Sportsbooks, bettors favor Oilers in Cup Final

The Edmonton Oilers will enter the Stanley Cup Final as very slight favorites to end Canada's 32-year championship drought, and the majority of bettors across North America are backing it to happen.

Edmonton sports tight -125 odds to win the Stanley Cup over the Florida Panthers, according to ESPN BET lines. The sportsbook opened the matchup at -110 for each side, but heavy betting activity eventually pushed the Oilers to as long as -130, before settling at the current number.

Assuming the lines hold, Edmonton will tie the Vegas Golden Knights, who defeated the Panthers in 2023, as the longest favorites heading into the Stanley Cup Final since 2007, per historical betting data from SportsOddsHistory.com.

"These teams match up really well, and we might be looking at a pick 'em on neutral ice," ESPN BET director of North American sports trading Adrian Horton said over email. "Edmonton have been very strong at home throughout the playoffs, so hosting Games 1 and 2, and a Game 7 if it comes down to it, accounts for their slight edge heading into the series."

The betting public has supported the Oilers throughout the season in the futures market and that has continued into the championship series. Including eliminated teams, Edmonton attracted a leading 22.5% of wagers and 18.5% of handle to win the Stanley Cup at ESPN BET; when paring that down to only open wagers, the Oilers hold a 67% bet and 60.4% money advantage over the Panthers.

BetMGM and FanDuel note that Edmonton has the majority of wagers and handle specifically for series betting, with the latter noting that the most popular selection in the Series Correct Score market is Oilers 4-2. The former says that its betting action in Ontario, Canada, is largely in line with the rest of the continent, as Edmonton has 58% of the bets and 52% of the money there.

"BetMGM is pulling for the Panthers in a Stanley Cup Finals rematch," BetMGM senior sports trader Matthew Rasp said in an email release. "The Oilers have been a losing result for us all season."

Of course, the one jurisdiction where bettors are supporting the Panthers is Florida. Hard Rock Bet, the state's sole sports betting operator, reports that 64% of wagers are backing the hometown team, compared to 34% in all other states where the sportsbook operates. For Game 1 specifically, that number jumps up to 70% of bets and 77% of handle backing the Cats.

At ESPN BET, 42% of bets and 56.3% of handle are backing the Panthers money line (currently +100) for Game 1, while 40.8% of bets and 85.2% of handle are on the Oilers puckline of -1.5 (+190).

At the sportsbook's counterpart in Ontario, theScore Bet, over 65% of money is backing Edmonton to win and over 71% is backing the Oilers to cover the spread.