The toughest trophy to win in all of sports will have a first-time home as the Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights prepare to play for Lord Stanley’s Cup. The Vegas Golden Knights endured injury issues at the goaltending position all season long but emerged atop the Pacific Division and a contender to win the Stanley Cup in 2023.
The Florida Panthers barely made it into the playoffs as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, having the toughest road of competition possible but acing each challenge by eliminating three of the top four regular season teams to play for Lord Stanley’s Cup.
With the fifth-best regular season team in their sights, can the Florida Panthers knock out another regular season giant, or will the Vegas Golden Knights win their first Stanley Cup in their sixth season in franchise history? We’ll review the Panthers vs Golden Knights odds, stats, and trends in our Stanley Cup Finals preview.
Odds to Win the Stanley Cup 2023
The NHL odds to win the Stanley Cup opened the season with the Florida Panthers at +850 and the Vegas Golden Knights at +1900.
As the last two teams NHL standing, here is the range of Panthers vs Golden Knights odds to win the Stanley Cup found in most sportsbooks:
| Team | Odds to Win the Stanley Cup |
| Florida Panthers | +108 to +115 |
| Vegas Golden Knights | -135 to -138 |
Florida Panthers vs Vegas Golden Knights Information
Florida Panthers vs Vegas Golden Knights
Location: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada (G1,2,5 & 7) | FLA Live Arena, Sunrise, Florida (G3, 4 & 6)
Date & Time: Game 1 – June 3rd | Game 7 (if necessary) June 19th | 8:00 PM ET
How to watch: TNT, TBS, TruTV, Sportsnet, TVAS
Florida Panthers vs Vegas Golden Knights Betting Preview
Despite finishing in very different positions in the NHL standings, the Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights are fairly evenly matched.
The head-to-head season series is tied 1-1, with both NHL teams winning on home ice. The home team is 5-0 in the previous five matchups.
Both games played on the NHL schedule hit the under of 6.5 total goals. However, the Panthers’ recent history with Vegas has gone smoothly, as the Panthers are 0-5 in their last five meetings in Vegas and 2-5 in their last seven head-to-head matchups overall.
Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers have the edge in special teams’ NHL stats. The Panthers’ powerplay is converting at 27.9%, while the penalty kill is operating at 71.2%.
The Panthers are averaging 3.13 goals per game (gpg) while giving up 2.69 gpg in the playoffs.
Among our NHL picks is Sergei Bobrovsky to win the Conn Smythe Trophy, especially if the Panthers lose the Stanley Cup Finals. Goalies have a history of winning the ConnSmythe Trophy in losing efforts, and the Panthers are not in the Stanley Cup Finals without Bobrovsky’s play, especially considering he didn’t play the first three games. Bobrovsky has an 11-2-0 record, a 2.21 GAA, and a .935 SV% in the playoffs.
Vegas Golden Knights
The Vegas Golden Knights have the five-on-five statistical edge. VGK is averaging 3.65 gpg while giving up 2.65 gpg.
Vegas’ penalty-killing numbers have gotten better since their series with the Edmonton Oilers, operating at 63.0%, while the powerplay is converting at 18.5%.
Adin Hill has emerged as VGK’s unexpected number-one goalie for their Stanley Cup Finals run. Hill has a 7-3-0 record, a 2.07 GAA, and a .937 SV%.
Florida Panthers vs Vegas Golden Knights Betting Picks
The Panthers vs Golden Knights odds to win the Stanley Cup suggest the series will be fairly evenly matched. However, we’ve been extremely impressed by one of these teams consistently taking out favored teams with impressive regular season records.
We’re taking Matthew Tkachuk and the Florida Panthers to win the 2023 Stanley Cup in six games.
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