Dallas, Skinner is still far from being trusted by Oilers fans.
Goaltending could be the edge in this series and Florida clearly has the better goaltender.
No weak links
Florida has a clear edge in depth over the Oilers. The Panthers have seven players with double digit points in the playoffs, 10 players who have scored three or more goals and 11 players with a positive plus-minus rating. Matthew Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov, Carter Verhaeghe, Sam Reinhart and Sam Bennett have been particularly effective offensively.
Tkachuk leads the team with 19 points (5G, 14A) and he has done a much better job at controlling his physicality compared to last year’s playoff run, which has helped him stay healthier.
Barkov has been a dominant two-way force while winning 53.4 per cent of his faceoffs and he’ll be a key factor in shutting down Connor McDavid.
Verhaeghe, who has a team-high nine goals in the playoffs, has been one of the most clutch players in franchise history. He is the Panthers’ all-time leader with 24 career playoff goals, including nine game-winners, with five in overtime (T-3 in NHL history).
Reinhart has been lethal on the power play. After scoring an NHL-high 27 goals on the power play in the regular season, Reinhart has four goals on the man advantage in the playoffs, including three against the Rangers in the Eastern Conference Final.
Bennett has missed five games in the playoffs because of injury, but he’s still managed 10 points (6G, 4A) in 12 contests. That puts him fourth on the team in average points per game (0.83) and he’ll draw a lot of responsibility, along with Barkov, in shutting down McDavid.
