Stanley Cup Final predictions for Golden Knights-Panthers

The 2023 Stanley Cup Final between the Vegas Golden Knights and Florida Panthers is the equivalent of a 50/50 puck battle, according to 16 NHL.com writers and editors.

Eight predicted the Golden Knights to win the Cup, while the other eight believe the Panthers will win.

Game 1 is set for Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (8 p.m. ET; TNT, TBS, truTV, CBC, SN, TVAS).

When it comes to predicting who will win the Conn Smythe Trophy as most valuable player of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the experts were split again, with seven different players getting a vote, led by Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, who received six votes.

RELATED: [Complete Stanley Cup Final coverage]

Of the experts who have picked, only four -- staff writers Amalie Benjamin, William Douglas, David Satriano and Derek Van Diest -- went 2-0 in the conference finals. Satriano has picked six straight series correctly, going 4-0 in the second round as well.

Here is how they picked and why they picked that way:

Amalie Benjamin, staff writer

Conference finals record: 2-0

Overall record: 8-6

PICK:Panthers in 6

WHY: I've spent three rounds in South Florida with the Panthers, and after watching them defeat the Boston Bruins (No. 1 in the NHL this season), the Toronto Maple Leafs (No. 4) and the Carolina Hurricanes (No. 2), I've learned not to pick against the Panthers. By sweeping the Hurricanes, the Panthers did exactly what they needed to do to succeed in the Stanley Cup Final: get Sergei Bobrovsky some rest. Because as he's shown in these playoffs, when Bobrovsky is rested and ready, he can be nearly impossible to beat. So I'm going with the Panthers, with the clutch goal-scoring forward in Matthew Tkachuk, the standing-on-his-head goalie in Bobrovsky, and the always-having-fun team in the Panthers. It might have been unbelievable to say at the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but it's the Panthers all the way for me.

CONN SMYTHE WINNER:Sergei Bobrovsky, Panthers

Brian Compton, managing editor

Conference finals record:0-2

Overall record:4-10

PICK:Golden Knights in 7

WHY:The Panthers are such a tremendous story, and if it not for the extended break they'd probably be my pick. But I'm a big believer in momentum at this time of year, and I fear the layoff will prove to be too long for Florida. The Golden Knights had a couple of setbacks toward the end of the Western Conference Final, but they were absolutely dominant in Game 6 against the Dallas Stars. Home-ice advantage should give Vegas a huge boost in the championship round and should help it seal the deal.

CONN SMYTHE WINNER: Jonathan Marchessault, Golden Knights

Nicholas J. Cotsonika, columnist

Conference finals record: 1-1

Overall record:7-7

PICK: Golden Knights in 6

WHY: It's hard to pick against the Panthers. They've won 11 of their past 12 games. They've eliminated the best regular-season team in NHL history, plus the No. 2 and No. 4 teams in the regular season. Tkachuk has been on a tear, and Bobrovsky has been a brick wall. But they will have gone nine days without playing by the time Game 1 rolls around Saturday, and maybe the magic will have faded by then. Often, Cinderella stories have unhappy endings in the Cup Final. The 2018 Golden Knights can tell you that. This Vegas team is deep, experienced and on a mission to finish what that first Vegas team started. The benefit of the doubt goes to the team that has won 10 playoff rounds during the past six seasons.

CONN SMYTHE WINNER: Jack Eichel, Golden Knights

William Douglas, staff writer

Conference finals record: 2-0

Overall record: 10-4

PICK: Panthers in 6

WHY: The Panthers finished the regular season 43 points behind the Bruins, 21 points behind the Hurricanes and 19 points behind the Maple Leafs in the regular season, and they dispatched them all in the first three rounds of the playoffs, proving that it matters who's the best team at the moment more than who's the best over time. And the surprising Panthers are the team of the moment, which is why they're my pick. It's hard to go against Bobrovsky, who's rediscovered the form that earned him the Vezina Trophy as the best goalie in the NHL in 2012-13 and 2016-17 and may earn him the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. Or against Tkachuk, whose swagger, and three game-winning goals -- including two in overtime -- in the Eastern Conference Final also make him a top contender for MVP.

CONN SMYTHE WINNER:Sergei Bobrovsky, Panthers

Tom Gulitti, staff writer

Conference finals record: 0-2

Overall record: 7-7

PICK: Panthers in 6

WHY:I've picked against Florida every round and have been wrong every round, so I'm not going to do it again. Rust might be a factor early in the series for the Panthers, who have been off since May 24, and you wonder if the layoff will take Bobrovsky out of his rhythm. The Panthers have had something magical going, though, with Bobrovsky and Tkachuk, who has scored three overtime goals in the playoffs, and a deep lineup that also includes Aleksander Barkov, Carter Verhaeghe, Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett, Brandon Montour and Aaron Ekblad. The only thing left to do is finish the job by winning the Stanley Cup for the first time in their history.

