Oilers vs Panthers Picks and Prediction – 6/18/2025

Edmonton is hanging by a thread heading into Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. The Oilers trail Florida 3-2 in the series after dropping Game 5 at home 5-2. The Panthers, meanwhile, are one win away from hoisting the Cup after a dominant showing in Edmonton. Puck drops in Sunrise at 6:00 PM EST on Tuesday. Hit the ice running with our NHL picks.

Edmonton is back in a must-win scenario, and they've already proven they can bounce back — just look at the 5-4 OT win in Game 4 in Sunrise. That said, the Game 5 loss at home was brutal, especially with Stuart Skinner struggling again. The Oilers need another huge night from Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid to push this to Game 7. Draisaitl led all Oilers with 106 points (52 goals), while McDavid paced the league in assists with 74 during the regular season. The last time they visited Sunrise, Edmonton came out on top — but it took overtime.

Defensively, the Oilers are letting too much through. Skinner's GAA during the season was 2.81 with a .896 save percentage — not ideal against a physical Florida team. Calvin Pickard has slightly better numbers (2.71 GAA, .900 SV%). Edmonton’s penalty kill is only working 78.2% of the time, while they're giving up 2.87 goals per game. Zach Hyman is out, which is a big blow to the offense. With 23.7% on the power play, the Oilers still have a strong weapon.

Florida comes in confident after that 5-2 win and now returns home with a chance to close things out. The Panthers have already beaten the Oilers twice at Amerant Bank Arena during the series and have outscored them 16-12 overall in the Finals. Sam Reinhart was clutch with 39 goals and 81 points during the regular season, and Aleksander Barkov’s playmaking set the tone with 51 assists. 

Defensively, Florida's been rock solid. Sergei Bobrovsky had 2.44 GAA and a .906 save percentage in the regular season. The Panthers allow just 2.72 goals per game and have the edge on special teams with an 80.7% penalty kill and a slightly worse, but still potent, 23.5% power play. No injuries give Florida a depth advantage, and they've looked like the more complete team in most games this series.

Florida has better goaltending, a slightly deeper forward group, and has taken three of the five games so far. Bobrovsky’s numbers are stronger than Skinner’s or Pickard’s, and with home ice plus no injuries, Florida has the edge. Unless McDavid and Draisaitl pull off a miracle night, the Cup stays in Sunrise. Final Score Prediction: Florida Panthers win 4-2.