A pair of improbable contenders face off in the Stanley Cup final, with the Washington Capitals exorcising the ghosts of playoffs past to face first-year franchise, the Vegas Golden Knights, for the NHL’s top prize.

Both teams were pegged as long shots to hoist Lord Stanley. For the Golden Knights, the best sports betting sites opened the 2017-18 campaign with Vegas pegged with incredibly long odds in its inaugural season, but as the expansion club continued to smash expectations, those odds quickly slimmed.

As for the Capitals, they entered the Stanley Cup playoffs as the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference but were series underdogs in matchups with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the conference quarters and Tampa Bay Lightning in the East final, due to a history of underperforming in the postseason tournament.

But, here we are, with Vegas set as a -140 favorite over Washington, which is coming back as a +120 underdog. Here’s a look at the best ways to wager on this Stanley Cup final matchup:

Plunder the Under
Both teams have leaned on their goaltending in the postseason, and that’s led to a series of Under winners for NHL bettors.

For Vegas, it's getting everything it hoped for from veteran netminder Marc-Andre Fleury, who has a 1.68 goals against average in the playoffs and is coming off a stellar series with the Winnipeg Jets, allowing just six total goals in the final four games of the series – all of which were Golden Knights’ wins.

The Capitals shut the door on the Lightning in the conference final thanks to back-to-back clean sheets from Braden Holtby. Washington’s goaltender overcame some shaky play earlier in that series, with some help from the Caps solid blueline. Washington limited Tampa Bay to an average of just 23.5 shots in the final five games, a huge accomplishment given the Bolts blasted the opposing net with an average of 32.7 shots per night on the season.

These teams have combined for a 6-2-4 Under mark in their respective conference final series, and that tight brand of hockey will likely continue in the Stanley Cup final.

Road warriors
Home ice may be overpriced for the Stanley Cup final, considering the success of these two teams on the road during the playoffs. Heading into the final, Vegas has gone 6-2 as a visitor while Washington is 8-2 in hostile territory.

The Game 1 moneyline odds have Vegas set as a -145 favorite inside T-Mobile Arena. The Golden Knights have defended home ice well all season and are 6-1 as hosts so far in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

These two teams met twice in the regular season, with Vegas shutting out the Capitals 3-0 at home in late December and edging Washington 4-3 at the Verizon Center in February.

Six is the magic number
If you like betting on the exact series result, the Stanley Cup final has had a recent tendency to go six games.

Including last season’s finale, between the Penguins and Predators, five of the previous six Cup finals have been decided in six games, with seven of the past 10 championship showdowns needing six contests to be decide.

SportsBettingOnline.ag has a six-game win for the Golden Knights paying +350 while a Capitals victory in six is priced at +400 odds.

Conn Smythe odds
It’s no surprise to see both goalies top the odds to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Cup final MVP.

Fleury is the favorite at EVEN money with Holtby behind him at +250. Capitals star forward Alexander Ovechkin is at +400, followed by teammate Evgeny Kuznetsov at +1,000. The top skaters for the Golden Knights in the Conn Smythe odds are Jonathan Marchessault at +1,500 and James Neal at +2,000.