Trent Reinsmith
- The Vegas Golden Knights and Florida Panthers have both made it to the Stanley Cup Final once before.
- There will be a first-time Stanley Cup Winner in 2023.
- Vegas lost in the 2018 Stanley Cup Final, while Florida fell in the 1996 Final.
With the Vegas Golden Knights 6-0 win over the Dallas Stars in Game 6 of the 2023 NHL Western Conference Final, the Golden Knights secured their place in the 2023 NHL Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers. Florida wrapped up their 2023 NHL Eastern Conference Final series on May 24 with a four-game sweep of the Carolina Hurricanes.
Vegas finished the 2023 NHL regular season as the No. 1 team in the Western Conference with a 51-22-9 record. The club downed the Winnipeg Jets in Round 1 of the 2023 NHL Playoffs in five games before beating the Edmonton Oilers in six games in Round 2 and moving on to meet the Stars in the Western Conference Finals. Meanwhile, Florida was the final wildcard team in the Eastern Conference with a regular season record of 42-32-8. The Panthers upset the NHL’s winningest team, the Boston Bruins, in a Round 1 series that went seven games. In the second round of the 2023 NHL postseason, the Panthers ended the season of the Toronto Maple Leafs in five games before sweeping the Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final.
With the 2023 NHL Stanley Cup Final series between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Florida Panthers about to begin, it’s time to look at the teams who will compete for the Cup. Before we do that, check out our Stanley Cup betting tips and the best sites for all your NHL betting needs.
2023 Stanley Cup betting picks
| To Win 2023 Stanley Cup |  |  |  |  |  |
| Florida Panthers | +108 | +110 | +110 | +115 | +100 |
| Vegas Golden Knights | -128 | -130 | -130 | -135 | -137 |
Vegas Golden Knights Stanley Cup betting breakdown
The Vegas Golden Knights took a shot on trading for Jack Eichel. That gamble has paid off, as Eichel leads the team in scoring heading into the 2023 NHL Stanley Cup Final. Eichel had nine points (three goals, six assists) in six games against the Edmonton Oilers. In the first-round series against the Jets, he had five points (three goals, two assists) in five games. While Eichel did not score a goal against the Dallas Stars, he had four assists and was second to Jonathan Marchessault in ice time among forwards, trailing Marchessault by seven seconds.
While Eichel leads the team in scoring, he is not the only player the team relies on to get the job done in the scoring department. Vegas employed a team-first approach to its hockey during the 2023 NHL regular season. That has continued in the postseason. Each of the 19 players who suited up for the Golden Knights during the Stars’ series scored at least one point.
Adin Hill played well in net for the Vegas Golden Knights against Dallas. He posted a 4-2 record with two shutouts to go with a .939 save percentage and a 1.99 goals against average in the series. The one concern about Hill is that he is heading into the Stanley Cup Final on the longest run of consecutive starts of his career.
Vegas’ power play has not been very effective in the 2023 NHL playoffs, connecting at a 18.5 percent rate. Meanwhile, the team’s penalty kill has been one of the worst in the postseason at 63 percent.
Florida Panthers Stanley Cup betting breakdown
A resurgent Sergei Bobrovsky has helped the Florida Panthers reach the 2023 NHL Stanley Cup Final. Bobrovsky replaced Alex Lyons after the first three games of the first-round series against the Bruins. Currently, the frontrunner to win the 2023 Conn Smythe Trophy as the NHL playoffs MVP, Bobrovsky is 11-2 in the playoffs with one shutout. He has a save percentage of .935 and a goals against average of 2.21.
Matthew Tkachuk, who the Panthers picked up in a trade before the 2023 NHL season began, had a career season in his first year with the team. The 25-year-old was the Panthers’ scoring leader with 109 points. Tkachuk, who is also in the running for the Conn Smythe, is the leading scorer among players in the Stanley Cup Final with 21 points (9 goals, 12 assists). He also leads all players with four game-winning goals in the playoffs, including two overtime goals against Carolina and the game-winner in Game 4, which he scored with five seconds left in regulation.
Florida’s power play is operating at 27.9 percent, while the team’s penalty kill is slightly better than Vegas’ at 71.2 percent.
2023 Stanley Cup Final Schedule
- Game 1: FLA at VGN, Saturday, 8 p.m.
- Game 2 (at VGK): Monday, June 5, 8 p.m.
- Game 3 (at FLA): Thursday, June 8, 8 p.m.
- Game 4 (at FLA): Saturday, June 10, 8 p.m.
- Game 5 (at VGK*): Tuesday, June 13, 8 p.m.
- Game 6 (at FLA*): Friday, June 16, 8 p.m.
- Game 7 (at VGK*): Monday, June 19, 8 p.m.
All games on TNT
*If necessary
Best bets to win the 2023 Stanley Cup
The Florida Panthers have been the underdogs in all three of their previous 2023 NHL playoff series. They enter the 2023 Stanley Cup Final in the same position. While both the Vegas Knights and Florida Panthers are playing with confidence, the Panthers are the pick to win this series. They are a gritty team that can force their style of play on any opponent, and they have complete confidence in their goaltender. While Vegas might be the deeper team on paper, I can’t pick them to defeat the Florida squad, which looks to be something very special heading into the final round of the 2023 NHL playoffs. The best bet is to pick the Florida Panthers to win the 2023 Stanley Cup in a six-game series.
Pick: Florida Panthers to beat the Vegas Golden Knights in six games and win the 2023 Stanley Cup.
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