The Florida Panthers are on the doorstep of back-to-back NHL titles at the expense of both the Edmonton Oilers and a decades-long streak of Stanley Cup futility for Canada-based franchises. The teams meet Tuesday in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final (8 p.m. ET), with the homestanding Panthers around a -150 betting favorite and the over/under for total goals scored set at 6.5.
The Panthers are on the cusp of becoming the first back-to-back NHL champions since the Tampa Bay Lightning accomplished the feat in 2020 and 2021. They would become the 19th NHL club to win at least two consecutive championships in a sport that has seen a high number of short-term runs of dominance by comparison to other major professional sports leagues.
For example, the NFL has seen only nine back-to-back Super Bowl champions and only one franchise, the Pittsburgh Steelers, has accomplished this milestone twice. The NFL notably has never had a three-peat champion, with the Kansas City Chiefs memorably falling short of that elusive landmark with their 40-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX in February.
The Panthers, who lead the series 3-2, have outscored the Oilers 16-7 in their three victories and are coming off a 5-2 win in Game 5 in which they surged to an early 2-0 and were never threatened. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean the series ending Tuesday night is a foregone conclusion. Edmonton overcame a 3-0 road Deficit in Game 2 to prevail 5-4 in overtime and also fought back from a 3-0 series deficit last year before eventually losing to the Panthers in Game 7. Another loss Tuesday would extend Canada’s Stanley Cup winless streak to 32 years, dating to the Canadiens’ championship in 1993.
While the Stanley Cup Final is the marquee attraction on the sporting landscape Tuesday, other options include a 15-game MLB slate and a six-game WNBA card.
Below is a snapshot of what to watch and bet for Tuesday, June 17:
NHL best bets, game to watch on Tuesday
Oilers at Panthers, NHL Stanley Cup Final Game 6, 8 p.m. ET (TNT)
- SportsLine model pick: Oilers +130
- SportsLine expert pick: Panthers -146 (Matt Severance)
SportsLine’s top-rated NHL analyst, Matt Severance (+3566, 160-87-9, last 256 NHL picks), is backing the Panthers to clinch the championship Tuesday night. He said he simply believes the homestanding club will play with the needed urgency to close out the series.
“I just don’t think the champs would blow a chance to clinch on home ice and throw everything open to a Game 7 back in Edmonton,” Severance wrote in his SportsLine analysis.
However, the SportsLine Projection Model sees the value on the underdog Oilers. The model’s 10,000-game simulation suggests Edmonton wins this matchup at least 48% of the time, a value position versus the sportsbook implied odds of a 43.5% win rate.
More NHL best bets
MLB best bets, game to watch on Tuesday
Guardians at Giants, 9:45 p.m. ET
- SportsLine model pick: Giants -160 ML
- Player prop pick: Robbie Ray over 6.5 strikeouts (Prop Bey Guy)
The Giants have stumbled to losses in three of their past four following a seven-game winning streak. But after losing two of three in a weekend series to the NL West rival Dodgers, the Giants return home Tuesday amid the buzz surrounding the debut of Rafael Devers, who they acquired in a blockbuster weekend trade with the Boston Red Sox. The Giants have won three of the last four games started by veteran lefty Robbie Ray (8-1, 2.55 ERA), who has yielded four combined earned runs over his past two starts. The Guardians are looking to snap a three-game skid following a weekend sweep at the hands of the Mariners by a combined score of 17-5.
The SportsLine Projection Model is leaning toward the favored Giants (-160), while SportsLine expert Prop Bet Guy is all over Ray recording more than 6.5 strikeouts. He notes that the Guardians have a 25% strikeout rate against lefties and he expects their woes to continue against Ray, who has recoded seven or more strikeouts nine times this season.
More MLB best bets
WNBA best bets, game to watch on Tuesday
Sun at Fever 7 p.m. ET (NBA TV)
SportsLine’s WNBA analyst tandem of Calvin Wetzel and Aaron Barzilai say they’re willing to lay the thick point spread with the Fever (5-5), sparked by the return on star Caitlin Clark. She scored 32 points in a 10-2-88 victory over the New York Liberty on Saturday. The downtrodden Sun (2-8) have dropped three of their past four while failing to score more than 67 points in any of those losses.
More WNBA picks
Looking ahead
NBA Finals Game 6: Thunder at Pacers (8:30 p.m. ET Thursday)
There was minimal drama in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, with the homestanding Thunder pulling away for a 120-109 victory over the Pacers. Jalen Williams scored 40 and regular-season MVP Shai Gilgeous Alexander, who is also the front-runner for Finals MVP, scored 31 as Oklahoma City took advantage of 23 Indiana turnovers and converted them into 32 points. Now, the Thunder are one victory away from their first NBA championship, but they are just 5-4 on the road in the playoffs and Gainbridge Fieldhouse is a difficult road environment. The SportsLine Projection Model sees value on the Pacers +160 to win outright and force a Game 7, while SportsLine expert Jason La Canfora is confident that Oklahoma City covers the 5.5=point spread over what he views as a tiring and fading Pacers club.
