We’re back, folks! After a not quite as thrilling as the first round, but still pretty interesting second round, we’re down to four teams in the mix. That’s right, it’s time for the Conference Finals! And it’s time for, you guessed it, our next round of predictions. Let’s get into it.
Hurricanes vs. Panthers
Maddie: This is a tough one. I think the Hurricanes getting Teravainen back is going to be a real boost for them, but I’m kind of liking the Panthers in this one? I don’t think it’s going to be easy for them, but I don’t know, the Panthers knocked out the Bruins and the Leafs back to back, and it seems like they’ve got just the right mix working for them right now, and they’re tapping into something pretty special. As long as their goaltending doesn’t fall off a cliff, I’m giving them the edge here. Panthers in seven.
Thomas: It just feels like Carolina’s year. After all the great teams have been tossed aside by plucky underdogs, the one remaining dominant and consistent team is the Hurricanes. Up against the Panthers, it might be a tough battle, but if we just look at what each team has gone through, it’s tough not to pick Carolina. Florida just had to run through arguably the two most talented teams in the conference (or league) to get to this point. Meanwhile, the Hurricanes just had to shove the Islanders out of the way and let the Devils get exposed for their immaturity. It’s the Canes, baby. Hurricanes in six.
Matt: Both of my answers here are going to be based on what I want to happen; and what I want to happen is based in potential influences around the league and on the Flyers. Team front offices can really fall into recency bias and copy-catting. If the Hurricanes win a cup, it’ll be a real boon for the analytics community. A legitimization of more progressive, modern, and statistics-based team-building strategies. If teams—like the Flyers—are going to be stupid enough to just copy what the last person who won did, at least let the last person who won be smart. Hurricanes in seven.
Mike D: Should be a great East Final between these two but it just feels like while both are depth kings that the Panthers—thanks to a healthier lineup—are deeper at the moment and are playing with a ton of confidence after dispatching two favorites in Boston and Toronto. Panthers in seven.
Steve: It’s been a good run for the Panths. Bob is finally living up to his contract. Matthew Tkachuk has more than justified the big trade that brought him in from Calgary. I wouldn’t be surprised if Florida and its army of rubber rats squeaks by the Carolina Hurricanes. But, there’s just something about the Hurricanes that tells me otherwise. Rod the Bod had his guys ready to play, and in Rod we trust. Canes in 7.
Jacob: I think the Panthers have been allowed to break so many rules without any real repercussions that they will just try and bludgeon the Hurricanes to death. Now, the Canes have players who will not allow the Panthers to do that, but I think there is a real chance that a Radko Gudas assault is what decides an Eastern Conference Final. In addition to that, Florida was able to bottle up a Toronto team that I think has a lot of similarities. This year’s Panthers team may be one of those squads who are built for playoff success, especially given the high-powered lineups they’ve already dismantled. The Canes will make it hard, and I think they’d have it if they were healthy, but Panthers in 7.
Italian Joe: I have counted the Panthers out in both rounds. I will not make that mistake a third time. Bob has truly been the Ten Million Dollar Man, Carter Verhaeghe is a playoff machine, Matthew Tkachuk is the ideal Flyer, and Barkov is no longer sick. Sure, Carolina’s getting Turbo back, and maybe that’s enough, but we’re talking about a Florida team that knocked off the greatest regular season team in NHL history in the first round, and in the second round 4-1’d a Leafs team right into a reckoning. If they’re not completely gassed, is that a team the Canes can contend with? Most importantly, Florida has been fun. Also, Claude Giroux played there once. Florida in six.
Nick: Two teams I’ve been wrong about every step of the way. I’ll take the Hurricanes. While the Panthers have a formidable group of forwards, Carolina’s back end and structure have helped them set the standard for puck possession over the past few years. This has allowed them to survive and steamroll through the Islanders and Devils despite losing Andrei Svechnikov and Max Paccioretty. And, while Bob was fantastic against the Leafs, I still don’t trust him. Carolina in six.
Kelly: This is going to be a fun one. I’ve not believed in the Panthers for one second this entire playoffs and they (and stupid Bob) keep proving me wrong. That said, I’m not betting against the Canes. I’m just not doing it. I don’t think it’s going to be easy for them though! Canes in six.
Kurt: I’m given pause here by how generally good Sergei Bobrovsky has been lately, but other than him Florida probably got outplayed pretty handily against Toronto. Which, now that I actually say that out loud, feels like a pretty standard recipe for Carolina Hurricanes losses over the years, no? NEVERTHELESS, the way Carolina has bounced back from the injuries they’ve dealt with in this postseason is impressive. They keep rolling. Carolina in six.
