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Edgar Chaput
Florida Panthers vs. Vegas Golden Knights Game 5 Prediction, NHL Odds
What began as a relatively easy Game 4 turned out to be an intense, narrow 3-2 win for Vegas on Saturday. The victory provided the Nevada-based club with a 3-1 series lead in the Stanley Cup Final and a chance to finish the job they started five years ago on Tuesday night at home.
Heading into the fifth tilt, the NHL odds have Vegas as -187 favourites to win to Florida’s +153.
Panthers vs. Golden Knights NHL Finals Betting Odds
It’s not as though the Florida Panthers haven’t been here before. Everyone remembers what happened in the first round of the playoffs against the Boston Bruins. On the flip side, an argument can be made that the first round serves as a filter of sorts.
A Stanley Cup Final is a vastly different beast. Only one team suffered that ignominious fate, the 1942 Detroit Red Wings. They lead the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-0 yet could not finish the job. Other than that, no team has ever climbed back from such a deficit in a final.
A glimmer of hope may rest in a few historical stats. Number one, Vegas lost its most recent Game 5 at home in the Western Conference Final to Dallas. In last year’s final, the Avalanche had a chance to close the deal at home in Game 5 but Tampa Bay successfully extended the series. The same situation happened in the 2020 bubble final, even though there was no real home team. That year Dallas forced a Game 6 when down 3-1.
Florida Panthers
The Panthers are putting up a fight, no question. The problem is their “time to hunt” starts so late in games that it doesn’t always work in their favour.
For the second contest in a row, Paul Maurice’s unit found itself battling back from a deficit in the third period. While the spirit to never give up is commendable, it’s their first and second periods that are a cause for concern. Performances in the first 40 minutes were bad enough to cost them the outcome in both Games 2 and 4. The players who should be getting points are, but it doesn’t seem to be enough. Brandon Montour (eighth) finally got the Panthers on the board late in the second period to make it 3-1, although the goal was courtesy of not one but two favourable deflections. Captain Aleksander Barkov (fifth) off a nifty one-timer in the third period. The final minutes saw the Panthers pounce all over Vegas’ net, but to no avail.
Florida needs little and big things to go their way or this series is over. Fewer penalties and better starts to games can make a big difference. It must start in Game 5.
Vegas Golden Knights
That was a close one. In what was almost a mirror image of Game 4, the Golden Knights played excellent hockey for two periods, only for the host Panthers to make a run when at their most desperate.
The match started brightly for Vegas. After forcing excellent saves from of Sergei Bobrovsky in the first 60 seconds, the Knights outduelled him via a quick breakaway at 1:39 that allowed Chandler Stephenson (ninth) to squeeze the puck between the keeper’s pads. Evidently, the dramatic Game 4 defeat did not damper Vegas’ spirits. Stephenson got a double in the second period off a one-timer from distance through some traffic before William Karlsson (11th) pounced on a juicy rebound to pad the advantage to 3-0.
Just when it seemed as though the Golden Knights were cruising, back came the Panthers. There are no two ways about it. Vegas were on their heels as the third period came to an end. Adin Hill made brilliant saves literally in the final seconds to save the day. The “60 minutes of hockey” lesson is one the Knights need to heed.
FLA
VEG