Stanley Cup Finals Betting Preview
On Monday night, the Vegas Golden Knights finally took care of the Dallas Stars with a big win in Game 6, 6-0. The pluckiness that the Stars showed with wins in Games 4 and 5 was nowhere to be seen, as they were run out of their own building.
That sets up another Sun Belt Stanley Cup Finals, as the Golden Knights from the Western Conference take on the Florida Panthers from the Eastern Conference. The Golden Knights are making their second trip to the Finals since they became a franchise in 2017. For the Panthers, this is their first trip to the Finals since 1996, when they were in just their third year of existence.
We will have a first time Stanley Cup champion when this series is over.
Game 1 Bets
The Stanley Cup Finals are set to begin Saturday night in Las Vegas, and BetOnline.ag has made the home team Golden Knights the -130 favorites. The Panthers are paying +118 on the moneyline.
A puck line bet on Vegas is -1.5 goals and paying +200. For the Panthers it’s +1.5 goals, paying -240. The over/under on total goals scored for the first game of the best-of-seven series is 5.5.
Both starting goaltenders have been magnificent in the playoffs. Sergei Bobrovsky of the Panthers is 10-2, with a goals against average of 2.21. Adin Hill of the Golden Knights took over for Laurent Brossoit when he hurt his back, and Hill was outstanding in the Conference Finals, recording a pair of shutouts and posting a GAA of 1.99.
The two teams went head-to-head twice this season, with each team winning the game they hosted.
Series Bets
Overall, this is an evenly matched series. Bovada.lv has the Golden Knights as a modest series favorite, paying -130. The Panthers are playing +110 for a Stanley Cup Finals win.
The odds on betting the exact final score of the series breaks down like this:
Golden Knights 4-0 (+1000)
Golden Knights 4-1 (+500)
Golden Knights 4-2 (+475)
Golden Knights 4-3 (+400)
Panthers 4-0 (+1400)
Panthers 4-1 (+750)
Panthers 4-2 (+450)
Panthers 4-3 (+550)
As expected with Vegas as the series favorite, the biggest payday would be a Panthers sweep. Based on the odds given, the most likely outcome is a Golden Knights win in seven games.
If you are handicapping the series, the Golden Knights at -1.5 games is paying +150. The Panthers at -1.5 is paying +185.
Stanley Cup Finals Proposition Bets
Both goalies have played great in the postseason. But we do know that goals will be scored. You can bet on the total number of team goals scored in the series, as well as which player will score the most goals in the Finals.
Matthew Tkachuk (+500)
Jack Eichel (+550)
Carter Verhaeghe (+550)
Jonathan Marchessault (+750)
Aleksander Barkov (+900)
Sam Reinhart (+1000)
Mark Stone (+1100)
The Panthers Matthew Tkachuk has nine goals in 16 playoff games, including four power play goals. Carter Verhaeghe of the Panthers has scored six goals.
For the Golden Knights, Jack Eichel has six goals and three power play goals in the playoffs. Jonathan Marchessault has nine goals and three game-winning goals. Mark Stone has six goals in these playoffs.
In terms of team goals scored, under 31.5 total goals is paying even money. The over on 31.5 is paying -130. Bovada.lv also has a 33.5 goal line that is paying even money on the over and -130 on the under.
The biggest prop bet of the Stanley Cup Finals is the winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy, given to the most valuable player during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The award is for play over the entire playoffs, and not just the Stanley Cup Finals.
Sergei Bobrovsky (+210)
Matthew Tkachuk (+290)
Jack Eichel (+425)
Jonathan Marchessault (+700)
William Karlsson (+700)
Mark Stone (+900)
Aiden Hill (+1200)
After helping the Panthers upset the top-seeded Boston Bruins, Bobrovsky was outstanding in the series against Toronto, and he allowed just six goals in the four games with Carolina. He is the betting favorite to win the Conn Smythe Trophy at the end of the Stanley Cup Finals.
If he doesn’t win it, but the Panthers win the Cup, Tkachuk is most likely to be next in line.
For the Golden Knights, it is likely to be one of their top scorers. Along with Eichel’s six goals in the playoffs, he has a team-leading 12 assists. William Karlsson leads all playoff scorers with 10 goals heading into the Finals.
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