The juice is worth it for the Knights tonight. The Knights have yet to lose a single game against the Panthers. I don’t think they start losing tonight in what could (and should) be the last hockey game we see this season. Adin Hill has been absolutely incredible against Florida, while the same can’t be said of Sergei Bobrovsky. It’s Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals; take the home team to close out this series and season as champions.

Can't sugarcoat it was a lousy NHL capping season (Hurricane Ian displacement didn't help) in large part because I've never seen road teams have as much success as they have in 2022-23 -- playing at home is supposed to be such a huge schematic advantage in hockey. It has continued in these playoffs with road teams combining for 47 wins, tied for the most in any postseason. However, I think the season ends tonight with Vegas' first title. The Knights have been clearly the superior club, and Florida star Matthew Tkachuk is not healthy and may not even play tonight, although I'd guess he guts it out. Let's finish with some momentum and back at it in October with a hopeful return to normalcy.

Vegas is on the cusp of history. It took control of a pivotal Game 4 and dominated the underlying metrics: plus-7 in high-danger chances, plus-19 edge in overall scoring chances and 3.7-to-2.42 margin in expected goals at 5-on-5. The Golden Knights thrive during 5-on-5 play, and that was on full display in a loosely officiated Game 4. This is where the rubber meets the road for the Panthers, whose superstar Matthew Tkachuk looked like a shell of himself on Saturday while dealing with an upper-body injury. I actually prefer betting Vegas to win Game 5 in regulation at -110, if you have that option.