Connor McDavid, Oilers open as tiny Stanley Cup favorites in rematch vs. Panthers
Connor McDavid, Oilers open as tiny Stanley Cup favorites in rematch vs. Panthers
Welcome to Prince's Picks, a collection of betting analysis and opinions from BetFTW senior writer Prince J. Grimes.
The Edmonton Oilers closed out the Dallas Stars in Game 5 of the west final Thursday with a 5-3 win to set up a Stanley Cup Final rematch with the Florida Panthers, and oddsmakers expect Round 2 to be just as dramatic as Round 1 — though with a different end result.
The odds on a seven-game series are a leading +200 at BetMGM, giving these teams a good chance to go the distance for a second straight year. However, instead of the Panthers prevailing, it's the Oilers who are the -120 favorites this time around -- bet up from opening -115 odds.
Of course, those odds are hardly convincing, but they're nearly identical to Florida's odds entering last year's final. So, maybe it's a good sign for Connor McDavid and company -- even after the Oilers star touched the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl after Thursday's win.
Edmonton's +400 odds to win in seven games are tied for the best odds of any result, matching the odds of a Panthers win in six games. The next best odds favor the Oilers in six at +450.
Regardless of how it happens, early bets favor Edmonton to get it done. At BetMGM, 52% of tickets and 66% of handle is on an Oilers title.
OVERDUE: It's time for McDavid to win the Cup
So... you're saying there's a chance
Facing elimination Thursday -- and with a large majority of the betting public against them -- the New York Knicks showed up in a big way Thursday for Game 5 against the Indiana Pacers, notching a 17-point win to extend the series. Now, all they need is another win Saturday to make the rare 3-1 comeback a realistic goal, as they'd get to play Game 7 back home at Madison Square Garden.
New York's odds to win the series moved from +450 before Game 5 to +275 today.
There's just one problem; Game 6 is Indiana -- where the Pacers hardly lose. The Knicks are 3.5-point road dogs.
In the regular season, Indiana had the East's second-best record at home. In the playoffs, they were undefeated as home favorites before New York's Game 3 win. It's also highly unlikely four of five Indiana starters score in single-digits again like they did in Game 5. Especially not Tyrese Haliburton, who only attempted seven shots in the loss.
HE'S EVOLVING: Sue Bird helped Tyrese Haliburton get aggressive
There is good news, though. The Knicks are 6-2 on the road this postseason, including their Game 3 win in Indiana. And they were underdogs in all but one of those games, so this isn't unfamiliar territory. It's also encouraging that Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson continue to play well offensively, and other players are finally stepping up too.
College World Series odds
The NCAA baseball tournament gets underway today, and after things are sorted out through a couple weeks of regional and super-regional play, the College World Series will follow.
I'll try to have a little research done well in advance to give a few informed picks on who I like to win -- because let's be honest, I ain't been watching college baseball -- but for now, I'll offer you the odds and who the betting public likes to pull through.
TEAM CWS ODDS (entering regionals) Arkansas +475 LSU +475 Vanderbilt +650 UNC +900 Texas +1000 Tennessee +1200 Georgia +1400 Auburn +2000 Oregon +2500 Clemson +3000 Coastal Carolina +3000 Florida +3000 FSU +3000 Ole Miss +3500 Georgia Tech +4000 Oregon State +4000 TCU +4000 UCLA +4000
At BetMGM, LSU and Arkansas have the best odds at +475 to win the CWS, followed by Vanderbilt (+650), North Carolina (+900) and Texas (+1000).
As for who bettors like, LSU is drawing the most bets at BetMGM at 12 percent of the tickets, but it's UNC leading in the way in terms of total money, at 13.2 percent of the handle. Texas joins LSU and North Carolina as the three biggest liabilities at the sportsbook.
World Series (the not college one) preview?
I'm not completely locked in on Major League Baseball yet, but I do know the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees opened the season as the two biggest favorites to win the World Series, and two months in, they remain the favorites ahead of a three-game set that begins tonight.
The Yankees, in particular, have impressed with the way they've not only stayed afloat but thrived without Gerrit Cole, moving from +800 in April to +550 to win the World Series. Aaron Judge has pulled away in the AL MVP race with almost unreachable -5000 odds. And with ace Max Fried on the mound, New York is a -130 road favorite to win the series opener against righty Tony Gonsolin.
Unfortunately, with all the injuries the Dodgers are battling through, I'm not sure we'll learn much over the next three games about just how well the Yankees stack up in a potential World Series rematch. Especially with LA slumping to an 11-12 record since May 4. So, the best advice I have going into this one is to just enjoy it for what it is: a late-May meeting between two really good teams that should be among the last standing at the end of the year.
