Panthers vs Golden Knights Game 1 Odds: Stanley Cup Final Begins In Vegas

• Panthers swept Carolina Hurricanes to reach Final
• Golden Knights won Western Conference Final in six games against Dallas Stars
• Vegas a -125 favorite to win this series entering Game 1

Panthers vs Golden Knights Game 1 Odds

Odds taken from DraftKings Sportsbook

Panthers vs Golden Knights Game 1 Picks

• Golden Knights Moneyline (-130)

Panthers vs Golden Knights Game 1 Predictions

The Vegas Golden Knights and Florida Panthers took very different paths to get to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. But they both managed to run through their respective conferences to make it to the Stanley Cup Final. On Saturday night, they will play in the first game of this series between the best team in the West and the team that got hot at the perfect time to win the East.

Florida Panthers Predictions

Going into the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Florida Panthers were expected to get run over in the first round. They faced a Boston Bruins team that was not only the top seed in the Eastern Conference, but set records for wins and points in a single season. But the Panthers beat that Bruins team in seven games and followed that performance up with series wins over the Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes to reach the Stanley Cup Final.

A huge reason for the success of the Panthers in this postseason has been the play of goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. Bobrovsky has raised his save percentage by over 30 points from the regular season to the postseason, helping the Panthers to give up just six goals in the team’s four-game sweep of the Carolina Hurricanes. Bobrovsky’s performance in the Stanley Cup Final will need to be just as good for the Panthers to win Game 1 and this series.

If there is a concern for the Panthers going into this game, it is the fact that they weren’t great offensively against the Hurricanes. Despite earning a four-game sweep, the Panthers scored 10 goals in those four games. They may need to score more than 2.5 goals per game to keep up with a Vegas team that has the potential to put in goals in bunches.

Vegas Golden Knights Predictions

The Vegas Golden Knights have reached the Stanley Cup Final for the second time in their brief franchise history. After dispatching the Winnipeg Jets in five games in the first round, Vegas beat the Edmonton Oilers and Dallas Stars in six games each to reach this point. By virtue of having a better record than the Panthers this season, the Golden Knights will start this series on home ice.

Home ice has been good to the Knights so far in this postseason, as they are 6-3 at home during their journey to the Stanley Cup Final. They have won at home in the first game of their last two series, beating the Oilers and Stars in Game 1 of the conference semifinal and conference final rounds. Another fast start from the Golden Knights could help them to win a third straight series-opening game at home.

In the six games of the Western Conference Final against the Dallas Stars, Vegas scored first in four of the six games of that series. Jumping out to a fast start will be an even bigger item of importance here, as doing so can help curb the momentum of a Panthers team that is flying high coming into the final playoff series of the NHL season. Look for Vegas to do just that to set the tone for this entire series.

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How to Watch Panthers vs Golden Knights

• What: Florida Panthers vs Vegas Golden Knights
• When: Saturday, June 3, 2023, at 8:10 PM ET
• Where: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV
• How to Watch: TNT