The Vegas Golden Knights took Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, taking down the Florida Panthers by a final score of 5-2. It was just the second game the Panthers had lost since their opening round series against the Boston Bruins.
The Golden Knights will try to win Game 2 tonight and take a 2-0 series lead to Game 3 in Florida.
Let's dive into the odds for the game and then I'll give you my best bet.
Panthers vs. Golden Knights odds, puck line, and total
Panthers vs. Golden Knights prediction and pick
My main bet for Game 1 was the OVER and based what happened in Game 1, I simply must make the same bet again Game 2.
The opening game of the series was completely wide open and did not resemble a matchup that should have a 5.5 total. If you look at expected goals, the Golden Knights had 4.4 and the panthers had 3.09. That's a combined expected goals of 7.49, well above the set total of 5.5.
The Golden Knights also accumulated 21 total high-danger scoring chances while the Panthers racked up 10.
Before the Panthers went on this playoff run, they were will known as a team that were extremely offensive minded. All offense, no defense. That has still been largely the case in the playoffs, but the play of Sergei Bobrovsky has made people forget it to be the case.
I'm shocked the total is once again at 5.5. Give me the OVER.
–
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
