The Stanley Cup Finals are finally upon us and after Carolina Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights both made short work of their Conference Finals series, the Racing Post's Rob Eddy is expecting a cracker in the big one.
The Hurricanes earned top seeding in the Eastern Conference in the regular season and have waltzed through the play-offs so far to further underline their status, reaching the Stanley Cup finals having lost just one game in three series.
The Golden Knights were not as impressive through the regular season and were still fighting to secure their NHL postseason place deep into it, albeit ultimately securing top spot in the Pacific Division.
Vegas might have been steadily building through the play-offs but pulled off the most impressive series win last time out when sweeping the Presidents' Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche to show that they will not be just making up numbers in the Stanley Cup.
Both are chasing their second Stanley Cup success in what is their third Finals series appearance, although Carolina have not been to the showpiece in 20 years, while Vegas have achieved all their success since 2017/18.
Carolina Hurricanes v Vegas Golden Knights Tips Summary
Best Bet - Vegas Golden Knights to win Stanley Cup @ 5/4
Alternative Bet - Pavel Dorofeyev (v Seth Jarvis) - Most goals in series match-up @ 10/11
Alternative Bet - Taylor Hall to score 5+ points in series @ 20/23
Carolina Hurricanes v Vegas Golden Knights Prediction
Best Bet: Vegas Golden Knights to win Stanley Cup @ 5/4
There is no doubt that Carolina have been impressive both through the season and in the play-offs, reaching the Stanley Cup Finals with a 12-1 record is no mean feat, and they are understandable favourites, especially with home advantage.
However, there are reasons to take them on, particularly with a team that has a proven recent history on the biggest stage.
The Golden Knights made it all the way to this stage in their first season as a franchise, while they lifted the trophy in 2023, and there is 134 games' worth of experience at this level along with 18 rings on their roster, compared to 34 games and two rings for the favourites.
Experience is definitely with the underdog.
The Hurricanes have not faced a real test yet in the play-offs, deservedly earned by their top seeding, but the better teams in the East were knocked out by someone else.
Montreal Canadiens overcame both Tampa Bay Lightning and Buffalo Sabres, arriving in the Eastern Conference Finals on the back of two gruelling seven-game series wins to face a well rested Hurricanes side.
The Habs stormed to a 6-2 win in Game 1 of that series and were only beaten in overtime in the next two before running out of gas against Carolina's stifling defence.
Vegas perhaps did not face any tougher teams in their first two play-off series, needing six games to beat both Utah Mammoth and Anaheim Ducks, but their 4-0 sweep of the Avalanche is arguably the best performance of the postseason.
The Golden Knights flew out of the traps with multi-goal wins in both games in Denver and when they fell into a 3-0 hole in Game 3, they reeled off five unanswered goals to effectively seal the series.
Limiting the free-scoring Avalanche to seven goals in four games - scoring only one in two of them - tells us plenty about the Golden Knights’ capabilities and the Hurricanes should be prepared for a battle.
Then there is the star power and scoring depth, which might just be the key piece of the puzzle.
Mitch Marner has been a vital acquisition for Vegas and there are few playing better than Jack Eichel right now to provide that elite spark that might just tip the balance in their favour.
While the Hurricanes may be expecting more from their top line in the Finals, there is no doubt they have leaned heavily on the second line of Taylor Hall, Jackson Blake and Logan Stankoven - the only Hurricanes in double figures in points in the postseason.
Vegas have seven players in double digits with Marner leading the way with 21, while they come into this series with two players who have already scored 10 goals, Pavel Dorofeyev and Brett Howden.
Carolina may be the better team overall but in what is expected to be a fiercely-fought and competitive battle, Vegas might just have the edge when something special is needed to decide a game.
They also have the experience of winning both regular season games - 4-1 at home and 6-3 away - although these are very different circumstances.
There may have been some concerns about Carter Hart in net for the Golden Knights coming into the play-offs, but he has posted a .924 save percentage so far, ramping that up to .944 against Colorado, to suggest he can at the least match Carolina's more experienced Frederik Andersen (.931).
Alternative Bet: Pavel Dorofeyev (v Seth Jarvis) - Most goals in series match-up @ 10/11
Carolina's top line has not been the most productive so far, it hasn't needed to be, but Seth Jarvis may be up against it once again in a match bet with Pavel Dorofeyev for goals in this series.
Jarvis has netted only three in the play-offs so far while the Golden Knights forward has struck a play-off leading 10, alongside team-mate Brett Howden, and looks worth backing in a pick'em.
Dorofeyev scored more regular season goals too, while he scored three goals in the two regular-season meetings with Carolina.
Jarvis could only provide one assist in the same games, and while circumstances are very different now, Dorofeyev looks to have the support cast needed to outgun Jarvis.
Alternative Bet: Taylor Hall to score 5+ points in series @ 20/23
Taylor Hall has been immense for the Hurricanes in the play-offs, leading Carolina in points with 16 and assists with 11, while he is second in goals with five.
On a line with Stankoven and Blake, Hall has played an integral part in his team's run to the Stanley Cup Finals, which was perhaps not expected given he scored 48 points (18 goals, 30 assists) in the regular season.
While more may come from Carolina's top line, that cannot be guaranteed and Hall may well have to play yet another key role to get Carolina over the line.
With the series expected to go beyond the minimum, Hall's excellent form suggests five points is within his compass, particularly having registered five multi-point games so far.
Key Stanley Cup Finals Stats
- Seven of the last 10 winners of the Stanley Cup have come from the Eastern Conference
- There hasn't been a 4-0 sweep in the Finals since 1998 when Detroit Red Wings beat Washington Capitals
- Both Carolina and Vegas have won and lost one Stanley Cup Finals series so far
- Carolina head coach Rob Brind'Amour was the captain of the Hurricanes when they won the Stanley Cup in 2006
- The Hurricanes have lost only one game in three play-off series, while Vegas have lost four but did sweep Colorado in the last round
- Vegas' Mitch Marner is the leading point-scorer of these play-offs with 21
- Pavel Dorofeyev and Brett Howden are the joint leading goalscorers with 10
- Hurricanes' Frederik Anderson boasts the best goal against average in the play-offs for those to have played at least 30 minutes with 1.41
Read more NHL betting tips and predictions on site.
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
