Vegas is the top dog out of the West whereas Florida was the second wild card team in the Eastern Conference. This marks the first time since 2017 that a club that low reached the final when the Nashville Predators were also the second wild card team.

For Game 1, the NHL odds have the home Golden Knights as 131 favourites on the moneyline and +200 on the puckline.

Panthers vs. Golden Knights NHL Betting Odds

These being intraconference foes, only two meetings transpired during the regular season. Each club defended home ice, with Vegas winning 4-2 in January and Florida claiming a 2-1 victory in March. Since the Golden Knights are such a young franchise – 2017-2018 being their inaugural campaign – surveying the historical head-to-head isn’t difficult. In 10 games, the Knights have a 7-3 edge.

No more disrespect to the Panthers. For the overall series, they’re only pegged as +108 underdogs to the Knights’ -122 status as favourites. The outcome with the lowest price point is Vegas in seven at +435, followed by Florida in six at +486.

Since falling 3-1 in their opening series against the Bruins, the Panthers have been on fire, winning 11 of 12 contests. They haven’t bulldozed over anyone, winning several times in overtime, but no one has been able to stop them. An 8-1 record away from home should be enough food for thought for Vegas.

On the flip side, despite being a higher seed, Vegas had a mildly more difficult time getting to the Stanley Cup final. Again, just mildly. After taking care of the Jets in five relatively simple games, both the Oilers and Stars gave them a bit of trouble. The latter forced the West final to six games despite falling behind 3-0 early.

Florida Panthers

Only one more round, one more challenge for the Florida Panthers. At this stage, there is no reason to think they can’t pull off the feat. They took out the President’s Trophy winners, a loaded Toronto team, and a Carolina club that itself was hoping to get off the conference final hump.

Any conversation about this team starts with Sergei Bobrovsky. Should he continue to play as he has during this run, the Panthers could lose the series and voters would still consider him for the Conn Smythe award. His 2.21 GAA and 935 save percentage are excellent. Then there are Matthew Tkachuk’s 21 points. Nine of those are goals, and what goals! Two overtime winners against the Hurricanes and a series-clinching marker with seconds left in the third period of Game 4. Carter Verhaege and captain Aleksander Barkov have also had a very productive postseason. Defenceman Gustav Forsling has the team’s best +/- among defencemen at +9.

Vegas Golden Knights

The Golden Knights franchise has a short history, but it’s an impressive one. Only six years into their existence, this is already their second Stanley Cup final appearance. Couple that with two conference final participations and you have a relatively new franchise that’s mostly known for winning.

This year’s edition looks to make good on the promise that started in 2018 when the Knights knelt before the Washington Capitals in the final. Their production in the playoffs has mirrored how they got their wins in the regular season. Vegas doesn’t have one standout superstar. It’s a collective effort. No fewer than six players have tallied just around 14 points or more: Jack Eichel (18), Jonathan Marchessault (17), Ivan Barbashev (15), Mark Stone (15), Chandler Stephenson (14), and William Karlsson (14). As such, it’s difficult to predict on a nightly basis who will have a good game. Good for Vegas, bad for the opposition.

Vegas is both a top-five team in the playoffs for goals scored per game and goals conceded.

NHL Prediction: Who Will Win Panthers vs. Golden Knights?

PANTHERS

Away

2

GOLDEN KNIGHTS

Home

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