Stanley Cup Final betting tips - Props, odds, Game 1 picks - ESPN

The narrow betting odds for the Stanley Cup Final between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers matches the projected narrative: a seven-game series that could go either way. The two regular-season tete-a-tetes between these clubs fell way back in November and December, so even though the Panthers crushed Edmonton in both games, those outcomes should have little bearing on this series.

As such, to determine which team ultimately ends up victorious on or before June 24th, several questions — just a sampling here — first need answering:

How will the Oilers' skill and creativity, driven by two of the globe's best players, match up against Florida's balanced depth, forecheck and (successful) penchant for physical play? Will the Panthers manage to skirt the edges of making mayhem without finding themselves in penalty trouble against a club that rediscovered its power-play magic in the latter stages against Dallas?

Can Zach Hyman continue to be a productive front-of-net presence? If Selke winner Aleksander Barkov is tasked with shutting down Connor McDavid, who takes care of Leon Draisaitl, on another Edmonton scoring unit? And how effective will (the answer) Matthew Tkachuk perform in that regard?

Which version of Stuart Skinner will we see this series? Can Sergei Bobrovsky — with his running .921 save percentage and 1.77 goals against average since Game 2 vs. the Bruins — continue to (somewhat quietly) dominate between the pipes? How much does home-ice advantage favor Paul Maurice's charges? How badly is Sam Bennett going to hurt a key member of the opposition? Because you know he's going to try, again, without harming his side on the special teams front. Once more, just a few queries that need satisfying before trying to