Golden Knights vs Panthers Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for NHL Stanley Cup Final Game 3 (Marchessault Scores Again)

The 2022-23 NHL Stanley Cup Final continues with Game 3 between the Vegas Golden Knights and Florida Panthers on Thursday, June 8.

Golden Knights vs Panthers Game 3 Info

• Series: VGK leads 2-0
• Date: Thursday, June 8, 2023
• Time: 8 p.m. ET
• Venue: FLA Live Arena -- Sunrise, Florida
• Coverage: TNT

The Golden Knights took a commanding 2-0 series lead with a 7-2 victory over the Panthers in Game 2. Brett Howden and Jonathan Marchessault led the charge for Vegas with 2 goals apiece while goaltender Adin Hill shut the door on Florida, turning aside 29 of the 31 shots he faced.

Golden Knights vs Panthers Odds & Spread

• All NHL betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: VGK: (+102) | FLA: (-122)
• Spread: VGK: +1.5 (-245) | FLA: -1.5 (+198)
• Total: 5.5 -- Over: (-140) | Under: (+114)

The Panthers enter this contest as home favorites on the spread and moneyline per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 8 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 5.5 goals with the Over favored at -140 odds.

Golden Knights vs Panthers Betting Trends

• Vegas is 7-2 straight up (SU) in its last nine road games.
• Florida is 4-1 SU in its last five home games against Vegas.
• The total has hit the Over in eight of Vegas' last 12 games against Florida.
• The total has hit the Over in four of Florida's last five home games on a Thursday.

Golden Knights vs Panthers Prediction & Pick

The Panthers head home hoping they can finally halt the Golden Knights' attack. Vegas' 12 goals in the series are the most through the first two games of the Stanley Cup Final in NHL history. Nine different Golden Knights have already found the back of the net, including Marchessault and Howden who've combined for five — more than Florida's entire team combined.

Logically, a return home should boost the Panthers, especially after going 4-1 SU in their last five home games against the Golden Knights. Having said that, Bruce Cassidy's club has won seven of its last nine road matchups, outscoring its opponents 35-17 on aggregate. That's bad news for a Florida team that's just 11-15 SU as the favorite against the Western Conference this season.

I expect a stronger effort from the Panthers in front of their home crowd, but the Golden Knights have been too dominant to doubt. Even if Florida slows down the likes of Marchessault and Howden, names like Jack Eichel, Mark Stone and William Karlsson are more than capable of stepping up at big moments.

Unfortunately for the Panthers, it looks like they'll be down 0-3 when the dust settles on Thursday.

Final Score Prediction: Golden Knights: 5 | Panthers: 3

Golden Knights vs Panthers Best Bet

Jonathan Marchessault has been an absolute beast in the playoffs, scoring 10 goals in his last nine games. He's only gone goalless twice during that span and has found the back of the net in each of his last three outings. After the Panthers didn't protect him in the 2017-18 expansion draft, he'll be motivated to do some damage, once again, in Sunrise to show the Florida faithful what they missed out on.

Until Florida gets better defense and goaltending, Marchessault will continue being a threat to score.

Bet: Jonathan Marchessault — Any Time Goal Scorer (+200)

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.