Edmonton and the Oilers head to Rogers Place for an opportunity to gain some life back after dropping the first TWO Games of the Stanley Cup Finals.
BETTING ODDS: FLA (+120), EDM (-140) : O/U 5.5
Major Question Marks Heading Into Game 3
Earlier news today let us know a major situation before tomorrow's game 3 matchup in Edmonton. The Florida Panthers were unable to travel on Tuesday and all day Wednesday. The flight left just after 4pm EST and will be in the air for the 2500+ mile flight for over five and a half hours. My question is, will there be fatigue coming on the Florida side of the ice? Maybe some early jet lag? With the luxury that these teams travel, I would assume that there is no real effect on the team's ability, just something important to note. Aleksander Barkov was another big "?" heading into game 3 after leaving game 2 early due to a high hit from Edmonton forward Leon Draisaitl. The Panthers say he is good to go and will play in full but how hurt is he? This time of the year there is no player in the NHL on either team not dealing with some form of injury. Both teams have now played over 100 hockey games this season, which takes a toll on the body. On the Edmonton side of things - no Darnell "Traffic Cone" Nurse on the ice for morning skate Wednesday morning as well as no Evander Kane who is dealing with a hernia that has limited his production in the recent 10 games.
Edmonton/Florida Game 2 Takeaways
Once again the Edmonton Oilers struggled in Sunrise in game 2. Things did not look too bad early on in this game with the Oilers scoring first on a goal from Mattias Ekholm. After that it was not so pretty - the Florida Panthers scored four unanswered and won the game 4-1. Florida played the game they were hoping to in game 1 when it comes to the shooting side of things. Florida outshot Edmonton 29-19 and a slew of Edmonton penalties helped play into this outcome. Evan Rodrigues continues to be the better Evan left in this playoffs. Two goals coming from 2nd liner RW in the Cup Finals is HUGE. Unlike young defensemen, Evan Bouchard turned the puck over which led to the game-winning goal from Florida. Evan Bouchard was widely criticized for his performance in game 2 and rightfully so. He did more bad than good and his level of play is way too crucial for him to perform poorly. We gave out the Edmonton Oilers money line and unfortunately, that was a loss but it is alright, we'll bounce back tonight. Speaking of bounce-backs, this Edmonton top 6 is going to have to bounce back if they want to have a chance in this Stanley Cup Finals. NOTE: Evander Kane was -3 in game 2, that has to change as well. He is one of the "depth" guys on line 3 and needs to be better. Veteran guys in the room like Kane are so important in the Stanley Cup Finals.
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Florida Panthers vs. Edmonton Oilers Game 3 Prediction:
ChaseTheLock Prediction: Edmonton Oilers ML (-135)
ChaseTheLock Record: 4-4-1 (-0.25u)
I have to go back to this. I can not let this bet go past me. The Edmonton Oilers' time is now. If they want a cup, they need it now. I have been saying this in all of my articles about this Edmonton Oilers team, it seems that it is cup or bust for them. The skill level on this team is absurd, especially on the powerplay which Florida has been killing pretty well but has been taking A LOT of penalties. You can only play so well defensively for so long before it crumbles for at least a game. This Edmonton crowd is waiting for this game. Rogers Place is going to be rocking!!! Not to mention, I would not be happy if I was on a flight to a game less than 24 hours before the puck dropped. Teams had the extra days rest but still this late in the season, I feel an inconvenience like this one can be bigger than one may think. Getting this team at -135 to avoid going down in the SCF 3-0 seems like a very good line. McDavid and the top dawgs will fight like hell for this series to take a turn in their favor. Stuart Skinner has been playing good hockey in between the pipes. Piece a 60-minute game together tomorrow and we will have a 2-1 series heading into game 4.
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