Stanley Cup Finals 2023 Preview & Picks
Vegas entered the playoffs as the number one seed in the Western Conference, while the Florida Panthers are the underdogs from the East. The Panthers entered the playoffs as the eighth seed and have beat the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Carolina Hurricanes.
Going into the season Vegas was predicted by many to make the Stanley Cup at the beginning of the season. The Panthers just squeaked into the postseason before making an incredible Cinderella run while Vegas has been favored in every series so far, while the Panthers have been priced as underdogs in every series so far.
Bet 1 - Vegas To Win Stanley Cup
The Vegas Knights have had a much tougher road to the Stanley Cup finals proving that they have the talent to beat anyone. They’ve taken down the Winnipeg Jets, Edmonton Oilers, and Dallas Stars all teams who played much better on paper all season than the Panthers.
I think the fact that Vegas just beat Dallas 6-0 to advance here is really telling about this team. They have a great combination of offense and defense that allows them to match up physically with any team in the league.
I understand that this Florida team has played well to reach here but the team has been led by their All-Star goalie Sergei Bobrovsky. I don’t think that’s a good sign when playing this Vegas team where you will need to score to keep up. I think Florida might get a couple of wins in this series but Vegas will do enough to win four games and take home the Stanley Cup.
Bet 2 - Vegas To Win Stanley Cup 4-2
As I said above, I think Vegas wins the Stanley Cup this year. They have played great all season. Vegas finished the season with the 10th-ranked offense and eighth-ranked defense demonstrating just how balanced this team is.
Vegas is 9-3 in their last 12 home games and I think they win four home games in a row here. Florida has played well enough to make me think that they will win their two home games but they won’t be able to do enough on the road to beat Vegas at home.
Florida has also never won a game at the “Fortress” also known as T-Mobile Arena which is where Vegas calls home. To add to the reasons why I think this series finishes 4-2 in favor of VGK is the fact Florida has played so well at home all season. They went 27-16-5 including three out of the last four.