Ultimate Stanley Cup Final Betting Guide 2023: Florida Panthers vs. Vegas Golden Knights
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The Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights have taken different roads to get to this point. However, Gary Bettman’s reality of seeing two “Sunbelt” teams has come true.
One of the better aspects for NHL betting purposes is how even this series is. Vegas is around a -125 to -135 favorite for Game 1 and the series. While Florida keeps winning games, Vegas goes about its business and takes care of it.
Now, this makes it somewhat challenging to pick a winner and more. However, here at Gambling.com, we have a few tips for wagerers to consider.
Bet these Stanley Cup odds here:
Why You Should Bet Panthers To Win The Stanley Cup
1. They have the embattled goaltender. Yes, Sergei Bobrovsky has had no easy road in his career. Even with two Vezina Trophy awards, the Russian goaltender, up till this year, was a poster boy for lousy goalie contracts ($10 million AAV). However, this postseason has seen Bobrovsky post an 11-2 record with a 2.21 goals-against average and a .935 save percentage.
Though Adin Hill has been quite good, Bobrovsky has faced a better caliber of opponent. Hill does have a 7-3 mark with a 2.07 goals-against average and a .937 save percentage. The Vegas goaltender came in for an injured Laurent Brossoit in Round 1 and never looked back.
The fact remains that Florida has the more experienced goaltender riding a hot streak that saw him conquer three of the four best teams in the NHL (Boston, Toronto, and Carolina).
2. Then, there is Matthew Tkachuk. Florida has a 1-2 punch in these playoffs that has so far been unbeatable. Tkachuk has been Mr. Clutch for those who have been betting on the Stanley Cup playoffs. Ask how many Panthers In Regulation wagerers were grateful for his series-clinching goal versus Carolina.
Tkachuk leads the Panthers with nine goals and 21 points in 16 games. Again, it is the four game-winning goals that draw the most notice. The forward has also been a significant presence on the power play, with four tallies there.
Tkachuk, as much as Sergei Bobrovsky, has been two of the best players these playoffs. From anytime goals to shot props, the winger is money this postseason.
3. Florida has played playoff hockey for two months now. Other teams will lament it, but Florida had to battle into the playoffs. They qualified as the eighth seed and even needed a Chicago Blackhawks win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Paul Maurice and management insisted this was a playoff team.
Once the Panthers made the postseason, that was evident after Game 4 versus Boston. Florida has won 11 of 12 games since. This team is on some roll.
Why You Should Bet Golden Knights To Win The Stanley Cup
1. The Vegas Golden Knights have been here before. In their first year of existence, the Golden Knights battled the Washington Capitals in the Stanley Cup Final. On some books that June, Vegas was a slight favorite despite being an expansion team. Times have changed, but the odds have not so much.
Under first-year coach Bruce Cassidy, Vegas plays an attacking style that focuses more on defense and discipline than their Florida opponent. The Golden Knights held opponents under 30 shots a game in the playoffs and took the fewest penalty minutes per game (7.2 per contest). Florida, by contrast, takes the second most at 12.2 a game.
The “Misfits,” led by Jonathan Marchessault, William Karlsson, and Reilly Smith, were on the roster five seasons ago that went on that magical expansion run. Along with players like Jack Eichel and Mark Stone, Vegas has assembled a balanced squad.
2. Jack Eichel may bust out in this series. The key for Vegas might be the Eichel-Marchessault duo. Can Eichel score some goals? He became too much of a playmaker against Dallas. Florida might offer an opportunity for the pivot to shoot the puck more.
Eichel does have six goals and 18 points in 17 games this postseason. That includes three goals on the man advantage. Meanwhile, Marchessault leads the NHL in even-strength goals (9) and shots on goal (62) this postseason.
3. Bruce Cassidy has this team ready for success. The Vegas coach has pushed the right buttons all postseason. Vegas even clamped down against Dallas on the penalty kill, which had been a sore spot for the Golden Knights most of the season. If Cassidy gets the matchups, he will exploit them.
Stanley Cup 2023 Best Bet
Florida feels like the team of destiny, and it is hard to deny a team that has become so polarizing. This is a challenging pick, but I am rolling with the Panthers at +105 on DraftKings Sportsbook. Vegas needs to get in a rhythm while Florida keeps finding ways to win.
Sprinkling a little money on the Panthers to win in six games at +475 does not hurt either. Florida should be able to steal at least a game, if not two, in Vegas. The Golden Knights have been more vulnerable than most teams at home.
Conn Smythe 2023 Odds
This may be the roughest choice regarding NHL Betting and the Stanley Cup Final. However, Matthew Tkachuk getting +360 odds to win the Conn Smythe is too hard to pass up this round.
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