Vegas Golden Knights Win First Stanley Cup
Vegas came into 2022-23 with a lot to prove after missing the playoffs in 2021-22, and their preseason futures odds reflected that. Now, the Vegas Golden Knights are Stanley Cup champions after defeating the Florida Panthers in five games. Here’s how they got here:
Preseason Odds:
Regular Season Points: 96.5
Make Playoffs: -250
Division: +425
Conference: 10/1
Stanley Cup: 18/1
Division rivals like Edmonton and Calgary were listed at -700 and -600 to make the playoffs, but Vegas crushed expectations and finished with 111 points. Not only did they make the playoffs, but they also won the division and the conference. The Golden Knights came into round one with the third-best odds (+550) of winning the Stanley Cup.
Playoff Series Odds and Results:
Round One: Vegas (-160) defeated Winnipeg (+140) four games to one.
Round Two: Vegas (+145) defeated Edmonton (-165) four games to two.
Conf. Final: Vegas (-130) defeated Dallas (+110) four games to two.
Cup Final: Vegas (-125) defeated Florida (+105) four games to one.
Vegas tore through opposing goaltenders throughout their Stanley Cup run, and they put a big emphasis on that in Game 5 of the Final, scoring nine goals on 31 shots. Eight of those goals were scored on Sergei Bobrovsky, who came into the series as the Conn Smythe favorite after he helped the Panthers eliminate three Stanley Cup favorites.
The playoff MVP went to one of the original members of the Golden Knights, though. Jonathan Marchessault, who was listed at 40/1 to win the award back on May 17th. Marchessault tied for the most goals (13) in the postseason and finished second on the team in points with 25. The 32-year-old is the first undrafted player to win the award since… Wayne Gretzky.
2023-24 Stanley Cup Odds
The Golden Knights have the sixth-best Stanley Cup odds (13/1) at DraftKings Sportsbook:
Colorado Avalanche 8/1
Boston Bruins 8/1
Toronto Maple Leafs 9/1
New Jersey Devils 12/1
Carolina Hurricanes 12/1
Vegas Golden Knights 13/1
New York Rangers 14/1
Florida Panthers 14/1
Tampa Bay Lightning 16/1
Dallas Stars 16/1
Calgary Flames 20/1
Pittsburgh Penguins 30/1
Minnesota Wild 30/1
New York Islanders 50/1
Washington Capitals 50/1
Winnipeg Jets 60/1
Nashville Predators 75/1
Philadelphia Flyers 150/1
Columbus Blue Jackets 200/1
Montreal Canadiens 250/1
San Jose Sharks 250/1
Chicago Blackhawks 250/1
Arizona Coyotes 250/1
Anaheim Ducks 250/1
