- The Hurricanes have -150 odds to beat the Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Finals. Vegas has +130 odds to take home the title.
- The Golden Knights became the second team to defeat a team who had gone 8-1 or better in the first two rounds of the playoffs. The only other team to do so won the title.
- Carolina has gone 12-1 through the first three rounds, the first team to ever reach that mark.
RALEIGH – The Stanley Cup Finals start Tuesday night at 8 p.m. EST as the Carolina Hurricanes host the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 1 in search of their first Stanley Cup title since 2006. Vegas won its first and only title in 2023 after joining the league as an expansion team in 2017.
2026 Stanley Cup Finals Odds
| Vegas Golden Knights (+130) | Carolina Hurricanes (-150) |
|---|
The Hurricanes are slightly favored over the Golden Knights to win the series at legal sports betting sites with -150 odds. They managed to defeat the Canadiens in five games, winning four straight after losing Game 1 at home.
Vegas made history in their Western Conference Finals victory over the Avalanche, becoming just the second team in NHL history to defeat a team who had started the postseason 8-1 or better. The only other team to do so (2015 Chicago Blackhawks) was able to secure the Stanley Cup.
As for Carolina, they’ve embarked on a historic postseason run, becoming the seventh team since 1969 to reach the Stanley Cup Finals with one loss or less and the first since the 1983 Oilers, going 12-1 through their first three series, the first team to ever win 12 games in just three rounds due to expanded playoffs.
Surprisingly, the last six teams to do so have an even 3-3 record in the Stanley Cup Finals, with just half bringing home the cup. Every one of those six series has been a sweep, whether in favor or against the one loss team.
2026 Stanley Cup Finals Game 1 Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Knights | +1.5 (-200) | +133 | O 5.5 (-120) |
| Hurricanes | -1.5 (+170) | -155 | U 5.5 (EVEN) |
The Hurricanes are favored in Game 1 on their home ice with similar odds to their outright series odds at North Carolina sports betting sites.
Historically, Game 1 has more often than not been indicative of who will eventually go on to win the series, with 68.2% of all playoff series being won by the team who takes a 1-0 lead, while around 75% of teams who win Game 1 in the Stanley Cup Finals take home the title.
Last season, the Panthers were able to buck a four year streak of teams winning Game 1 going on to win the Finals, losing Game 1 to the Oilers before winning the series in six games.
Both teams have gotten off to hot starts in their series this postseason, with Carolina going 2-1 in Game 1s, while Vegas has gone a perfect 3-0 in their three Game 1s.
