Best Stanley Cup Final Prop Bets For Oilers vs. Panthers Game 1 (Carter Verhaeghe Torched Oilers In Regular Season)

The Stanley Cup Final is finally here after a long wait. The Edmonton Oilers traveled the farthest any team has ever gone for Game 1, as the toll of a long travel schedule could affect the teams if this series drags on. However, they will be refreshed for the series' first two games.

Both teams won their Conference Final series with Game 6 victories, and have been the most dominant teams in each conference for the second half of the season. It's fitting that these teams match up against each other, and it promises to be one of the most exciting finals in years.

The Panthers won both games during the regular season, 5-3 and 5-1. However, it's hard to get a read on it, as they happened in the season's first few months when the Oilers were still trying to figure it out. Calvin Pickard was also the starter in both games for the Oilers, not Stuart Skinner.

Here's how I would attack Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals from a prop perspective.

Stanley Cup Finals Prop Bets for Oilers vs. Panthers Game 1

• Carter Verhaeghe Anytime Goal Scorer (+180)

• Aleksander Barkov OVER 2.5 Shots on Goal (-108)

• Evander Kane To Record 3+ Shots on Goal (FD, O/U on his shots not offered and not enough juice on other sites with O1.5 at -190)

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook unless otherwise noted

Carter Verhaeghe Anytime Goal Scorer

Despite the Panthers ' three-straight victories, Verhaeghe had a sour end to the Eastern Conference Finals. He was non-existent for most games, recording just one goal and six shots over the three games. The goal and four shots occurred in Game 4, meaning he was pointless and had just two shots in the final two.

A matchup with the Oilers could mean a Verhaeghe bounce back, as he was dominant against them during the regular season. Verhaeghe had three goals and two assists with eight shots in the two games.

Aleksander Barkov OVER 2.5 Shots on Goal

There's a lot of hype around Barkov's defensive performance over the first three series. He has shut down he likes of Nikita Kucherov, David Pastrnak, and Artemi Panarin this postseason. It won't be as easy with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl coming at him in waves, but at this point, it's hard to bet against Barkov.

The most impressive thing for me is Barkov's ability to keep contributing on offense while doing all this defensive work. He had a goal and three assists with 14 shots over the final four games of the Rangers series with 14 shots. The 14 shots helped him go over the total in three of those games.

Barkov didn't play in the November game against Edmonton but saved his best for the December game. He had a goal and seven shots while holding the Oilers' top players to just one goal.

Evander Kane To Record 3+ Shots on Goal

This series could be a special one for Evander Kane. He thrives in physical environments, and there won't be a more physical team he plays this playoffs than the Panthers. We see it when he plays against the Kings, which has been a productive series for him in three-straight playoffs.

Kane's favorite opponent, Matthew Tkachuk, is back in Alberta to rekindle their old rivalry from the vicious Battles of Alberta a few seasons ago. Kane loves playing against Tkachuk, and we'll likely see him in his element in that matchup.

Kane had just four shots over the final four games with Dallas, including Game 6, where he played just four minutes due to injury. Despite the Oilers' losses, he was productive against the Panthers during the regular season, tallying seven shots in the two games.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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