Stars vs. Golden Knights
Maddie: I know the Golden Knights were able to close out their series against the Oilers while the Stars took seven to advance, yeah yeah yeah, but I still like the Stars here. They just feel a little more balanced, and really hard to bet against. Stars in seven.
Thomas: The Stars are better in every position. Oettinger threw up a stinker of a series against the Kraken, but is still a better goaltender than anyone Vegas can put in the crease. Jason Robertson is better than Jack Eichel, and the Stars supporting cast of Roope Hintz, Joe Pavelski, Tyler Seguin, etc. – is just, simply put, better. And then no one on the Knights’ blue line can touch Miro Heiskanen. It’s just a talent thing. Stars in six.
Matt: As I mentioned above, it’s the team-building style that I’m rooting for here in order to make ripples throughout the league. While the Hurricanes’ approach to their roster moves has been clearly-defined and unique, so has the Golden Knights’. They have been incredibly aggressive, probably the most aggressive team in the league since they joined. Vegas seemingly will do anything to bring in a star player. They get cute with the cap, they cut loose on mistakes pretty quickly, and they value high-end talent. All things it’d be cool to see become fashionable, for the good of the league and possibly for the good of the Flyers. Golden Knights in five.
Mike D: Vegas has used the Tampa Bay cap model in the Stanley Cup playoffs to perfection. They’ve fallen into timely goaltending from journeyman Adin Hill to dispatch the heavily favored Oilers but face—for my money at least—the best goaltender left in the tournament in Jake Oettinger, who is 4-0 with a 1.18 goals-against average vs. the Golden Knights in his career. Sure the playoffs are a different story, but give me the Stars’ overall depth that can match Vegas and throw the elite goalie on top and you’ve got me buying in. Stars in seven.
Steve: The Stars are really damn good this year. However, the Knights took out a team featuring two of the best players in the league and withheld an offensive juggernaut. My gut is telling me that Vegas is the team to beat in the West. Knights in 6.
Jacob: I think Jake Oettinger is due for a masterclass. In addition to that, Jason Robertson has been very, very quiet in his playoff career, and I think this very well might be his moment to flex his muscles. However, Vegas showed that they can overcome star power and still get the job done. The difference between the Stars and the Oilers though, is that Dallas can bring the heat from line 1 to line 4, and I think that gives them just a slight edge. The Golden Knights’ Stanley Cup speed run will fall short again, and Dallas wins in 6.
Italian Joe: In our second round predictions, I said the Stars are “dark horse Cup candidate good,” and with Edmonton out I think they can do it. I know Vegas finished at the top of the Pacific Division, but their run to the conference finals feels like it came out of nowhere. While I think a Panthers/Golden Knights final would be incredible (as either team would be winning their franchise’s first ever Stanley Cup), I gotta give the edge to the Stars in this one–their top lines are dynamite and their goalie is due for a run. Even if they don’t get to the Final this year, this Stars team is gonna be a problem for years. I think they make it this season, though: Dallas in seven.
Nick: Jason Robertson didn’t find his game and Jake Oettinger struggled mightily against Seattle but the Stars still advanced to the conference finals. Definitely a little scary knowing there’s room for growth. Meanwhile, Vegas took down Edmonton, a team that had only lost five times in its previous 27 games dating back to the Mattias Ekholm trade. I don’t have a feel for this series, but one of the few reliable tenets in hockey is that Sabres fans will end up sad so Jack Eichel scores an overtime winner in Game 7 to send Vegas to the Cup Final.
Kelly: I’m just like… very disinterested in this series. Is it just me? It’s weird; I know the Stars are good. When I think about them, I realize they have quite a few very fun players to watch. But I can’t muster one single ounce of shit to give. It’s kind of the same with the Knights. Fun players. Good team. I just don’t care. I think this is because anything happening outside of Eastern Standard Time doesn’t exist to me. Anyhoo, let’s go Stars in seven. Analysis!
Kurt: Well, I’ve picked against Vegas twice, and both times they proceeded to just roll up and smoke the other team – one in a blowout series win, one in a more even win but against one of the best teams in the league. As for Dallas … I like them more, and I like their roster more, and I want to pick them, and I have a ticket for them to win the West so maybe this is just mental hedging, but they have really left me wanting more this postseason, and if Eichel and Stone keep ticking the way they are I don’t think Dallas has an answer. Vegas in seven.
