Well, my prediction record for this season’s Stanley Cup playoffs is in shambles.
I went a respectable four-for-8 in the first round, a four-for-eight in the second round, and an embarrassing one in the conference finals.
Honestly, I enjoyed the chaos of the Stanley Cup playoffs this year. I loved seeing the 16th seeded Florida Panthers make it to the final. It’s been fun watching Jack Eichel give such a good report of himself in his first ever season with the Vegas Golden Knights.
However, it was time to laugh and see if I could at least get the Stanley Cup Final right.
Vegas golden knights vs florida panthers
The Golden Knights got this far by eliminating the Winnipeg Jets, Edmonton Oilers, and Dallas Stars. Meanwhile, the Panthers upset the first-team Boston Bruins, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Carolina Hurricanes second.
Both clubs are seeking their first ever Stanley Cup championship.
Given the Golden Knights, they should be the favorites to win this series. Their goals per game (3.65) is better than the Panthers (3.13). Six Golden Knights — Eichel, Jonathan Marquessault, Ivan Barbashev, Mark Stone, William Carlson and Chandler Stephenson — sit among the postseason’s top 15 scorers, while Matthew Tkachuk, Carter Verheig, and Alexander Barkov are the only Panthers among that group.
It seems that the goal is to wash. Vegas’ Edin Hill (2.07 goals-for-0.937 goals-against average) has slightly better stats than Florida’s Sergei Bobrovsky (2.21 GAA, 0.935 SP), who previously won the Vezina Cup twice. It’s the first time every internet fan has gone this far in post-season play.
Hill was a descendant of the Arizona Coyotes and San Jose Sharks and was third in line for the Golden Knights until he was pressed into service due to injuries to Logan Thompson and Laurent Brossuyt.
Meanwhile, Bobrovsky struggled to regain his former Vezina form after joining the Panthers as a free agent in 2019. He took over midway through the first round with the Panthers after three games to one to the mighty Bruins and moved his club to the Cup final. .
The Golden Knights seemed to have a deeper and more experienced roster. Their skilful Blueline is based on former Stanley Cup champions Alex Pietrangelo and Alec Martinez. They have a lot of scoring with original Golden Knights team Marchessault and Reilly Smith reaching the Stanley Cup Finals in 2018 while Barbashev won the St. Louis Trophy with Pietrangelo in 2019.
However, I am drawn to panthers. They are hard working underdogs and it has been a treat to watch them through this season, upsetting three heavily favored opponents along the way.
Bobrovsky and Tkachuk are the main reasons the Panthers have come this far and should be considered as the front runners for the Conn Smythe Trophy as man-of-the-match. Bobrovsky reminded everyone this spring with his two Vezina Cup wins. Meanwhile, Tkachuk has been in charge for the Panthers, leading them in scoring and having four game-winning goals, including three in overtime.
However, the exploits of Bobrovsky and Tkachuk overshadow the Panthers’ strong lineup. Verhag, Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett, Brandon Montour, Aaron Ekblad and Anthony Dockler all rolled out and did well. This club plays an aggressive body-checking style that punishes and frustrates its opponents.
My head is telling me to choose the golden knights. My heart says go with the cheetahs.
After all, doesn’t everyone love an underdog story?
Prediction: PANTHERS win the Stanley Cup in six games