The Edmonton Oilers escaped Game 4 of the NHL Stanley Cup Final with a 5-4 overtime win over the Florida Panthers after falling behind 3-0 in the first period. The series now heads back north of the border for Game 5 Saturday night, where one of these teams will leave with a 3-2 lead ahead of Tuesday’s Game 6 in Florida.
Leon Draisaitl played hero once again for Edmonton, scoring the game-winner in overtime. That’s Draisaitl’s fourth overtime goal of this postseason, and it’s his second of this series. Connor McDavid picked up his sixth assist of the Final, but he’s yet to score a goal through the series’ first four games.
The Oilers are -125 favorites at BetMGM Sportsbook, and the Panthers are +105 underdogs.
We’ve also got a full MLB slate as well as other notable sports action on the docket for Saturday, including the return of Caitlin Clark in the WNBA. Let’s start with Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Stanley Cup Game 5 best bets Saturday
Oilers at Panthers, 8 p.m. ET (TNT)
Both teams are 1-1 on their home ice thus far, and both games in Edmonton have gone to overtime, with the Oilers winning Game 1 and Florida taking Game 2 in double overtime. All four games thus far have gone Over 6.5 goals, with seven goals scored in both Games 1 and 3 and nine in Games 2 and 4. The Over hits in more than 50% of model simulations, with a projected final score of 3.3-3.2 in Edmonton’s favor. SportsLine’s two top NHL experts have different views of this one, with Bruce Marshall backing Florida and Matt Severance taking the Oilers. “In this series of resilience, we still like Florida’s depth scoring, its ability to cause disruptions with its forecheck, and Sergei Bobrovsky’s likelihood to bounce back in goal from a tough Game 4,” Marshall wrote.
MLB best bets, games to watch Saturday
Yankees at Red Sox, 7:15 p.m. ET (FOX)
The Red Sox have won three straight over their rival, and Friday’s clash was a classic with Boston ace Garrett Crochet taking a shutout into the ninth inning before Aaron Judge launched a mammoth home run over the Green Monster to tie things at 1-1. Carlos Narvaez sent the home crowd home happy, however, with a walk-off in extras. Carlos Rodon starts for New York on Saturday, while Boston counters with Hunter Dobbins. The model likes the Red Sox on the money line, with Boston winning in more than 50% of simulations. There are a few 5-star props as well, including Judge Over 1.5 total bases. SportsLine expert Jason La Canfora has logged a pick for this one, taking the Over on 8.5 runs. “This was a dead Over series in the Bronx, and I expect it to carry over here. Carlos Rodon is coming back to earth and got shelled by BoSox last weekend, and Yanks did the same to Hunter Dobbins,” he said.
Giants at Dodgers, 10:10 p.m. ET
The model is backing the Dodgers to win on Saturday after dropping Friday’s game to the Giants but has San Francisco covering in more than 60% of simulations. Giants shortstop Willy Adames is on a four-game hitting streak, and the model rates the Over on his 0.5 total bases prop as a 5-star play. Marshall has logged a pick for this NL West clash, and he’s taking the Giants to win and take the series. “The Blue continues to scuffle, now losing 7 of 12 and out of sole possession of first place for the first time in over a month after the Giants pulled level with last night’s 6-2 win. Clayton Kershaw, on the mound tonight for L.A., isn’t the Kershaw of old, with so-so numbers (4.35 ERA and 1.55 WHIP) and is highly unlikely to last beyond five innings,” he said.
More MLB best bets
WNBA best bets, games to watch Saturday
New York Liberty vs. Indiana Fever, 3 p.m. ET
The Liberty are the reigning WNBA champs and are off to a stellar 9-0 start, and they face the Fever Saturday afternoon in the highly anticipated return of Caitlin Clark, who’s missed five games due to a quad injury. CBS Sports’ Max Meyer is backing the Fever at +4.5 for Saturday. “The Fever are the only team to give a full-strength Liberty a true battle after Indiana lost by two on its home floor to New York earlier this season,” Meyer wrote.
Looking ahead
NBA Finals Game 5: Pacers at Thunder (8:30 p.m. ET Monday)
The Pacers had a fourth-quarter lead in Game 4 with the chance to go up 3-1 in the NBA Finals, but the Thunder were able to cap off a comeback thanks to heroics from MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to take Game 4 111-104. The series now returns to OKC on Monday tied up at 2-2. The Thunder have been stellar at home all year, and the model expects them to leave Game 5 with a 3-2 series lead, and it’s backing the Thunder at -9.5 with a projected final score of 118-103 in OKC’s favor. The model also doesn’t expect another big game from Indiana’s Obi Toppin, with it projecting him to go Under his 15.5 total points + rebounds prop with a projected finish of 10.4.