CONN SMYTHE WINNER:Sergei Bobrovsky, Panthers

Pete Jensen, director, senior fantasy editor

Conference finals record: 1-1

Overall record: 5-9

PICK:Panthers in 6

WHY: The Panthers are one of the great Cinderella stories in NHL history and have all the components needed to keep it going against the Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Final. Bobrovsky, a two-time Vezina Trophy winner, has had an inconsistent NHL career but been as dominant as ever this postseason. With the leadership of Barkov and late-game heroics of Tkachuk, Florida can overcome the disappointment of being swept out of the playoffs last season as Presidents' Trophy winners by solving Adin Hill and keeping its road success (8-1) going in Vegas.

CONN SMYTHE WINNER: Sergei Bobrovsky, Panthers

Adam Kimelman, deputy managing editor

Conference finals record:1-1

Overall record:5-9

PICK: Panthers in 6

WHY: This has been the playoffs of the road team, and that should carry into the Final. All 16 playoff teams won at least once on the road during the postseason for the first time since 2012, when the Los Angeles Kings won the Cup. This Panthers team is very reminiscent of that Kings championship team, one that barely got into the playoffs but ran through the competition to reach the Final. That Kings team was built on an athletic goalie with lightning-quick reflexes and a corps of forwards that played a skilled, grinding style. This Panthers team has the same approach, with Bobrovsky stopping every puck thrown at him, and Tkachuk, Barkov and Reinhart leading a deep, skilled, gritty group of forwards. And they will be well-rested by the time the series starts Saturday.

CONN SMYTHE WINNER: Sergei Bobrovsky, Panthers

Mike G. Morreale, staff writer

Conference finals record: 0-2

Overall record: 5-9

PICK:Panthers in 7

WHY: What the Panthers have done to this point is nothing short of remarkable. Sure, Florida and Vegas split the two-game regular-season series in 2022-23 but the Golden Knights, who have home-ice advantage, are 5-0 against Florida in 10 all-time games at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. After qualifying for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the final week of the regular season and then winning consecutive series against the Bruins, Maple Leafs and Hurricanes to reach this point, the Panthers and Bobrovsky appear to be the more rested, playoff-tested group. It doesn't hurt that they possess overtime threat Tkachuk and are the better of the two teams on special teams.

CONN SMYTHE WINNER: Matthew Tkachuk, Florida Panthers

Tracey Myers, staff writer

Conference finals record: 1-1

Overall record: 7-7

PICK: Golden Knights in 6

WHY:I've gone back and forth on this one, but I'll roll with Vegas (Sorry, bad pun. Moving on). Speaking of rolling, the Golden Knights' depth at forward is part of what is swaying me here. Coaches and players talk about scoring up and down the lineup and Vegas has that. The Golden Knights are also stout on defense led by Alex Pietrangelo and Alec Martinez, both of whom have won the Stanley Cup elsewhere (Pietrangelo with the St. Louis Blues in 2019, Martinez with the Kings in 2012 and 2014). And yes, being there and doing it before helps a lot as the Golden Knights look for their first Stanley Cup as a franchise. I've been incredibly impressed by the Panthers, especially Tkachuk and Bobrovsky. Their run has been magical, but I think the Golden Knights, though not having the long rest between conference final and Final like the Panthers do, will have the horses to get them to the top.

CONN SMYTHE WINNER:Adin Hill, Golden Knights

Bill Price, VP, Editor-in-Chief

Conference finals record: 1-1

Overall record:8-6

PICK:Golden Knights in 6

WHY:While the Panthers have been the Cinderella story in the playoffs, the Golden Knights have been more like "The Lion King," starting at the top as the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference and staying there. They also will have the redemption arc of "The Lion King," as six current members of the Golden Knights were on the team that lost to the Washington Capitals in the 2018 Cup Final, and coach Bruce Cassidy was coach of the Bruins, who lost the 2019 Cup Final. They won't lose this time.

CONN SMYTHE WINNER: Mark Stone, Golden Knights

Shawn Roarke, senior director of editorial

Conference finals record: 1-1

Overall record:8-6

PICK: Golden Knights in 7

WHY:This has the potential to be an all-time Cup Final, so it's going to go long, whoever wins. In the end, Vegas has home ice and just a bit more depth than the Panthers. In the third-round victory against the Dallas Stars every skater for Vegas had at least one point during the six-game series. That kind of sustained, relentless attack wears teams down and presents matchup problems. Tkachuk, who is in the conversation for playoff MVP, has yet to face checking forwards the caliber of Karlsson and Stone. Vegas shut down, to a degree, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl of the Edmonton Oilers, especially during the second half of the second-round series win. Plus, this is the deepest and biggest group of defensemen the Panthers have faced in the playoffs. In the end, those advantages will be just enough to get past the magic the Panthers have enjoyed in the postseason and the brilliance of Bobrovsky.

