Florida Panthers at Vegas Golden Knights odds, picks and predictions
The Florida Panthers (23-12-2) meet the Vegas Golden Knights (22-11-5) Thursday at T-Mobile Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Below, we analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s lines around the Panthers vs. Golden Knights odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
Entering this Stanley Cup Final rematch, the Panthers own a 5-game win streak, which started with a 4-2 victory over the Golden Knights in Sunrise, Fla., Dec. 23. Florida has outscored the opposition 19-9 during the 5-game run with the most recent a 4-1 decision at the Arizona Coyotes Tuesday. This Vegas match is the 2nd contest of a 4-game road swing for the Panthers.
The Golden Knights were blanked 3-0 in the Winter Classic in Seattle on New Year’s Day. They have managed just a 1 win in the past 6 games. The offense has gone cold again, notching just 7 total goals in the past 4 games, or 1.8 goals per game.
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Panthers at Golden Knights odds
FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 12:39 p.m. ET.
Panthers at Golden Knights projected goalies
Sergei Bobrovsky (18-9-1, 2.44 GAA, .912 SV%, 2 SO) vs. Logan Thompson (11-7-3, 2.81 GAA, .902 SV%)
Bobrovsky kicked aside 21 of the 22 shots he faced in Tuesday’s 4-1 win in Arizona as he rattled off his 4th consecutive win victory. He has allowed 3 or fewer goals in each of his past 6 outings, too, including a 23-save effort in the 4-2 win over VGK that started Florida’s win streak.
Thompson has played 3 games since missing some time due to an upper-body injury. He allowed 3 goals on 27 shots in the outdoor game in Seattle, and he has allowed just 5 goals on 61 shots across the past 2 games.
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Panthers at Golden Knights picks and predictions
Prediction
Panthers 3, Golden Knights 2
The PANTHERS (-120) are worth the look as slight favorites in Vegas as they’re playing tremendously well, while the defending champion Golden Knights have been very shaky of late.
Florida has won 3 of the past 4 games on the road, too, while going 3-2 in the previous 5 outings against Western Conference foes.
Vegas has managed just the 1 win in the past 6 games, while going 1-4 in the past 5 tries against Eastern Conference opponents.
PASS.
If the Panthers (-1.5, +198) win by 2 or more goals, it will almost pay 2 to 1, but it’s a tough ask on the road. We’d probably need an empty-netter to get there.
It’s not a bad play, but I’m going to just focus on the ML wager.
UNDER 6.5 (-122) might be the best play on the board.
Bob and the Panthers have been very stingy in the defensive end, while the Golden Knights have struggled to light the lamp. It’s a perfect recipe for the total going low.
The Under is 3-1 in the past 4 games for VGK, including each of the past 2 starts by Thompson. The Under also cashed in the 1st Florida-Vegas meeting, with 6 total goals on an O/U line of 6.5.
