NHL: 2023 Stanley Cup Preview & Predictions

Jun 14 2023
9 min. read
Stanley Cup 2023 Vegas Golden Knights
Ben Chopping - 888sport Canada writer
By Ben Chopping

Rallying emphatically to oust the Dallas Stars 6-0 in Game 6, the Vegas Golden Knights have booked their place in the 2023 Stanley Cup Finals, facing the Eastern Conference’s WC2 entrant, the Florida Panthers.

Coming into the series, the Panthers have had one crack at the Cup, losing 4-0 to the Colorado Avalanche in 1996 – the franchise’s third season of play. 

Stanley Cup 2023 Guide:

For the Golden Knights, it’s a return after a Cinderella story of their own, having surged to the finals in their very first season of existence, but ultimately losing to the Washington Capitals 4-1 in 2018. 

Now, one of these franchises will enjoy its first-ever Stanley Cup triumph, and while the running is close, sport betting markets have Vegas ahead as the -133 favourites to hoist the massive trophy.

Stanley Cup Finals Team Previews

On the paper written up to conclude the regular season, this is as much of a David and Goliath matchup for a Stanley Cup Finals preview as you could get. 

The Vegas Golden Knights were consistently among the top of the Western Conference all season, eventually finishing with the best record of 51-22-9 for 111 points, a healthy +43 goal difference, and only 229 goals against.

For the Florida Panthers, a middling season by their recent standards saw them clinch the final wild card place by a single point, carrying a 42-32-8 record, +17 goal difference, and a hefty 273 goals against – easily the highest count of any postseason team.

Over the course of the playoffs, the two have combined to oust Canada’s hopes of a Stanley Cup, with the Golden Knights overcoming the Winnipeg Jets 4-1 and then the Edmonton Oilers 4-2. 

After going blow-for-blow with the imperious, record-setting Boston Bruins to win the series 4-3, the Panthers made light work of the Toronto Maple Leafs in their new surroundings of the second round. 

To make it here, Vegas had to rally after going 3-0 up, only to keep playing to Game 6, but a resounding 6-0 victory powered by line depth quashed any thoughts of a slipping Golden Knights team.

While it certainly wasn’t easy, and they ended up playing over two games worth of hockey in the first meet, the Panthers swept the second seed of the Eastern Conference, the Carolina Hurricanes.

Golden Knights vs Panthers: Head-to-Head

The Golden Knights haven’t existed in the NHL for very long, and yet, the Paradise club is narrowly ahead of its Stanley Cup Finals foes in their head-to-head record.

Overall, the record reads 4-5-1 for the Panthers, but in 2023, the games have ended 2-4 to the Golden Knights in Las Vegas and 2-1 to the Panthers in Sunrise.

Golden Knights vs Panthers: Special Teams

While the Golden Knights come into the Stanley Cup Finals having scored 12 more goals and only conceded two more than the Panthers with one extra game played, the two have enjoyed distinctly different fortunes on special teams.

Vegas’ 18.5 powerplay percentage ranks eighth-worst among all teams throughout the playoffs, and their penalty kill percentage of 63.0 is the third-worst. 

Now, Florida’s penalty kill percentage of 71.2 percent is substantially better, but is only good for fourth-worst in these same postseason columns. Still, it’s the menacing 27.9 percent on the powerplay that could play a huge role.

Narrowing the postseason stats scope to just the Conference Finals, both the Panthers and Golden Knights found themselves against defensively stout teams – Dallas conceded 218, and Carolina allowed 213 goals against in the regular season.

In their six-game series, the Golden Knights ended with a 73.4 PK percentage, having gone short-handed ten times, but could only muster 16.7 percent on the powerplay on 14 attempts. It’s worth throwing in, though, that Vegas didn’t get given any penalty minutes in the Game 5 loss.

The sweep of the Hurricanes, however, can be largely credited to superb special teams play. Florida walked away with a 91.7 penalty kill percentage from 14 short-handed stints and a 27.1 powerplay percentage from 14 run-outs with the man advantage. 

Over the course of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Golden Knights have conceded 250 penalty minutes, while the Panthers have only been sent to the box for 203 minutes so far.

Golden Knights vs Panthers: Goaltenders

As is so often the case in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the teams with the hot-hand goalies tend to go far, and that’s been accentuated coming into the 2023 Stanley Cup Finals. 

While certainly the team’s starting goaltender, Sergei Bobrovsky had a torrid regular season, starting 49 games to get 24 wins, one shutout, a 3.07 goals against average, and a measly .901 save percentage. 

Once the playoffs got underway, Bobrovsky became a different beast entirely. In 13 starts, he’s amassed 11 wins and holds a .935 save percentage with a 2.21 goals against average.

Sergei Bobrovsky Florida Panthers


Vegas found itself flipping between starters throughout the season. Logan Thompson and Jonathan Quick tied for the most starts at 36, with Thompson netting a .915 save percentage to the former LA Kings man’s .882. 

