:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72323161/1257401947.0.jpg "2023 Stanley Cup Final teams: Who is playing in Stanley Cup Final this season?")
It's going to be a battle of tourist destinations to cap off the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs when the Vegas Golden Knights, the Pacific Division champions, take on the Florida Panthers, who were the final team to make the playoffs this season. Vegas played for the Cup in 2018, its inaugural season, and lost to the Washington Capitals in five games. The Panthers last played for the Cup in 1996, its third season in the NHL, and were swept by the Colorado Avalanche.
Vegas will have home ice for the series at the T-Mobile Arena on the Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada. Florida plays its games at the FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Florida.
2023 Stanley Cup Final matchup
Florida reached the Cup Finals by rallying from a 3-1 series deficit to eliminate the Boston Bruins in seven games in the first round. The Panthers dispatched of the Toronto Maple Leafs in five games in the second round and swept the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final. The two stories for the Panthers have been the play of Matthew Tkachuk (seven goals, 12 assists, three game-winning goals) and goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, who is 10-2 in the playoffs with a .935 save percentage. Bobrovsky is +200 to win the Conn Smythe Trophy while Tkachuk is +400. The Panthers are currently +125 to win the Cup at DraftKings Sportsbook.
Vegas started its playoff journey by knocking off the Winnipeg Jets in five games and then eliminated the Edmonton Oilers in six games before eliminating the Dallas Stars in six games in the Western Conference Final. Jack Eichel, the former No. 2 pick that was run out of Buffalo, has been a playoff revelation with his strong two-way play and work on the half wall. He has 16 points (six goals, 10 assists) and is +400 for the Conn Smythe Trophy. Team captain Mark Stone (six goals, nine assists) has been a clutch performer again. He is +600 for the Conn Smythe. Vegas is the betting favorite to win the Cup, currently -110 at DraftKings Sportsbook.