Stanley Cup Final Picks, Odds, and Predictions: Covers' Experts Weigh in on Oilers vs Panthers

Will this be the year the Cup finally comes home to Canada? Well, one of us believes it is, while the others are eating cat nip with the Florida Panthers.

The Stanley Cup Final odds to choose from are endless, and our betting experts have found a plethora of NHL picks for this star-studded matchup that you need to check out.

Find out what we're on as we watch to see if the Oilers will run out of gas or the Cats will choke on a hairball in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final.

Stanley Cup Final predictions

Writer	Stanley Cup Winner	Conn Smythe	Fave Final bet
Josh Inglis	Panthers	Aleksander Barkov	Cup handoff: Aaron Ekblad
Jared Hochman	Panthers	Aleksander Barkov	Number of shutouts in series - zero
Kyle LaRusic	Panthers	Aleksander Barkov	Sam Bennett to lead series in points
Chris Vasile	Oilers	Connor McDavid	McDavid Over 2.5 goals
Robert Criscola	Panthers	Carter Verhaeghe	Reinhart/Verhaeghe to score 1+ goal a game

Covers staff NHL picks

Josh Inglis, Betting Analyst (@Covers_josh)

• Stanley Cup pick: Florida Panthers to win (-130 )
• Conn Smythe Trophy: Aleksander Barkov, Panthers (+400 )
• Favorite Final bet: Cup handoff: Aaron Ekblad (+1,800 )

The better defensive team has the advantage in this series with all the days off thanks to the long travel, and that’s the Florida Panthers. Florida has the players in Aleksander Barkov and Anton Lundell to play smart defensive center and shut down the shallow Edmonton offense. 

Barkov might not have the most points in the series, but he's shut down Nikita Kucherov, David Pasternak, and Artemi Panarin, who combined for just one goal in the playoffs vs. the Florida center. If he can keep Connor McDavid in check, the playoff MVP is his.

Aaron Ekblad is the longest-tenured Panther after getting drafted first overall in 2014 as an 18-year-old. The Cup handoff is usually given to the more veteran player, and at +1,800, that is a great look.  

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Jared Hochman, Content Manager (@JLHoch)

• Stanley Cup pick: Florida Panthers to win (-130 )
• Conn Smythe Trophy: Aleksander Barkov, Panthers (+400 )
• Favorite Final bet: Number of shutouts in series - zero (-135 )

The Panthers are deeper in all aspects, including the more reliable goaltender, but what sets Florida ahead is its relentless commitment to physical play — from puck drop to the final whistle, the Cats are out to hit (and hurt) and grind opponents down. They will overwhelm the Edmonton Oilers and dominate just as they have each of the previous three rounds. 

Florida has a plethora of elite offensive options, but the most important forward is superstar center Barkov. He doesn't put up gaudy offensive numbers, but the reigning Selke winner has already shut down the likes of Panarin, Pastrnak, and Kucherov — if anyone can slow down No. 97, it's Sasha (along with Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Reinhart).

My favorite prop is for zero shutouts in the series: Florida is an offensive juggernaut, and while I don't see McDavid and Leon Draisaitl going bananas... I don't see them getting completely blanked either. This is as short as -175 at some other books, so I love the -135 number at BetMGM.

Kyle LaRusic, Publishing Editor (@CoversLaRusic)

• Stanley Cup pick: Florida Panthers to win (-130 )
• Conn Smythe Trophy: Aleksander Barkov, Panthers (+400 )
• Favorite Final bet: Sam Bennett to lead series in points (+12,000 )

Edmonton has done well to get here, but Florida's depth and goaltending matchup will push the Cats above.

Stuart Skinner is due for regression, and Florida won't be as selective as Dallas was with its shots, so Skinner could see a major increase in workload. Pair that with the play of Sergei Bobrovsky and I can't see the Oilers winning four of seven.

Barkov has neutralized every superstar he's faced, all while playing at a point-per-game pace. If McDavid gets taken out of this series because of Barkov and continues to produce offensively, I don't see how he doesn't win it.

I'm going with a longshot here but I think there's real value. Sam Bennett has scored in three straight games and registered six points in six games against New York. This series is likely to be low-scoring and we've seen time and time again the top lines neutralize each other. If Bennett can continue to click with Matthew Tkachuk, he could lead his team and this series in points. 

The +12,000 price tag also caught my eye as it's as low as +8,000 at bet365.

Chris Vasile, Publishing Editor (@mc_silly3)

• Stanley Cup pick: Edmonton Oilers to win (+110 )
• Conn Smythe Trophy: Connor McDavid, Oilers (+220 )
• Favorite Final bet: McDavid Over 2.5 goals (-130 )

I’ve been on the Edmonton Oilers train since before the season started, writing this in our Covers pre-season predictions piece: 

Sooner or later, a Canadian team will win the Stanley Cup, and while my die-hard Toronto Maple Leafs fandom is kicking my butt for writing this, the Oilers will be the one to break the drought. They've got the best player in the world in Connor McDavid and arguably the second-best player in the game in Leon Draisaitl. That's not a bad one-two punch. Depth-wise, they are fine with the likes of Evander Kane, Zach Hyman, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, while Darnell Nurse leads the blueline. If the Oilers can get some competent goaltending when it matters most, my money is on McDavid and Draisaitl in more games than not.

Through three rounds, each one of those guys has had their moment to shine, with McDavid, Zach Hyman, and Skinner coming through in a big way in Game 6 vs. Dallas. 

I’m not about to hedge my bets. The Oilers are deep enough and good enough to beat the Panthers. 

As far as the Conn Smythe trophy goes, McDavid has to be the choice at +220 at FanDuel. If the Oilers win, he’ll be the catalyst unless someone else, like Leon Draisaitl or Hyman, averages three points per game.  My favorite bet has to be McDavid Over 2.5 goals -130 at bet365. Simply put, it’s his time to shine. 

Robert Criscola, Hockey Contributor (@itsgood2beking)

• Stanley Cup pick: Florida Panthers to win (-130 )
• Conn Smythe Trophy: Carter Verhaeghe, Panthers (+2,800 )
• Favorite Final bet: Verhaeghe and Sam Reinhart to combine for 1+ goal in every game (+1,400 )

The Panthers took the raw ability they flashed late last season and combined it with a grinding, punishing style of play that suffocates other team’s scoring chances. The New York Rangers could barely get a forecheck going in the Eastern Conference Final, and their top scorers were all but silenced. 

It’s nearly impossible to silence McDavid and Draisaitl, but subduing them should be enough to guide the Panthers to the promised land.

Bobrovsky would be a logical Conn Smythe odds pick if you expect the Panthers to prevail, but I’ll go a little outside the box and grab some generous odds on Carter Verhaeghe — Florida’s leading goal-getter in these playoffs with nine. 

Verhaeghe is right there with Tkachuk and Reinhart in terms of generating shots on goal in both the regular season and the postseason. And while four of his nine playoff goals have come on the power play, only eight of Verhaeghe’s 34 regular season goals were earned on the man advantage.

His ability to generate offense at even strength is imperative to the Panthers’ chances of winning this series, with shots and opportunities figuring to be limited for both sides.

While Verhaeghe has led the Panthers in playoff goals, Reinhart hasn’t been close behind, finding the twine eight times. I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch that one of the Cats’ top snipers will beat Skinner at least once every night. This is a live long shot play.

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