In the playoffs, it was Laurent Brossoit starting, getting the Golden Knights past the Winnipeg Jets but coming off in the first period of Game 3 against the Edmonton Oilers. Since then, it’s been all about Adin Hill. 

Only amassing 25 starts in the regular season, Hill has claimed seven wins in nine postseason starts, upholding a strong stats line: two shutouts, a .932 save percentage, and a 2.30 goals against average.

Golden Knights vs Panthers: Star Skaters

There’s only one place to start this section: Mr. Clutch himself, Matthew Tkachuk. Part of a hotly-debated blockbuster trade that sent the Panthers’ top scorer and a very reliable defenseman to Calgary, Tkachuk is certainly paying dividends now.

In the playoffs so far, Tkachuk has notched four game-winning goals in 16 games, but more importantly, three of those have come in overtime. He’s just always there and manages to slot the puck away with mere seconds remaining. 

Sticking with the Panthers, Gustav Forsling has been particularly impressive; the defenseman has collected two goals, six points, and only six penalty minutes.

More importantly, however, he’s gobbled up the clock to average 26:44 minutes on ice per game while upholding a mighty +9 rating. He’s been key to the penalty kill, averaging 3:11 minutes short-handed per game. 

For the Golden Knights going forward, it’s very much been a team effort, which is why they’ve been so tough to beat. 

Jack Eichel, one-time Panther Jonathan Marchessault, Mark Stone, Ivan Barbashev, William Karlsson, and Chandler Stephenson all boast 14 or more points and at least six goals each. 

Defensively, the veteran presence and consistency of Alec Martinez has been a huge part of the Golden Knights’ success. In 17 games, he may only have five assists, but his +11 rating, two PIMs, and 20-minute average TOI speak for themselves.

Stanley Cup Finals Betting Preview

Coming into the first game of the 2023 Stanley Cup Finals, the Golden Knights are the money line favourites at -133 to Florida’s +110, but Vegas will only have four days to prepare compared to the Panthers having had ten days.

While there is a case to be made for momentum, and four days is certainly a good-sized break in the NHL, you could also consider that, by virtue of their seeding, the Panthers haven’t started a single series at home yet. 

Overall, the Panthers have a 12-4 record this postseason to Vegas’ 12-5, and both teams have lost three games at home. Perhaps this, the additional rest, and Florida’s perpetual starts on the road give them an advantage for Game 1 at +110 in the NHL betting.

Golden Knights NHL Stanley Cup favourites


Looking to the series betting in the futures markets, the higher-seeded Golden Knights naturally open the odds as the -133 favourites. They’re even at +145 to win the Stanley Cup Finals series with a -1.5 handicap. 

Still, there’s a lot in favour for the Panthers. Special teams success, goaltender form and experience, and this never-say-die attitude that’s seen them grind to multiple overtime wins all give Florida the makings of a playoffs-winning team.

At +110 to win the Stanley Cup and +175 to take the series with a -1.5 handicap, it’s clear that the oddsmakers haven’t counted out the Sunrise hockey club yet – and nor should they.

Series aren’t won on paper, especially when it comes to the intensity of the Stanley Cup Finals, so the final prediction of this preview is going to slide against the odds and marginally give the nod to the Florida Panthers to take the crown.

2023 Stanley Cup Finals FAQ

  • Where will the 2023 Stanley Cup Finals be played?

The 2023 Stanley Cup Finals will be played in Las Vegas, Nevada and Sunrise, Florida. The first two games are in Las Vegas, followed by two in Sunrise.

If the series isn’t decided by the end of Game 4, the final three games will be played in Las Vegas, Sunrise, and then Las Vegas again.

  • Where can you watch the 2023 Stanley Cup Finals in Canada?

The 2023 Stanley Cup Finals will be shown in Canada on CBC, Sportsnet, and TVA Sports through their TV channels, streaming platforms, and apps. Game 1 is also listed as being shown on TNT and TBS. 

  • When do the 2023 Stanley Cup Finals start?

The 2023 Stanley Cup Finals start on Saturday, June 3. Florida at Vegas will drop the puck at 8 pm ET. 

  • What’s the 2023 Stanley Cup Finals schedule?

The 2023 Stanley Cup Finals schedule is as follows: Game 1 (June 3), Game 2 (June 5), Game 3 (June 8), Game 4 (June 10), Game 5 (June 13, if required), Game 6 (June 16, if required), Game 7 (June 19, if required).

All SC Finals games are scheduled for 8 pm ET starts.

*Credit for all images in this article belongs to AP Photo*

About the Author See all Ben Chopping Articles
Ben Chopping
Ben Chopping - 888sport Canada writer

Ben is very much a sports nerd, being obsessed with statistical deep dives and the numbers behind the results and performances.

Top of the agenda are hockey, soccer, and boxing, but there's always time for the NFL, cricket, Formula One, and a bit of mixed martial arts.