NHL playoff predictions: Knights in great shape to deliver

Best bets for the Stanley Cup playoffs in the NHL which start on Saturday

Best bets

Vegas Golden Knights to win Stanley Cup
2pts 11-2 general
Florida Panthers to win first-round series
1pt 7-5 bet365

Advised ante-post

Vegas Golden Knights
2pts 8-1 Hills
St Louis Blues
1pt 20-1 Hills

The NHL gets serious this weekend when the first round of the playoffs starts, and the Vegas Golden Knights are in great shape to deliver the franchise’s maiden Stanley Cup.

The Knights narrowly missed out on top spot in the West Division and the Presidents Trophy to Stanley Cup favourites Colorado Avalanche, meaning they aren’t guaranteed home-ice advantage through the playoffs.

Vegas’s prize for finishing second in the West is a series against the Minnesota Wild, a team who gave the Knights a few issues in the regular season but look unlikely to be able to stay with them in a playoff environment.

The Knights won more games than any other side during the regular season as they went 40-12-2, while the excellent goaltending tandem of Marc-Andre Fleury and Robin Lehner allowed the fewest goals in the league.

At the other end of the ice, Vegas are averaging 3.41 goals per game, third best in the NHL, with Mark Stone and Max Pacioretty both hitting the 20-goal mark.

Vegas look a formidable outfit but they’ll need to go through plenty of high-class opponents to get their hands on the Cup, potentially including the Florida Panthers.

The Panthers have been the form side in the NHL of late, winning 11 of their last 14 games, and they can take out the defending Stanley Cup champions Tampa Bay in round one.

Florida won five of their eight meetings with the Lightning in the regular season with the Panthers’ top point scorer Jonathan Huberdeau proving particularly effective, notching seven points in seven games against their Sunshine State rivals.

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