Control of the NHL Stanley Cup Final is on the line on Saturday, June 6, when the Vegas Golden Knights host the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 3 with the series tied at 1-1. Vegas drew first blood in an exciting 5-4 Game 1 win, but Carolina rebounded with a 4-3 overtime win in Game 2. The action moves from Raleigh, N.C. to Sin City for Games 2 and 3. Puck drop is set for 8 p.m. ET.
The Canes looked like they were going to take Game after taking an early 2-0 lead, but the Golden Knights scored three straight to take the lead. The Hurricanes did tie things up at 3-3 and 4-4, but Tomas Hertl's scored a go-ahead goal with just over three minutes remaining to give the Golden Knights the win. Carolina then mounted a monster comeback in Game 3, scoring three third-period goals before Seth Jarvis cashed in during the overtime period to even the series up. Carolina is 13-2 this postseason and snapped Vegas' seven-game win streak.
This one is effectively a pick 'em, per the latest Hurricanes vs. Golden Knights consensus odds, and the Over/Under for total goals scored is 5.5. The SportsLine Projection Model, which simulates every NHL game 10,000 times, has locked in its NHL picks and best bets for Game 3 of the NHL Stanley Cup Final on Saturday. The model entered the 2026 Stanley Cup Final with a +568 return on top-rated money-line NHL picks. Anyone following its NHL betting advice at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen strong returns.
Ahead of Game 3, bettors have a ton of different NHL betting opportunities, such as spread betting, Over/Under bets, money line bets and even player prop bets. Bettors also can combine picks to make a same-game parlay bet for Saturday's Game 3 matchup for a potentially greater profit.
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NHL Stanley Cup Final Game 3 picks for Saturday, June 6
- Golden Knights money line
- Over 5.5 goals
Golden Knights money line
The Golden Knights have been exceptional in the later stages of this postseason, and it looked like they were heading towards a 2-0 series lead in Game 2. They jumped out to a 2-0 lead before Carolina came storming back, and then after the Canes took a 3-2 lead, Vegas captain Mark Stone tied things up with less than two minutes to go. The action now moves to Las Vegas, where the Golden Knights are 6-2 this postseason. The SportsLine model has Vegas winning Game 3 in 55% of simulations, and consensus odds have this one effectively as a pick 'em.
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Over 5.5 total goals
The story of Carolina's postseason thus far has been defense, as the Hurricanes have allowed two or fewer goals in all but three of their 15 playoff games to date. Two of those three games where they've allowed three or more goals, however, have come in the first two games of the Final. Each of Carolina's last three games have finished Over 5.5 goals, while three of Vegas' last four games have cleared this number. The Over hits in 56.1% of simulations.
