The Panthers favorite to win the Stanley Cup, McDavid for the MVP title

Generational players Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl make their Finals debuts, and the Edmonton Oilers have a chance to win their first Stanley Cup since the days of Mark Messier.

However, it is the Florida Panthers, who are playing in their second consecutive appearance in the Stanley Cup Final, who enter the series as favorites.

Florida opened at -125 to win the Cup, with Edmonton as underdogs at +105, according to ESPN BET odds.

Although the Panthers were unfavored in the middle of a crowded field entering the playoffs at 10-1, they gained favorite status on several occasions, the first of which came during their second-round series. round against the Boston Bruins. They attracted the second-highest percentage of bets (15.6%) and the fourth-highest number of bets (15.1%) on ESPN BET.

The Oilers entered the playoffs at +750 to win it all and were favorites from May 6-8, then again on May 24 at +185 odds. Edmonton opened the NHL season at +800 to win the Stanley Cup and went 22-1 in some books after a disastrous start in late November.

He took 14.8% of the tickets and 16.2% of the money at ESPN BET at the start of the playoffs.

The New York Rangers – the darling of the betting public and the biggest liability among several sportsbooks – were eliminated by Florida in the Eastern Conference final.

“One thing about the Canadian teams is that we’re generally in a good position (of responsibility) towards them because they haven’t won the Cups,” said Johnny Avello, director of betting operations. sports from DraftKings, to ESPN at the start of the playoffs. “The Panthers have never been higher (in the ratings) this year…So we’re in good shape with them.”

Despite being among the Oilers’ underdogs, McDavid is the favorite to win the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP at +200 on ESPN BET. Aleksander Barkov (+400), Sergei Bobrovsky (+400) and Matthew Tkachuk (+600) follow for the Panthers, while Draisaitl (+650) and Evan Bouchard (+700) complete the picture for the Oilers.