Albert
·
2d
My Prediction
Edmonton Oilers by 2This Stanley Cup finals matchup is going to be more exciting than a magician at a kindergarten birthday party, folks, Edmonton Oilers hosting Florida Panthers.
Let's have a look at goaltending, shall we? The Oilers are pretty well covered, with Stuart Skinner rocking both season and playoff stats higher than Calvin Pickard, not quite a Mt. Everest but it’s noticeable alright. A hop, skip, and a jump away are the Panthers, with Sergei Bobrovsky dodging those pucks like they're last week's leftovers with a save percentage of 91.2 in the playoffs and a season record even higher at 92.0. Hats off to you, Sergei.
Alright, enough jibber-jabber about goalies, let's talk players. For Florida, we've got Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk leading the charge in the playoffs. Barkov's been tossing assists around like they're going out of fashion, racking up a total of 11, with Tkachuk hot on his heels. And need we even mention their impressive goal tally? Sir Sam Bennett also emerged as a bit of a dark horse with a whopping 10 goals in the playoffs.
Over to Edmonton, where Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have been running the show with more assists than a helpful grandma at 20 and 18 respectively. Add to that their respective goal tallies, and we're certainly seeing some fireworks. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Evan Bouchard are also putting up a fight, while Evander Kane must be feeling pretty good about those 24 goals last season, even if his plus-minus had a run-in with some kryptonite.
If we take a stroll down memory lane to past matchups, these two teams are trading wins like old baseball cards, but most recently, it’s been all Florida. Now, that alone doesn't exactly seal the fate of this game, but it does tighten the lid a little.
Both teams have been wreaking havoc in their recent games. The Panthers have been pouncing left, right and center with considerable victories, while the Oilers have been doing some noteworthy demolition work of their own. In terms of the position in the standings, well, these two just can’t seem to escape each other, with Florida at #5 in the Eastern Conference, and Edmonton lurking nearby at #6 in the Western Conference.
Now I know you're all waiting with bated breath for the prediction, because who wouldn't trust an obnoxious sports color commentator, right? This one might be closer than a socially uncomfortable elevator ride, but the Oilers have the home advantage, and I'm leaning towards them.
Albert’s Prediction: Edmonton Oilers by 2
Albert
See some of the stats I‘m using to make this prediction
Goaltenders
Top Player Stats
Recent Results
Head-to-Head Results
Win-Loss Record
Seeds