THN.com/podcast. Matthew Tkachuk [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MTk4Mzg3NDQwOTIxMDkzOTcz/usatsi_20747330.jpg] Matthew Tkachuk Okay, if A.I. is so smart and it’s taking over the world, how are they at predicting the Stanley Cup winner? The answer? Not particularly. Oddsseeker.com asked ChatGPT to predict the winners at the beginning of the playoffs, and the results weren’t surprising, if not boring: Bruins and Hurricanes in the East and Avalanche and Golden Knights in the West, with the Bruins besting the Avs in the final. It’s easy enough to just pick the division winners, but hockey can produce more random results than the other three major sports, and the Knights ended up being ChatGPT’s only correct pick in the final four. After the Panthers and Knights reached the Stanley Cup final, based on data compiled as of May 30, ChatGPT expects the Knights to claim their first Cup title in franchise history. It tracks with most oddsmakers across Canada and the U.S., with the Knights being the slight favorites [https://thehockeynews.com/news/nhl-stanley-cup-final-odds-golden-knights-are-slight-favorites] as we head into Game 1 on Saturday. Data compiled by oddsseeker.com as of June 1 show 21 of the 50 states searched the Golden Knights the most, and the divide is pretty clear between the West and the East. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MTk4Mzg3MDA3NjY2MjY3OTg5/panthers-v-golden-knights---americas-most-searched-team.png] The major outliers are Colorado, perhaps still stung from the Avs’ first-round loss to the Kraken in Round 1 this season and to the Knights in Round 2 in 2021, and Minnesota, who were swept in the season series against the Knights but earned a point in their final meeting on April 3 to clinch a playoff spot. Below is a map of teams [https://oddsseeker.com/news/playoffs-by-state] each state was rooting for at the start of the playoffs, using oddsseeker.com’s methodology of tracking Google searches by counting the number of times a team was used as a search term over the last 30 days. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MTk4Mzg3MTQ5OTM3MDU5Mzc0/most-searched-for-teams-in-the-nhl-2023.jpg] The Devils, Islanders, Panthers, Maple Leafs and Jets were the only teams to not be represented on the map, though note oddsseeker.com did not collect data for the Canadian provinces. It’s a reasonable guess that Leafs searches dominated Ontario and perhaps the Maritimes, while the Jets and Oilers would also be well-represented in the West and the Prairies. Interestingly, the only Canadian team represented among the states is the Oilers, most likely thanks to Hawaii. I can only guess that the Oilers like to vacation there, and their tourism department was eagerly awaiting another early playoff exit. Puck drop is on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET with the money line favoring the Knights, and the over/under set at 5.5 goals per BetMGM. After losing both of their Game 1s in the opening round, neither the Knights nor Panthers have lost any Game 1s or trailed in any series since. Both teams are expected to ice their regular playoff lineup. Eetu Luostarinen is ready to go after missing the third period of Game 4 against the Hurricanes, while Laurent Brossoit, who has not played since Game 3 against the Oilers in Round 2, and Logan Thompson, remain on the shelf. Sergei Bobrovsky and Adin Hill are expected to start in net. Please play responsibly.
