NHL Stanley Cup Final 2024: Odds, Hot Takes, Top Storylines for Game 4
NHL Stanley Cup Final 2024: Odds, Hot Takes, Top Storylines for Game 40 of 4
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The Edmonton Oilers must win Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final to keep their season alive.
The Oilers come into Saturday down 3-0 to the Florida Panthers. Florida won the first two games at home and then stunned the Oilers in Alberta on Thursday.
Florida’s phenomenal defense has been the most important factor of the first three games.
Connor McDavid does not have a goal and only has three points in the series. Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman do not have a point.
Edmonton’s put a ton of pressure on Sergei Bobrovsky in the Florida net, and that should continue on Saturday, but scoring a barrage of goals has been a much tougher task than the Oilers expected.
The Oilers need to push two or three past Bobrovsky to even have a chance of sending the series back to Florida.
Game 4 Odds1 of 4
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Money Line
Florida (-102; bet $102 to win $100)
Edmonton (-118)
Puck Line
Florida (+1.5, -265)
Edmonton (-1.5, +215)
Over/Under: 5.5
Connor McDavid Scores First Goal of Series2 of 4
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McDavid leads the series with 14 shots on goal.
However, the Florida defense and Bobrovsky have kept him out of the net so far.
That needs to change on Saturday in order for the Oilers to stay in the series and to provide a boost for his team.
None of Edmonton’s stars have had a great series. They needed goals from Philip Broberg and Ryan McLeod to pull themselves back into Game 3 in the third period.
McDavid must continue to be aggressive in the offensive zone. He has to shoot even more than he has in the first three games to try and pull the Oilers into Game 5.
Do not be surprised if the Oilers rotate McDavid’s line mates throughout Game 5. Corey Perry and McLeod were elevated to the top line at points of the third period on Thursday. Draisaitl and Hyman could also start the game alongside Edmonton’s superstar.
Edmonton’s Top Four Players Record At Least 20 Shots on Goal3 of 4
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We should expect to see a heavy volume of McDavid, Draisaitl, Hyman and Evan Bouchard in Game 4.
Edmonton’s four best players should cruise over 20 minutes on ice. The three forwards should push the 25-minute mark, especially if the Oilers fail to score early in the contest.
McDavid, Bouchard, Draisaitl and Hyman have 42 shots on goal between them in the series. As many as 20 could from the quartet in their quest to finally break down Bobrovsky.
The ice time is guaranteed, but how the Edmonton stars line up is still unknown.
McDavid, Draisaitl and Hyman could all play together, or McDavid and Draisaitl could play with each other with Hyman on another line. The latter scenario played out at the end of Game 3 with Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins dropped down to the second line.
The quartet will be together on any Edmonton power play, and that is where the most shots on goal could come from.
The Oilers have yet to score with a man advantage in the series. If they somehow break that drought, it could propel Edmonton to win another game in Florida to keep the series alive. But first the Oilers have to worry about winning Game 4.
Carter Verhaeghe is Florida’s Best Offensive Player in Game 44 of 4
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Florida made a lineup tweak in Game 3 that could reap dividends in Game 4.
Carter Verhaeghe dropped from the first to second line to reunite with Sam Bennett and Matthew Tkachuk.
Verhaeghe only had two shots on goal in Game 3, but he was active around the net any time his line rushed into the offensive zone.
Verhaeghe is one of the few Panthers players who have been a part of a Stanley Cup close-out game. He won the Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020.
He did not score in the close-out game against the Dallas Stars, but he at least knows what that feels and how to approach a contest of that stature.
That could help Verhaeghe ease into the game more than other Panthers, who may play a bit tentative.
The experience combined with the line shift could allow Verhaeghe to have his best game of the series and to potentially score a vital goal for the Panthers to end the series.
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