The Edmonton Oilers have a chance to make some impressive history Monday if they’re able to beat the Florida Panthers to complete a 3-0 comeback in the Stanley Cup Final. But even if they fall short in Game 7, there’s a chance we’ll still see something extremely rare happen.
Regardless of who wins the Cup, Connor McDavid appears to be a lock to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in these playoffs. His odds to win are down to -3000 at BetMGM, leaving little doubt he’ll win it.
And if he does so in an Oilers loss, he’d be just the sixth player in NHL history to win the award on a losing team. The first since the Anaheim Mighty Ducks’ Jean-Sebastien Giguere in 2003.
Aleksander Barkov has the next best odds at +1400.
The NHL’s best player, it’s not hard to see why McDavid is favored by so much. Aside from leading the Oilers back against Florida with a series-leading 11 points — including three goals all in the last three games — McDavid’s 42 points this postseason are the fourth-most all-time.
Whether or not the history he makes will be the preferred kind is harder to predict. Florida and Edmonton each have -110 moneyline odds, making Game 7 a pick’em. Though the Panthers are home, Edmonton has all the momentum that comes with three straight wins.
Bettors think that’s enough to help the Oilers become the second team in NHL history and first since 1942 to come back from 3-0 in a Cup final. The majority of tickets and handle are siding with Edmonton.
