2023 Stanley Cup Final Exact Matchup Odds: Canes & Knights More Likely

The grind of an 82-game NHL regular season is over and now four teams battle it out in the conference finals.

The 2023 NHL Conference Finals:

◻️ Hurricanes vs. Panthers
◻️ Stars vs. Golden Knights

Who will be the two teams moving on to the #StanleyCup Final? pic.twitter.com/eodVgEYLpT

— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) May 16, 2023

With that, we're looking to the Stanley Cup Final, where many questions are still left unanswered.

Which two sides will meet to fight for the Cup? What exact matchup are we likely looking at in the championship final? And who should you bet on to make the finals?

2023 Stanley Cup Exact Matchup Odds

Odds as of May 12

Stanley Cup Exact Matchup Odds: The bruins are out!

At the start, oddsmakers thought the Stanley Cup final would be between the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche and the historic 2022-23 Boston Bruins at +700. But the Bruins fell victim to the Presidents’ Trophy curse, and both teams were eliminated in the opening round.

Now, our previous value pick has become one of the favorite:

Stanley Cup Exact Matchup Odds: The Favorite

I’m looking at the field here as I try to make a futures bet on the Stanley Cup Final matchup. Going back over every Cup final after a full 82-game NHL season since 2000-01, the representative from the East was most often the No. 2 seed (six times) while the West sent the No. 1 seed to the finals the most times (five).

This year, that’s Carolina and Vegas, who are offering +200 (previously +3500) to go head-to-head in the finals. The Canes advanced to the conference finals over the Devils. Meanwhile, Vegas took down Connor McDavid's Oilers in a 4-2 series duel.

Stanley Cup Exact Matchup Odds: Hurricanes vs Golden Knights (+200)

Once the 82-game slate wrapped up, the No. 2 seed in the East was Carolina with 113 points. When you look under the hood, the Canes don’t have great individual numbers. They don’t have a single point-per-game player and their goalie numbers are just above average.

But the Canes get production from everywhere in the lineup. They’ve got 11 players with six or more points through 11 playoff games, including eight with three or more goals. If any one player goes cold, they’ve got layers to their offense to fill the gap. That’s ideal for the playoffs when space is limited and star players are usually matched up closely.

The Canes have the best odds to win the East at -130. The second round was pretty smooth sailing, with Carolina winning by four or more goals in three games of the series over the Devils. Frederik Andersen stood tall between the pipes, now recording 1.80 GAA. 

Frederik Andersen since returning from injury

2 Games played
—0.964 SV%
—2.98 GSAA
—0.941 HDSV%
—2.29 HDGSAA

No sign of rust pic.twitter.com/EpaZFV8Dfu

— Big Head Hockey (@BigHeadHcky) May 4, 2023

Vegas is in a similar position to the Canes with layers of offense. Jack Eichel is the only point-per-game player, earning 80 points in 78 games through the regular and postseason. The Knights have 10 players with a whopping five or more points throughout the playoffs, including Eichel who leads with 14. 

Jack Eichel has had quite the start.

Eichel (1-2—3) boosted his 2023 #StanleyCup Playoffs totals to 6-7—13 and now has the most points by a @GoldenKnights player through 10 games of a postseason, besting Mark Stone in 2019 (6-6—12 in 7 GP). #NHLStats: https://t.co/R8up3wdOjh pic.twitter.com/2RkDH7XmXI

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) May 13, 2023

Cap geeks out there will be rightfully suspicious of this development for Vegas. But in terms of exact Stanley Cup matchups, getting the two-way powerhouse back is an incredible boost for a team looking to atone in a big way for missing the postseason last year.

Anyways, all that to say the Carolina vs Vegas matchup is where I’d put my money. At +200, you’re still getting decent value on a matchup between two top teams that history says should happen.