The Florida Panthers return to South Florida looking more like the team that struggled in the regular season and barely made the playoffs in the first two games of the Stanley Cup Finals. The Vegas Golden Knights look somewhat unstoppable as they continue their season-long build to winning the Stanley Cup and are two wins away from winning the greatest trophy in all of sports.
We’ve got your betting insight and picks for your ticket in our Stanley Cup Finals game three betting preview.
You can catch game three from the FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Florida, and see if Florida can win their first Stanley Cup Finals game in franchise history at 8:00 PM ET on TBS, TNT, TVA Sports, Sportsnet, and other streaming outlets.
Vegas Golden Knights vs Florida Panthers Game Three Odds
The Florida Panthers (-1.5) are the slight home favorite on the moneyline, listed between -114 and -125, depending on the sportsbook you use. With a 2-0 Stanley Cup Finals lead, the VGK (+1.5) are the slight road underdog, listed between +104 and -105, with most sportsbooks listing Vegas at even odds.
Vegas has a 55-46 ats record, while Florida has a 44-55 ats record.
The total goals line is set at 6.0 on most sportsbooks, while others list game three at 6.5: a full goal higher than games one and two. However, there’s still a sportsbook or two remaining the outlier, with game three listed at 5.5 total goals. With the total goals line set at 6.0, the over and under are both listed at -110.
VGK has a 48-48-5 over/under record, while Florida has a 51-41-8 over/under record.
Vegas Golden Knights vs Florida Panthers Game Three Betting Trends
- VGK holds a 3-1 head-to-head season series lead
- The Golden Knights are 1-4 in the last five games in South Florida
- The home team has won all four matchups this season
- The home team is 11-1 in the previous 12 games
- Florida and Vegas have combined for a 2-2 over/under record, with both overs coming in the Stanley Cup Finals
- The favorite is 4-0 this season
- The Golden Knights are 7-3 over/under in the last ten games, while Florida is 3-7 over/under
Vegas Golden Knights vs Florida Panthers Game Three Betting Preview
Vegas Golden Knights
The Vegas Golden Knights hold the head-to-head advantage in most stats after the first two games of the Stanley Cup Finals. Vegas’ powerplay has been potent in the Finals, going 4 for nine, raising VGK’s playoff powerplay efficiency rate to 21.5%. The penalty kill has held Florida without a powerplay goal, now operating at 67.9%.
VGK averages 3.89 gpg while giving up 2.58 gpg in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
If you aren’t picking Jonathan Marchessault to win the Conn Smythe Trophy or as a prop bet target in game three, you might want to rethink your strategy. Marchessault has 11 points in his last seven games and has been critical to Vegas’ recent playoff success.
Adin Hill will be Vegas’ game three starter, with a 9-3 record, a 2.06 GAA, and a .937 SV%.
Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers haven’t been good in the first two games of the Stanley Cup Finals. After two lopsided losses in Vegas, the Panthers are averaging 3.00 gpg while giving up 3.06 gpg.
The Panthers’ powerplay hasn’t done anything in the Finals yet, going 0-7 and dropping their conversion rate to 24.0%. Florida’s penalty-killing unit has taken a beating at the hands of the Golden Knights and is now operating at 69.8%.
Penalties have also taken Matthew Tkachuk completely out of the Stanley Cup Finals, who doesn’t look much like the big-time playoff performer and leader he was in the Panthers’ climb to the Finals.
Sergei Bobrovsky was one of the most significant reasons the Panthers made it to the Stanley Cup Finals. For Florida to win their first Stanley Cup Finals game in franchise history, Bobrovsky needs to be the Conn Smythe favorite that he was before game one. Bobrovsky has an 11-4 record, a 2.50 GAA, and a .925 SV%, but was pulled in game two and looked like the disappointing goalie Florida has been more familiar with in his tenure in South Florida.
Vegas Golden Knights vs Florida Panthers Game Three Picks
If we’re picking the Florida Panthers to win, it’s because we’re following betting trends and wanting to see the Stanley Cup Finals narrative become one that’s more competitive and for the series to hopefully go six or seven games.
However, there’s nothing from the Stanley Cup Finals so far suggesting the Panthers will get up off the mat at home and win game three, having a 4-3 home record in the playoffs.
With Vegas having a 6-2 record on the road in the playoffs and looking like the significantly better team, we’re taking the Golden Knights to win game three as the underdog.
Our second pick is to take the over.
