Today’s top games to watch, best bets: Stanley Cup Final begins, Mets-Dodgers series continues and more

Sports

add

After having at least five days to recharge and prepare, the Edmonton Oilers and defending champion Florida Panthers collide in Game 1 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final at Rogers Place in Edmonton. The Oilers have been idle since defeating the Dallas Stars last Thursday to end the Western Conference Final, while the Panthers haven’t played since their Eastern Conference Final clincher against the Carolina Hurricanes the previous day.

Florida, which is looking to become the third NHL team since 2005-06 to win back-to-back championships as it makes its third straight appearance in the Stanley Cup Final, is relatively healthy, with only fourth-line forward A.J. Greer (lower body) on the injury list. While Greer is questionable for the series opener, Edmonton’s Zach Hyman (upper body) is done for the season after getting hurt in the first period of Game 4 of the conference final.

This is the 11th time in NHL history the same matchup is taking place in the Stanley Cup Final in back-to-back postseasons and first since 2008-09, when the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins faced off. Despite losing in seven games last year, the Oilers are -120 favorites at DraftKings Sportsbook to capture their first Cup since 1990 and -130 favorites to win Game 1, which begins at 8 p.m. ET. We’ll share our best bets from that game and others in the world of sports below.

But let’s start our snapshot of what to watch and bet tonight on the diamond with the third game of a four-game series between the participants in last year’s National League Championship Series that has seen both teams post an extra-inning win …

MLB best bets, games to watch on Wednesday

Mets at Dodgers, 10:10 p.m. ET (MLB Network)

After dropping a 4-3 decision in 10 innings in the series opener, the Dodgers squandered an early three-run lead on Tuesday but scored one run in the ninth and another in the 10th to record a 6-5 victory. Los Angeles staked Clayton Kershaw to a 4-1 lead after one inning, but the three-time Cy Young Award winner was unable to hold it as New York chipped away and carried a 5-4 lead into the ninth. Max Muncy led off the frame with his second homer of the game and ninth of the year to forge a tie and Freddie Freeman hit a walk-off double in the 10th as the Dodgers avoided a third straight loss. 

Tony Gonsolin will have revenge on his mind when he takes the mound for Los Angeles tonight, as the right-hander was tagged with the loss after allowing four runs over five innings against the Mets in New York on May 24. The Mets counter with righty Griffin Canning, who yielded three runs on one hit and four walks across 2 2/3 frames in a no-decision a day earlier.

Guardians at Yankees, 7:05 p.m. ET (Prime Video)

Another 2024 LCS rematch is taking place as the Yankees host the Guardians in the middle contest of their three-game series. The Yankees, who defeated Cleveland in the ALCS last year, registered a 3-2 victory in Tuesday’s opener as Jazz Chisholm Jr. led off the seventh inning with a tie-breaking homer in his first game back from a stint on the injured list and Anthony Volpe followed with a blast of his own. 

Clarke Schmidt gets the start for the Yankees tonight and will be looking to redeem himself after surrendering five runs over four innings in a loss at Cleveland in April. Luis Ortiz will have the same thing on his mind, as the Indians right-hander gave up four runs across 4 1/3 frames versus the Yankees en route to defeat in that series. Aaron Judge went 0-for-2 yesterday but drew a pair of walks to go Over this total bases number for the fourth time in his last five contests. 

More MLB best bets

NHL best bets, games to watch on Wednesday

Panthers at Oilers, 8 p.m. ET (TNT)

• SportsLine model pick: Panthers +104
• SportsLine expert pick: Over 6 (Bruce Marshall, 17-12-1 in last 30 Florida O/U picks)

The Oilers nearly etched their name in the record book in last year’s Stanley Cup Final, forcing a Game 7 after digging themselves an 0-3 hole in the series and ending the first period of the decisive contest in a 1-1 tie before suffering a 2-1 loss. Captain Connor McDavid and company appear to be on a mission this postseason, as Edmonton has gone 12-2 since losing the first two games of its first-round series against the Los Angeles Kings and won four straight versus the Dallas Stars after dropping the opener of the Western Conference Final. McDavid, who last year became the sixth member of a losing team in the Stanley Cup Final to win the Conn Smythe Trophy in NHL history, is on pace to capture the award again as he is the postseason scoring leader with 26 points. The Oilers are 6-1 at home in the 2025 playoffs, but the Panthers are 8-2 on the road. 

SportsLine expert Bruce Marshall is backing the Over, noting that Florida is on an uncommonly hot stretch of goal scoring, netting five or more tallies in five of its last six playoff games.

Looking ahead

NBA Finals: Indiana Pacers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder

• NBA Finals MVP value pick: Pascal Siakam +1600 (Matt Severance)
• Game 1 expert pick: Alex Caruso Under 14.5 points + assists + rebounds (Alex Selesnick, 147-102 in last 249 NBA Player prop picks)
• Underdog Fantasy props for Game 1

Is this series over before it even starts? It appears the betting market believes so, as the Thunder are -700 favorites to win the title at DraftKings Sportsbook, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander -600 to be named NBA Finals MVP. Severance likes the consistent Siakam as an MVP sprinkle in the event the Pacers pull off the upset. SportsLine props expert Alex Selesnick notes that Caruso has been under his 14.5 PAR line in seven straight.

This news was originally published on this post .

Share on

email

Previous

trending_flat

The Cleveland Browns made a mistake with Baker Mayfield, and Shedeur Sanders could suffer the consequences

Baker Mayfield - English

Next

trending_flat

Bei Keller-Sensation – „Schei …!“ Handball-Nationalspieler rastet aus

Bietigheim-Bissingen