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Yahoo
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- Yahoo
Marchand scores in double OT, Panthers beat Oilers 5-4 to tie Stanley Cup series 1-1
EDMONTON — The 2025 Stanley Cup final has already been everything that was advertised and more. Brad Marchand had a pair of goals, including the winner in double overtime, as the Florida Panthers evened their championship final rematch with Edmonton, defeating the Oilers 5-4 in a wild Game 2 on Friday. Advertisement Marchand got a breakaway and was able to sneak a backhand shot through Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner's legs 8:05 into the second overtime. Sam Bennett, Seth Jones and Dmitry Kulikov also scored for the Panthers, who improved to 9-3 on the road in post-season play. 'Big win. Obviously, a long game, a lot of back and forth tonight,' Jones said. 'We came here for a split and got it and we're just going to recover now. 'We wanted to come and just play good hockey. Regardless of the outcome, we wanted to come and be physical, play our game and it's nice that it's 1-1.' Sergei Bobrovsky made 42 saves to register the win in the Florida net. Advertisement Panthers forward Evan Rodrigues said his team did a good job of not getting deflated when the Oilers scored with 18 seconds left in the third to force overtime. "I thought we did a really good job of just staying up,' he said. 'You can't feel sorry for yourself. It's the worst thing you can do. We got right back in the room. No one was quiet. We all came together and stayed loud, stayed up. Overtime game, right? They're a hell of a team, we're a good team and it's going to be a hell of a series. 'We got back out there and got the win.' Evander Kane, Evan Bouchard, Leon Draisaitl and Corey Perry replied for the Oilers who had a five-game win streak snapped and dropped to 7-2 at home. Connor McDavid had three assists and Bouchard added a pair. Advertisement 'We made some great plays and they capitalized on some plays that we probably could have been there (to stop),' Perry said. 'That's hockey. One mistake and it gets magnified, and it did tonight. 'It's a tough one to swallow, but it's not supposed to be easy. They played hard tonight. They got their chances, and they capitalized on that one. That's the difference.' Skinner made 37 saves in the loss. Florida started the scoring 2:07 into the opening period on an early power play as Nate Schmidt fed it across to Bennett and he deposited his 13th of the playoffs into the net before Skinner could get across, setting a new NHL record for road goals in a single post-season with 12. Advertisement The Oilers tied it at 7:39 of the first frame as Kane took off on a partial breakaway and beat Bobrovsky up high with a shot that went off the post and in for his sixth of the playoffs. Edmonton then surged in front less than two minutes later with the teams playing four aside as Connor McDavid dropped it back to Bouchard and he got the rebound of his own blocked shot and then sent it past Bobrovsky from distance for his seventh. Florida knotted the game back up with just over eight minutes to play in the frantic first as Eetu Luostarinen made a nice pass across to Jones, who had a wide-open net to rifle in his fourth of the playoffs. Edmonton jumped back in front a minute later after Bennett was sent off for goaltender interference after landing heavily on Skinner's right leg in a play reminiscent of the challenged goal in Game 1, as McDavid made a couple of incredible moves before passing it to Draisaitl who scored his 10th of the playoffs and third of the finals after being held without a goal in last year's final. Advertisement It was the highest scoring first period in a final since 2016. Florida made it 3-3 at 7:23 of the second period as a Kulikov shot went off of Bouchard and then the post and in for his second. The Panthers took the lead with 7:51 to play in the middle period as Marchand sent it through Skinners' legs on a short-handed breakaway for his sixth. The game looked like it was over, but Edmonton engineered another comeback, scoring with just 18 seconds left in the third period and their goalie pulled as Perry found the puck in a mad scramble in front and managed to bang in his eighth of the playoffs to send the game to extra time. Advertisement Florida had the best chances in the first overtime, with Marchand sliding a puck under Skinner only to hit the post and be fished to safety by John Klingberg, as well as Sam Reinhart missing the net on a clear breakaway. UP NEXT Game 3 takes place on Monday at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 6, 2025. Shane Jones, The Canadian Press
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Brad Marchand's mom goes nuts after his Game 2 heroics as Panthers star offers cheeky response
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New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
What a rally
