The final quest for Lord Stanley’s Cup begins Saturday night in Las Vegas when the eighth-seeded Florida Panthers and Pacific Division Champion Vegas Golden Knights meet in game one of the Stanley Cup Finals.
The Panthers’ path to the second wild card spot and the playoffs, and through the Eastern Conference, was difficult, facing the toughest competition possible, while the Golden Knights won their division and left no doubt who the best in the West was.
GamblingUSA has your Stanely Cup Finals game 1 betting preview, with the odds, stats, trends, and our picks for Saturday night. You can catch game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on TNT, Sportsnet, and TVA Sports at 8:00 PM ET.
Florida Panthers vs Vegas Golden Knights Game 1 Odds and Betting Records
Odds note: many sportsbooks have some sort of boost or special promo for game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals for you to explore and capitalize on.
The Florida Panthers (+1.5) are the road underdog, listed between +108 and +118. The Panthers have a 45-53 ats record.
The Vegas Golden Knights (-1.5) are the home favorite, listed between -130 and 140. VGK has a 53-46 ats record.
The total goals line is set to 5.5, with the over listed between -110 and -125, while the under is listed from -110 to even odds. Florida has a 49-41-8 over/under record, while VGK is 46-48-5 over/under.
Florida Panthers vs Vegas Golden Knights Game 1 Betting Trends
- The Florida Panthers are 9-1 in their last ten games.
- The home team won both head-to-head matchups this season.
- Both head-to-head matchups this season hit the under, with six total goals being the most scored in either game.
- The Panthers are 2-8 over/under in the last ten games, while VGK are 5-5 over/under. However, the Vegas Golden Knights faced the Dallas Stars and Edmonton Oilers in those games – two of the highest-scoring teams in the NHL.
- The home team is 5-0 in the last five meetings.
- The moneyline favorite is 6-1 in the last seven games.
- Florida is 0-5 in the previous five games in Vegas.
Florida Panthers vs Vegas Golden Knights Stats
Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers eliminated three of the top-four regular season teams to win the Eastern Conference and did so after being down 3-1 to the Boston Bruins in round one. It’s been the play of the Panthers’ two Conn Smythe Trophy candidates – Matthew Tkachuk and Sergei Bobrovsky – that has helped the Panthers to their first Stanley Cup Finals since 1996.
The Panthers are averaging 3.13 gpg in the playoffs while giving up 2.69 gpg. Florida’s powerplay is converting at 27.9%, while the penalty kill is operating at 71.2%.
Since taking over as starting goalie from Alex Lyon, Bobrovsky has been outstanding, posting an 11-2-0 record, a 2.21 GAA, and a .935 SV%.
Vegas Golden Knights
By comparison, VGK had an easier route to the Stanley Cup Finals, winning their division, defeating the Winnipeg Jets in five games, then outplaying two of the most potent offenses in the league – the Stars and Oilers – in six-game series wins. However, Vegas’ injury issues have plagued them all season.
Yet, it’s Adin Hill – the goalie who was fourth on VGK’s depth chart – who is leading Vegas to their second Stanley Cup Finals appearance. Hill has a 7-3-0 record, a 2.07 GAA, and a.937 SV% in the post-season.
Vegas is averaging 3.65 gpg in the playoffs, while giving up 2.65 gpg. Vegas’ powerplay is converting at 18.5%, while the penalty-killing efficiency increased during the Western Conference finals to 63.0% after the Edmonton series.
Florida Panthers vs Vegas Golden Knights Game 1 Betting Picks
Our first pick is to follow the trends and take the under of 5.5 Our second pick is to take the rested Florida Panthers to pull off the upset and win game 1 in Las Vegas.
