What’s next for Golden Knights? Stanley Cup Final series start, opponent, odds

The Vegas Golden Knights are heading to their 3rd Stanley Cup Final quality successful 9 seasons aft defeating the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche 2-1 successful Game 4 of the Western Conference Final.

The country present shifts to the biggest signifier successful hockey, arsenic the Golden Knights volition instrumentality connected the victor of the Eastern Conference, either the Carolina Hurricanes oregon the Montreal Canadiens.

Here’s a fewer things to cognize astir the weeks up for the Knights:

When does the Stanley Cup Final start?

The NHL has yet to denote the dates fot the Stanley Cup Final. We expect they volition denote those dates soon.

First, the Eastern Conference Final has to conclude, and it could spell each the mode to Game 7 connected June 2. Game 4 is Wednesday successful Montreal with the Canes up 2-1.

ESPN has rights to some the NBA Finals and the Stanley Cup Final. The archetypal 2 games of the NBA Finals are scheduled for June 3 and June 5. With that successful mind, the Stanley Cup Final is apt to commencement either connected June 4 oregon June 6.

Who has location ice?

In the NHL home-ice advatage is determined by which squad holds the champion regular-season record.

That means that careless who the Knights instrumentality connected betwixt Montreal oregon Carolina, they volition beryllium heading to the eastbound seashore for Games 1 and 2 of the bid aft amassing 96 points crossed 82 games.

This volition beryllium the archetypal clip successful franchise past that the Golden Knights volition not person home-ice vantage successful the Stanley Cup Final.

Knights’ Stanley Cup history

The Golden Knights were past successful the Cup Final successful 2023, winning their archetypal Stanley Cup by defeating the Florida Panthers successful 5 games, including a record-tying nine-goal show successful the cup-clinching crippled connected location ice.

The archetypal clip they played successful the Final was during their astonishing enlargement play successful 2017-18, erstwhile they mislaid to Washington Capitals successful 5 games and gave Alexander Ovechkin his archetypal vocation title.

Of the players inactive with the organization, skipper Mark Stone and defenseman Shea Theodore each person 9 full points successful vocation Stanley Cup Final games.

What if its Knights vs Hurricanes?

The Hurricanes finished the regular play arsenic the champion squad successful the Eastern Conference with a grounds of 53-22-7 and 2nd wide successful the NHL standings with 113 full points.

Prior to their bid against the Canadiens, they had not mislaid a azygous crippled done the archetypal 2 rounds of the playoffs, sweeping some the Ottawa Senators and the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Knights won some matchups successful their two-game regular-season bid by a people of 4-1 connected location crystal and 6-3 successful Raleigh, N.C. If a bid betwixt the Golden Knights and Hurricanes comes to fruition, it volition beryllium the archetypal clip these 2 franchises person met successful a playoff environment.

What if it’s Knights vs. Canadiens?

The Canadiens are a squad filled with young talent, and aft a play past twelvemonth successful which they failed to marque it retired of the archetypal circular against the Capitals, they present find themselves successful a conflict to marque it backmost to the Stanley Cup Final for the archetypal clip since the 2020-21 season.

Montreal finished the regular play with a grounds of 48-24-10 for a full of 106 points, putting them successful 2nd spot successful the Atlantic Division, which had 4 teams scope 100 points this season.

During the regular season, erstwhile Vegas Golden Knight and existent Canadiens skipper Nick Suzuki, who was traded to Montreal successful the Max Pacioretty deal, led the squad successful scoring with 101 points, including 29 goals and 72 assists.

This would not beryllium the archetypal clip these 2 franchises person met successful the postseason, arsenic the Canadiens defeated the Golden Knights successful the playoff semifinals during their tally to the Stanley Cup Final successful 2020-21, pursuing the NHL’s COVID-19-related format changes that year.

Who is the betting favorite?

Before the commencement of this season, the Golden Knights were listed arsenic a +1200 contender to triumph the Stanley Cup this year, according to BetMGM’s futures board.

Ahead of them successful the favorites class was the Edmonton Oilers astatine +650 aft coming disconnected back-to-back runner-up finishes successful the Stanley Cup Final, the Florida Panthers astatine +750, looking for their 3rd consecutive championship, the Colorado Avalanche astatine +800, the Dallas Stars astatine +850, and the Carolina Hurricanes astatine +900.

Now, aft defeating the Avalanche, the Golden Knights are present the odds-on favorites to hoist the Stanley Cup for the 2nd clip successful franchise past astatine ___.