2023 Stanley Cup exacta odds: Hurricanes favored to beat Golden Knights in Final with postseason down to all-Sun Belt conference finals

It's the "warmest-weather" Conference Finals slate in NHL postseason history, or a Sun Belt Final Four if you will, with the Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers still standing in the Eastern Conference, and the Las Vegas Golden Knights and Dallas Stars facing off in the West. At Caesars Sportsbook, the updated Stanley Cup Final exacta result odds favor Carolina over Las Vegas at +450 with the flip result at +475.

The NHL's TV partners likely aren't thrilled with the four remaining teams, as none of the four markets are hockey hotbeds. In fact, it's the first time the final four teams in the NHL playoffs are all located south of Pennsylvania. Edmonton was the last Canadian team standing but was upset 5-2 at home and eliminated in Game 6 by Las Vegas on Sunday.

The Stars ensured an all-south Final Four with a 2-1 win over Seattle in Game 7 of their second-round series Monday. Las Vegas is actually the northernmost city among the Final Four, just barely north of Raleigh, N.C. The Golden Knights are one of the last four teams standing for the fourth time since their inaugural season in 2017-18, tied with the Lightning for the most in the NHL through that span.

Las Vegas hasn't won a Cup yet. Tampa Bay won two. Vegas is the third franchise in NHL history to advance to the semifinals at least four times within its first six seasons, following the Rangers and Blues (also four each).

Carolina is the +230 favorite to win its second Cup (2006) and has home-ice advantage over Florida (+330 to win Cup) and would have it against either Vegas (+250) or Dallas (+300). Even though the Panthers have the longest odds to win the Cup, they have the highest simulation percentage to do so per the SportsLine Projection Model at nearly 33% following upsets of previous Cup favorites Boston and Toronto.

The longest shot on the Cup exacta odds is Florida beating Dallas at +800. The Panthers have never won a Cup. Dallas won its lone title in 1999.

On the updated odds to win Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, forwards Sebastian Aho of Carolina and Jack Eichel of Las Vegas are both +600 favorites. Aho has five goals and five assists this postseason, and Eichel six goals and eight assists. 

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