NHL Playoffs: The Florida Panthers Run Has Turned Stanley Cup Betting on Its Head

Nobody saw this playoff run coming for the Florida Panthers, especially not bookmakers. While we aren’t even to the Conference Finals yet, the Panthers have looked to be the best team in the league. Now, sports betting sites across the country are scrambling to update their odds to account for the teams improved play, giving bettors a chance to win big on their Stanley Cup future bets.

Below we will discuss how Florida has arrived at this point, what their path forward looks like, and how bookmakers now view them. Let’s start by taking a look at the Panthers run in the 2023 playoffs.

Nobody gave the Panthers a chance to even advance past the first round this season. The team had to make a charge at the end of the season just to get the Eastern Conference’s final wild card spot. That earned them a matchup against a Bruins team that was coming off the greatest season in NHL history. While the Bruins took three of the first four games, the Panthers took the final three games to advance to the second round and secure the greatest upset in NHL playoff history. 

Florida extended their win streak to six games as they would go on to take the first three from a good Toronto Maples Leafs team. They have been fantastic on offense, scoring four or more goals in four of their last six games. The attack has been led by Matthew Tkachuk (5 G, 10 A), and Carter Verhaeghe (4 G, 6 A) who lead the team in points. However, their scoring has been balanced with 13 different Panthers finding the back of the net this postseason.

Another big reason for their hot streak has been goalie Sergei Bobrovsky (6-1, 31.13 GA/G, 90.9% SV). After sitting the first three games, he has started every one since and leads all playoff goalies with six wins. It isn’t always pretty, but he has been good enough to win. Bobrovsky wasn’t great this season, so we will be watching closely to see if he can keep this level of play up as the Panthers continue to roll.
 

With a 3-0 lead against Toronto, it seems that the Panthers are destined to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time. Assuming they can win one of their next four games to close out Toronto, they would meet the winner of the Canes-Devils series. The Canes currently lead the series 2-1 and seem to be the better team so far.

The Canes would present the toughest challenge, as they were the second-best team for most of the season. They combine a roster of talented scorers with one of the best defenses in the league. Though they allowed the Devils to score 8 goals in game 3, the Canes allowed them to score just one in their previous two matchups. That is some impressive balance, and it could be too much for this Panthers team to handle. 

The key to the Panthers advancing to their first Stanley Cup Final is their play in goal. Bobrovsky has been solid, but far from great. He would be the key to stopping a hot Carolina offense in the next round, so we’ll see if he is able to rise to the occasion.

Not only did the Panthers knock off one of the biggest Stanley Cup favorites in history (Boston Bruins), but they have had one of the biggest odds shifts in NHL history. After a rough opening round, they saw their Stanley Cup odds drop all the way down to +5000. However, their recent win streak has them now at +350 according to Caesars Sportsbook. That is a massive shift and makes gives them the second-best odds to win the Cup. Those odds also put them ahead of the Carolina Hurricanes, who are +400 at Caesars Sportsbook.