Betting On The NHL Finals: Can The Panthers Climb Out Of A 2-Game Hole?

a black panther climbing a tree

The Vegas Golden Knights played their first season in 2018, and now they are two wins away from capturing their first Stanley Cup Championship. Vegas beat the Florida Panthers 5-2 in Game 1 and won Game 2 by a final score of 7-2.

Thursday night at 8:20 PM, the first faceoff in Game 3 will happen at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Florida. The Panthers are in a must-win situation, as history has not been kind to teams that lose the first three games of an NHL Playoff series.

Can The Panthers Come Back?

There have been four occasions in the history of the Stanely Cup Playoffs where a team lost the first three games and then came back to win four in a row. In 1942, the Toronto Maple Leafs turned a three-game deficit around and beat the Detroit Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Finals.

In the second round of the 1975 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the New York Islanders lost the first three games of the series to the Pittsburgh Penguins and then won the next four contests.

The last time a three-game lead was blown in an NHL Playoff series was in 2010, when the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Boston Bruins.

Stanley Cup sportsbooks that allow for NHL betting at 18 are favoring the Panthers to win Game 3 at home but are also suggesting that the Golden Knights will win it all.

What Are The Stanley Cup Betting Odds?

Current betting lines for Game 3 favor the Panthers to win by a puck spread of -1.5. If these projections hold true, Vegas will lead the series 2-1 heading into Game 4, which will also be hosted in South Florida.

Stanley Cup Game 3 Betting Line

Vegas Golden Knights @ Florida Panthers

  • Puck Spread: Vegas +1.5, Florida -1.5
  • Moneyline: Vegas +105, Florida -125
  • Over/Under: 6.0

Stanley Cup betting sites will keep the above line active with in-game wagering throughout the contest. This is also true for Stanley Cup prop bets as well, but none of them are guaranteed to last until the final seconds tick off the clock.

Who Will Win The 2023 Stanley Cup Finals?

Despite Florida’s favored status for Game 3, Vegas vs. Florida series prices imply that the Panthers have no real shot at hoisting the Stanley Cup.

2023 Stanley Cup Series Prices

  • Vegas Golden Knights -600
  • Florida Panthers +425

The Panthers’ odds of  +425 translate to a winning probability of 20% and will pay out at a ratio of 4.25-to-1 if they win the Stanley Cup Finals. Because the Golden Knights have already won the first two games, a Florida series win would have to occur in six or seven games.

The following NHL prop bet places odds on each team winning in as many games that remain possible, and both options for a Panthers victory are listed at the bottom.

Stanley Cup Odds For Correct Series Outcome

  • Vegas Golden Knights 4-1 +230
  • Vegas Golden Knights 4-0 +300
  • Vegas Golden Knights 4-2 +400
  • Vegas Golden Knights 4-3 +500
  • Florida Panthers 4-3 +650
  • Florida Panthers 4-2 +1100

The NHL betting sites included in our 18+ sportsbook reviews will continue to accept wagers on these Stanley Cup odds up until game time, but after that, they can be removed at any moment.

CBS Sports, NHL.com

Bovada.LV (Bovada Sportsbook Review)