Stanley Cup Finals Game 1 Betting Preview

Game 1 of the 2023 Stanley Cup Finals takes place on Saturday night as the Vegas Golden Knights host the Florida Panthers.

The Golden Knights, winners of the Western Conference, finished the regular season with an impressive 111 points and a 51-22-9 record. They finished with the most points in the Western Conference this season.

The Panthers, on the other hand, won the Eastern Conference but did things much differently than Vegas. They finished with just 92 points and a record of 46-30-8. The 92 points slotted them as the lowest seed in the Eastern Conference.

Both teams have now proven that they’re the two best teams in the NHL after an impressive showing in the playoffs and have a chance to finish it off with glory.

Florida Must Win Early

When looking at the season that the Florida Panthers have put together, it’s obvious that this team is much better than many thought they were coming into the playoffs. The Panthers, however, have started their series well, winning the first game of two of their three series. That’s going to be important for them again here, as they must steal at least one game in Vegas if they want a chance.

The line indicates that they have more than enough to get the job done, and that’s a fair assessment. Given the fact that they beat the top team in the NHL in Round One, then the Toronto Maple Leafs in Round Two, and swept the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Finals.

If they’re going to prove anything else, it’s that they can compete with any of the best teams in hockey, and that’s going to need to stay true against Vegas. The biggest player for them in this series is going to be Sergei Bobrovsky.

He’s played very well in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and was a major reason why Florida found themselves in winning positions in each game.

Jack Eichel Looking to Win Stanley Cup

Las Vegas was incredible in the Western Conference Finals against a Dallas Stars team that many believed might be the best team in the NHL. Vegas went into Dallas and won Game 6, 6-0, behind excellent play on both sides of the puck.

Jack Eichel was huge for Vegas as he was their guy in game 2 when things looked like things weren’t going to go well. He dropped off a between-his-legs pass that set up a goal to give Vegas a chance to win the game in overtime.

They beat the Winnipeg Jets in Round One and the Edmonton Oilers in Round Two. They had a difficult task and also won two of their three first-round games.