One oddity about the NBA and NHL playoffs this spring is that both of the South Florida franchises (the Miami Heat from the NBA and the Florida Panthers from the NHL) entered the playoffs as the eighth and final seed in the Eastern Conference… and both are playing for their respective league championships in the finals. The Panthers (+110) are slight underdogs against the Vegas Golden Knights (-130), but based on the Stanley Cup Playoffs so far, this should be an entertaining final. With Game 1 set for Saturday, let’s break down both teams’ NHL betting chances to hoist the Cup.
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Why can Vegas win the Cup?
At the All-Star break, Vegas was taking on water. They had dropped eight of ten, with six of those losses coming in regulation, with a record of 29-18-4. During the time off, though, something clicked, and the team entered the second half with a five-game winning streak and finished the year 22-4-5. During that streak, they only lost more than one game in a row twice, and no losing streak extended past two games.
Most Cup-winning teams generally have a compelling story in net, and Adin Hill fits that bill for the Golden Knights. He and Laurent Brossoit had a combined one game of playoff experience between them coming into this postseason, and an injury to Brossoit thrust Hill into the starting job. Even in such games as Game 5 against Dallas, when Hill permitted four goals, he has stopped the opposition on point-blank scoring chances and dived for terrific saves. The Stars just brought too much offense for the Vegas defense to handle. In Game 6, Hill and the Golden Knights’ defense were ready, stonewalling Dallas on the road in a 6-0 laugher.
The Golden Knights play with a great deal of confidence and poise. We saw this in Game 3 against Dallas, when the Stars, stuck in a 2-0 hole, tried to engage the Golden Knights in some hostilities, led by Jamie Benn cross-checking Mark Stone in the opening minutes of the game. That could have turned the game into a brawl, but the Golden Knights decided to speak with their offense and ran the Stars off their home ice for the first of two games in which Vegas made Dallas look silly on their own rink. That kind of poise will bode well against Florida.
Bet on Vegas to Win!
Why can Florida win the Cup?
The sports betting world has largely picked against Florida in all of their series so far, but they keep winning. In the opening round, they went down against Boston, the President’s Trophy winners, 3-1, before storming back to win the last three games and end the Bruins’ historic season early.
The Panthers’ scoring balance has been impressive, as each of the top two forward lines has put up 38 points in 16 postseason games. One important factor in playoff hockey, as the series wears on, has to do with matchups; the home team gets to make the last change, so they can put their best checking line against the top scorers for the visitors. When both of your two top lines are clicking, though, there just aren’t enough top checking forwards to stop your offense. Matthew Tkachuk has been the most visible scorer for the Panthers, seeming to be everywhere in overtime, but the whole offense has contributed.
Then there’s goalie Sergei Bobrovsky. You might remember that name from a few years ago, when he led the Columbus Blue Jackets, who came in as the second wild card in the East, to a shocking sweep of the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the playoffs. This year, though, he finished the regular season as an afterthought, watching from the bench as the Panthers finished 6-1-1 in their last eight games with Alex Lyon in net. Bobrovsky got his chance in Game 4 of the first round but permitted five goals on 30 shots in a loss that put the Panthers in that 3-1 hole. Since then, though, he has won 10 of 11 games. Entering the Finals, he has stopped 67 shots in a row and 110 of the last 111 he has seen. He is currently the favorite to win the Conn Smythe trophy as playoffs MVP. Can he take the Panthers to a title?
Bet on Florida to Win!
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