Which eight teams will advance to the College World Series? Follow all our coverage of the Super Regionals Imagn Images There are eight games today in the NCAA baseball tournament Super Regionals (all times are ET): Game 1s: Murray State at Duke, 1 p.m. (ESPNU) West Virginia at LSU, 2 p.m. (ESPN) Tennessee at Arkansas, 5 p.m. (ESPN) UTSA at UCLA, 7 p.m. (ESPNU) Game 2s: More ways to follow the action and be part of the discussion: GO FURTHER 2025 NCAA baseball Super Regionals set: What are the most intriguing matchups? Connections: Sports Edition Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms B9 - Florida State 4, Oregon State 4 The Beavers have scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth to pull even with the Seminoles. What a comeback for the hosts. Jacob Krieg's two-out single scores two runs, including the tying run. Coastal Carolina and Auburn face off to wrap up today's schedule. The game is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET. It will be broadcast by ESPN2. B7 - Florida State 3, Oregon State 1 Max Williams has padded the Seminoles' lead with a single to left field, scoring Hunter Carns. Carns just beat the throw to the plate, and the Seminoles have some insurance going to the bottom of the seventh. T6 - Florida State 2, Oregon State 1 Myles Bailey has seven home runs in his past eight games, and he gives the Seminoles the lead again with a solo shot to right-center field. Bailey is on fire. T5 - Florida State 1, Oregon State 1 Dax Whitney struck out 10 Seminoles in just 4-2/3 innings, but he's leaving the game and will be replaced by Nelson Keljo. Whitney allowed four hits and walked three. B4 - Florida State 1, Oregon State 1 Wilson Weber rips a double off the left-field wall, and the Beavers have pulled even with the Seminoles. This game has had so much action through just four innings. Imagn Images After a lightning delay, Louisville and Miami returned to the field, and the Cardinals just finished off the Game 1 win with an 8-1 decision. The two teams will return to the field at 11 a.m. ET on Saturday in a game that will be broadcast by ESPN. The Cardinals finished with 10 hits and got a strong start from pitcher Patrick Forbes, who had nine strikeouts in 5-2/3 innings. Louisville is one win away from the College World Series. T9 - Louisville 8, Miami 1 We're back in action in Louisville, and the Cardinals and Hurricanes are heading to the ninth inning. Louisville needs three outs to get an important Game 1 win. Two perfect throws from FSU to get Oregon State out at the plate … so impressive. Goodness, each runner now has had a runner thrown out at the plate. What an exciting start in Corvallis. Florida State still leads 1-0 in the bottom of the third inning. The play is under review. B3 - Florida State 1, Oregon State 0 The Seminoles have four hits and have had a lot of activity on the bases, but they lead by only one run as one runner was thrown out at the plate. Oregon State doesn't have a hit through two innings. Imagn Images B7 - Louisville 8, Miami 1 The Hurricanes leave two more runners on base, and that has been the theme of this game. The Cardinals have made the most of their chances. The Hurricanes have not. Our third straight game today featuring an ACC team. It's Florida State at Oregon State. The game is set for a 6 p.m. ET start and will be broadcast by ESPN2. Imagn Images B6 - Louisville 8, Miami 1 Patrick Forbes with a solid outing to get Louisville off to a strong start this weekend. Forbes went 5-2/3 and allowed one run with a runner on first base who is his responsibility. Forbes struck out nine to more than offset his four walks. Brennyn Cutts takes the mound for the Cardinals, who appear to be in complete control, and he gets out of the inning with a quick ground ball. Nice work from the Louisville pitching staff today. T5 - Louisville 8, Miami 1 This game has slowed to a halt, but the Cardinals just keep scoring runs. Jake Munroe is up to five RBIs with a sac fly to right field, and the Cardinals' lead is back up to seven runs. Miami has gotten runners on, but it has struggled to get them home. That has been the difference in this game. Imagn Images B4 - Louisville 8, Miami 1 The Hurricanes had a chance to cut into the Cardinals' lead with runners on second and third with two outs. But Patrick Forbes gets out of another jam with a strikeout to end the inning. Forbes has allowed three hits and walked four, but he has seven strikeouts. It hasn't been pretty or easy, but it's working. Things are spiraling out of control for Miami. The Canes were on the verge of getting out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the bottom of the third, but pitcher AJ Ciscar's throw home sailed wide to the right. Instead of a double play, two runs scored for Louisville. The next batter, Jake Munroe, drilled a three-run home run to put Louisville on top 7-1. Those are the types of mistakes teams cannot make — especially on the road — to win a Super Regional. Imagn Images B3 - Louisville 7, Miami 1 A double, an intentional walk and a hit batter loaded the bases, and then Miami helped Louisville's cause with an error on a throw to the plate that would have gotten the second out. Two runs scored on the bad throw, and then Jake Munroe blasted a three-run shot over the left-center field wall. The Cardinals have five runs in the inning, and they're not done yet. B3 - Louisville 2, Miami 1 The Hurricanes get their first run of the weekend on a sacrifice fly, and Louisville starting pitcher Patrick Forbes is working hard early in this one. Forbes has six strikeouts through three innings, but he has allowed two hits and walked three. It hasn't been pretty, but it mostly has been effective.