CONN SMYTHE WINNER: William Karlsson, Golden Knights.

Dan Rosen, senior writer

Conference finals record: 0-2

Overall record: 5-9

PICK: Golden Knights in 6

WHY: Vegas has won each of the first three rounds by using its depth to its advantage. The Golden Knights have had the better depth in each series and that has made the difference. It will again against the Panthers. Vegas doesn't have to have one line or one defense pair tasked with shutting down Tkachuk. The Golden Knights feel comfortable putting any of their four lines or three defense pairs against whoever is on the ice. That has become especially true with the emergence this season of Eichel as a 200-foot center. Vegas feels it can win the battle regardless of who is on the ice for the opponent. And it usually has. I also do not like the fact that the Panthers will have gone nine days between playing games. The mojo they and Bobrovsky had going will be hard to get back.

CONN SMYTHE WINNER:William Karlsson, Golden Knights

David Satriano, staff writer

Conference finals record: 2-0

Overall record:10-4

PICK: Panthers in 5

WHY:The Panthers already have taken out the Bruins, who had the most wins and points in a season in the history of the NHL, and the Hurricanes, the team with the second-best record this season. They win close games, they win in overtime (6-0), they have a hot goalie in Bobrovsky and they have Tkachuk. He's a Hart Trophy finalist and has continued to be clutch in the playoffs. Florida has won eight straight on the road so don't expect them to be intimidated heading into Vegas, where they will hoist the Stanley Cup with an overtime win in Game 5 at T-Mobile Arena.

CONN SMYTHE WINNER:Matthew Tkachuk, Panthers

Dave Stubbs, columnist

Conference finals record: 1-1

Overall record: 9-5

PICK: Panthers in 6

WHY: I have huge respect for the Golden Knights, but I'm going with the Panthers, deferring to two geniuses: the greatest coach in NHL history, and an equally great philosopher of the comics. Scotty Bowman: "This is a team of destiny." Charlie Brown, of Peanuts: "Rats!" The Panthers remind me a great deal of the 1993 champion Montreal Canadiens, who were in a hole early then roared to the 24th and most recent championship on the strength of 10 consecutive overtime wins. The Panthers were on the brink of elimination three times against the 65-win Bruins and survived. And now here they are, having won six straight overtime games. To be determined: which foiled Vegas shooter Bobrovsky might wink at, a la Patrick Roy to Tomas Sandstrom of the Los Angeles Kings in 1993.

CONN SMYTHE WINNER: Sergei Bobrovsky, Panthers

Derek Van Diest, staff writer

Conference finals record: 2-0

Overall record: 7-7

PICK:Golden Knights in 6

WHY:Winning the Stanley Cup is a process and the Golden Knights have been on a six-year journey toward that goal. They appear ready to achieve it. The Golden Knights have the experience of losing in a Final, in the first round, a conference final, a semifinal, and missing the playoffs during their brief existence. If teams first have to experience disappointment before breaking through, then the Golden Knights are ready to break through. Their depth and experience should be enough to overwhelm the Panthers, who have caught lightning in a bottle during the playoffs after falling behind 3-1 in the first round against the Bruins.

CONN SMYTHE WINNER: Jonathan Marchessault, Golden Knights

Mike Zeisberger, staff writer

Conference finals record: 1-1

Overall record: 6-8

PICK:Golden Knights in 7

WHY:Let's preface this by understanding that I very well could regret this pick. Any time a team can defeat the No. 1 (Bruins), No. 2 (Hurricanes) and No. 4 (Maple Leafs) teams in the regular-season standings en route to the Final like the Panthers have, it's no fluke. Indeed, Tkachuk and Bobrovsky have been the best players in the playoffs, and certainly could make me eat my words. At the same time, the Golden Knights have beaten two of the best goalies in the league, Connor Hellebuyck of the Jets and Jake Oettinger of the Stars, this postseason. I just think Vegas has a little more depth; their stars, like Eichel, Stone and Pietrangelo, are playing like stars, and their defense group is second to none. In the end, the key will be Hill. If the clock hits midnight on his Cinderella run, the Panthers could have the last laugh. Either way, this series will be much closer than many expect.

CONN SMYTHE WINNER:Jack Eichel, Golden Knights