Vegas Golden Knights vs Florida Panthers Prediction, Preview and Odds - 06/08/2023

Game Time: 8:00 pm ET, Thursday, June 8, 2023

Venue:  FLA Live Arena, Sunrise, FL

Where to Watch:  TNT

DraftKings:  Moneyline:  Golden Knights +100, Panthers -120; Over/Under:  6 goals

Bet365:  Moneyline:  Golden Knights +105, Panthers -125; Over/Under:  6 goals

BetMGM:  Moneyline:  Golden Knights +100, Panthers -120; Over/Under:  6 goals

Vegas Golden Knights:  51-22-9 (1st place, Pacific Division)

Florida Panthers:  42-32-8 (4th place, Atlantic Division)

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Vegas Golden Knights:  8-1-1 last 10

Florida Panthers:  7-3-0 last 10

The Golden Knights are entering this game finishing the regular season with 111 points, a 51-22-9 record overall, and they were 26-7-8 in their road games this regular season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game on a 3 game winning streak with wins coming against the Dallas Stars and the Florida Panthers in their last 2 games, winning that last one at home 7-2. Jonathan Marchessault and Brett Howden each scored 2 goals while Michael Amadio, Alec Martinez, and Nicolas Roy each scored 1 goal in that game. William Carrier, Jack Eichel, and Chandler Stephenson each led the team in assists with 2 while Jonathan Marchessault, Chandler Stephenson, and Reilly Smith each led the team in shots on net in that game with 4. Adin Hill was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 2 goals on 31 shots with 29 saves and a .935 sv percentage. Their offense has scored 272 goals this season averaging 3.3 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 229 goals against them allowing 2.8 goals per game.

The Panthers are entering this game finishing the regular season with 92 points, a 42-32-8 record overall, and they were 23-13-5 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game on a 2 game losing streak with both losses coming against the Vegas Golden Knights in their last 2 games, losing that last one on the road 7-2. Anton Lundell and Matthew Tkachuk each scored 1 goal in that game. Sam Bennett, Anthony Duclair, and Josh Mahura each led the team in assists with 1 while Brandon Montour each led the team in shots on net in that game with 5. Sergei Bobrovsky was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 4 goals on 13 shots with 9 saves and a .692 sv percentage before getting replaced by Alex Lyon who allowed 3 goals on 15 shots with 12 saves and a .800 save percentage. Their offense has scored 266 goals this season averaging 3.2 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 213 goals against them allowing 2.6 goals per game.

The current betting odds have the Panthers listed as a slight favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. This is game 3 of a 7-game series between the Eastern Conference Champion Panthers and the Western Conference Champion Golden Knights for the NHL Stanley Cup Finals. The Golden knights are entering this game with a 2-0 series lead after sweeping their 2 home games to start this series. The Golden Knights have been the better team in both games since they have only given up 2 goals in each and their offense has been rolling with 5+ goals in each game. The Panthers were so hot in the playoffs for so long after winning 9 of their last 10 games entering this series and knocking out some of the best teams in the East on their way there, it was only a matter of time until they had a bit of a lull. Now that they are back at home and down 2-0 in the series, they will try to regroup here and they are going to throw everything they have at the Golden Knights on home ice here to cut this series lead in half because if the Golden Knights go up 3-0 in the series here, the Stanley Cup is practically theirs so this is the game that the Panthers must win to stay in the series. The best way to place a bet here is on the Panthers to win this game.

Golden Knights Panthers Prediction:  Our NHL Pick for Thursday, June 8, 2023 (8:00 pm ET start time) is Panthers 3 Golden Knights 2.

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Vegas Golden Knights: 65-36 (+21 units) on the moneyline in all games. 24-10 (+14 units) on the moneyline in non-conference games. 23-15 OVER after 2 consecutive non-conference games. 12-7 OVER as a # 1 seed in the playoffs.

Florida Panthers: 13-21 (-18.8 units) on the moneyline in non-conference games. 14-22 (-14.4 units) on the moneyline revenging a loss where the opponent scored 4 or more goals. 18-4 OVER off a road loss. 21-7 OVER revenging a road loss versus opponent.

Vegas Golden Knights:  L. Thompson (G) Mid June - Lower Body. L. Brossoit (G) Out indefinitely - Lower Body. N. Patrick (C) out for season - Upper Body. R. Lehner (G) out for season - Hip.

Florida Panthers:  R. Gudas (D) day-to-day - Upper Body. E. Luostarinen (C) Ques Thurs - Undisclosed. S. Knight (G) Out indefinitely - Personal. P. Hornqvist (RW) out for season - Concussion.

“I think our depth has been a strength all year. It is the biggest reason we are still here, why we beat Winnipeg, Edmonton, Dallas. I just feel that we have the best team from player one through 20.” - Bruce Cassidy after his team’s win against the Panthers in their game on Monday, game 2 of this series.

“We can be a little better in front of our goaltender. I got him out to keep him rested.” - Paul Maurice on Sergei Bobrovsky after his team’s loss against the Golden Knights in their game on Monday, game 2 of this series.

LW Barbashev, Ivan

C Eichel, Jack

RW Marchessault, Jonathan

LD Martinez, Alec

RD Pietrangelo, Alex

G Hill, Adin

LW Verhaeghe, Carter

C Barkov, Aleksander

RW Duclair, Anthony

LD Forsling, Gustav

RD Ekblad, Aaron

G Bobrovsky, Sergei

Points: J. Eichel (66)

Goals: J. Marchessault (28)

Assists: C. Stephenson (49)

GAA: L. Brossoit (2.17)

Points: M. Tkachuk (109)

Goals: C. Verhaeghe (42)

Assists: M. Tkachuk (69)

GAA: A. Lyon (2.89)

Coaches:

Vegas Golden Knights: Bruce Cassidy (1st season)

Florida Panthers: Paul Maurice (1st season)