Panthers vs Golden Knights: Stanley Cup Finals Predictions, Picks and Betting Odds
Panthers vs Golden Knights Odds and Prediction Preview
WagerTalk NHL handicapper Andy Lang gives his Panthers vs Golden Knights series picks and predictions before Saturday puck drop at 8:00pm ET on TNT. The Golden Knights finished with 19 more points during the regular season than the Panthers
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Panthers vs Golden Knights Betting Odds
| Stanley Cup Finals Notes | |
|---|---|
| Moneyline To Win Series: | Florida Panthers +105 vs Vegas Golden Knights -125 |
| Series Spread: | Panthers +1.5 Games (-190) / Golden Knights -1.5 Games (+160) |
| Series Total Games: | Four (+600) Five (+275) Six (+205) Seven (+200) |
| Most Goals in Series: | Matthew Tkachuk +450 (Odds Above From DraftKings) |
| Featured Prop Bet: | Jack Eichel to Score 2+ Goals in Any Game (+175) |
Panthers vs Golden Knights Betting Analysis
The puck drops on the Stanley Cup Finals Saturday night in Vegas as the Golden Knights host the Florida Panthers for Game 1.
After one of the most unpredictable post-seasons in recent memory and it’s only fitting that it will end with a first time Stanley Cup champion.
The Golden Knights knocked off the other two heavy hitters in the Western Conference in the Edmonton Oilers and Dallas Stars, despite being the 2nd youngest team in the NHL.
They have yet to face elimination in their playoff run and haven’t been behind in a series since they were down 1-0 to Winnipeg in the opening round.
The Florida Panthers will represent the Eastern Conference despite not clinching a playoff spot until April 11th and averaging lower home attendance than the Colombus Blue Jackets.
They have won back-to-back-to-back series as underdogs to a 65-win Boston Bruins, a loaded Toronto Maple Leafs and a division champion Carolina Hurricanes respectively.
The Panthers are relentless and a dominant goaltending run by Sergei Bobrovsky has them believing that they can complete this Cinderella run.
Panthers vs Golden Knights – Regular Season Head-to-Head
January 2nd: Panthers 2 @ Golden Knights 4
March 7th: Golden Knights 1 @ Panthers 2
You can’t take a ton of stock in what happened during the regular season at this point, but the home team did prevail in both games.
Vegas won in a come from behind effort while Florida won in a defensive struggle. The projected starting goaltenders Adin Hill & Sergei Bobrovsky both played in both games. Jack Eichel, Nick Cousins and Aleksander Barkov are the only players to record points in both contests.
Panthers vs Golden Knights Top Playoff Scorers
Golden Knights
Jack Eichel 18 points
John Marchessault 17 points
Ivan Barbashev 15 points
Mark Stone 15 points
William Karlsson 14 points
Panthers
Matthew Tkachuk 21 points
Carter Verhaeghe 15 points
Aleksander Barkov 14 points
Sam Reinhart 11 points
Sam Bennett 11 points
Panthers vs Golden Knights Offense
The Golden Knights have scored 62 playoff goals to the Panthers 50 and only the eliminated Bruins and Oilers have averaged more than their 3.65 goals per game.
They boast six different six-goal scorers and 7 different 10-point scorers during the post-season and six different 50-point scorers during the regular season.
That number could have easily been eight had it not been for the injuries to captain Mark Stone and defenseman Shea Theodore. Their 12.2 shooting percentage leads all playoff teams by over 1% and would have paced the NHL by 0.4 during the regular season.
The Panthers offense is a lot more top heavy as only Barkov, Reinhart, Tkachuk and Verhaeghe scored goals during the first three games of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Tkachuk has been the standout offensive player of the entire playoff run with 9 goals and 21 points. Verhaeghe followed up his breakout 42-goal regular season with six tallies in the post-season and seven of Reinhart’s 11 points were goals.
Florida’s big advantage comes in special teams as they have converted an impressive 27.9% of their power play opportunities while Vegas only killed of 62.2% of their penalties. That is the second worst penalty kill of any post-season team in 2023.
Panthers vs Golden Knights Defense
The Florida defense has mostly been about forechecking opponents into mistakes and relying on Bobrovsky being a brick wall, but they have identified the players they can rely on in key situations.
Brandon Montour averaged of 27 minutes per game during the first three rounds, but he has lost the scoring touch of the first round and 73-point regular season. Marc Staal can’t keep up with Montour, but the Panthers never have to question his effort.
The duo of Aaron Ekblad and Gustav Forsling from a balanced line behind them. The Panther’s defense has held it together, but if they continue to surrender 37+ shots per game against Vegas that will spell trouble.
Vegas is outscoring opponents 48-23 in 5-on-5 hockey, which has kept them in a favorable position despite the appalling penalty kill statistics.
They haven’t significantly out-shot opponents but have survived on blocking shots, forcing turnovers and getting out into rushes. Alex Pietrangelo Leads the group with Alec Martinez and paces Golden Knight skaters in ice time.
Shea Theodore has quietly become one of the most consistent offensive defensemen in the league while playing alongside physical veteran Brayden McNabb.
Panthers vs Golden Knights Goaltending
Sergei Bobrovsky only started 50 games during the regular season and was shelved in favor of Alex Lyon before Paul Maurice decided to start him in Game 3 against Boston.
Since then, Bobrovsky has been invincible with wins in 11 of 13 games while being outshot relentlessly. Bobrovsky’s .935 save percentage and 2.21 goals against average could win him a Conn Smythe if the Panthers get the job done in the coming weeks.
The Golden Knights seemed to have found their answer in goal with Laurent Brossoit prior to him injuring his hip in Game 3 against Edmonton. The 27-year-old Adin Hill has answered the call admirably since taking over between the pipes.
He bounced back from allowing a soft game winning goal in Game 5 of the Conference Finals to record a shoutout in Game 6 and stamp Vegas’s ticket to the Stanley Cup.
Hill has recorded a .937 save percentage while allowing only 2.07 goals per game in his 10 starts since taking over. Hill would have to seriously slip up for us to see Johnathan Quick in this series.
Panthers vs Golden Knights Expert Prediction
The Florida Panthers made me a believer when they bounced back against the Boston Bruins and put the brakes on what could have been an historic season.
Not having home-ice advantage hasn’t bothered the Panthers so far as they’re 8-1 on the road, losing just the playoff opener. They are also 6-0 in overtime.
The Golden Knights are deep and dangerous, but so is Florida. Tkachuk has been an absolute beast and Barkov has been a force at center. Reinhart, Bennett and Verhaeghe give them plenty of scoring options and Montour & Ekblad are stalwarts on defense.
Bobrovsky has been a brick wall with a .935 save percentage and he’ll be fresh after not playing since May 24th. The team of destiny vibes also point me in the Panthers direction, so I’ll gladly take them on plus money to hoist the Stanley Cup.
Series Prediction: Florida Panthers Win Stanley Cup +105 Draftkings
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Meet the Author
Andy Lang has lived in Indianapolis his whole life, and like most people from the Hoosier State, he became fascinated with motor sports. That interest in motor sports turned into a desire to make money off the sport through fantasy contests and sports betting. Like most, he took his lumps when he first got started, but now he is one of the most respected NASCAR bettors in the industry. Andy has expanded that sports betting experience to become profitable in a number of other sports, transforming this interest from a side hobby to a major source of income.
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