Ryan Hall: So here we
are: Vegas vs. Florida. I hate that Vegas is 4 wins away from the Stanley Cup.
I hate that top to bottom they seem to be a better team. I hate that smarmy
Gary Bettman would love nothing more that to hand that Trophy to Bill Foley. I
even hate that Jack Eichel and Jonathan Quick are somehow part of the
narrative. However, I LOVE that Florida is going to continue to shock the
world. At this point we're beyond logic and rationale with the Panthers. That
died in OT of Game 5 in Boston when the hockey gods declared that Sunrise would
feel the warmth of their grace. Reason died in Carolina where the Panthers won
4 games in soul crushing, heart breaking fashion against the Hurricanes. And
so, we are only left with fact: the Florida Panthers are the avatar of destiny.
Cats in 6!
Paul Krill: After going 1 for 4 in Round 2, I picked
both Conference winners in Round 3. Anyway, we already know one thing: This
will be the fifth time a post-Sharks expansion team has won the Cup (3 for TB,
1 for Anaheim) while we're still waiting for our first in San Jose. I see
Matthew Tkachuk and Florida as unstoppable at this point. Granted, Tkachuk will
no longer have the benefit of Brent Burns on the ice for GWGs, but the
Panthers, with Sergei Bobrovsky, will be too much Adin Hill and Vegas. (Looks
like the Sharks got rid of the wrong goaltender. Oops!) Vegas started choking
against the Stars, reminiscent of what the Knights did against the Sharks in
2019, while Florida has steamrolled over Carolina and Toronto, after dismissing
record-setting Boston from the post-season. Look for the Cup to be won by a
Florida-based team for the third time in 4 years. Panthers in 6.
Ken
Smyth: Only satisfaction seeing these two teams in the Final is knowing
that Boston and Edmonton are sitting it out, despite months of hype. Jack
Eichel always impressed me as a great player dragged down by years of terrible
Buffalo teams and now he has a supporting cast. (Was the management in Toronto
and Edmonton paying attention? Nah, they're making money) Florida was the
President's Trophy winner in 2022 and overthrown all predictions this season
after squeezing into the playoffs. If goalie Bob stays hot they could pull an
upset but I see Vegas as crushing their opponents in this series as they have
done throughout these playoffs.
Mike Lee: I'm picking the
Knights, because I can't seem to get them right, so this is a reverse
psychology move! I'm banking the fact that if I pik them, they'll lose! In all
seriousness, the Knights have the advantage on paper, but the Panthers have
bucked that through the first three rounds. This one is really a coin flip in
my honest opinion. It has all the makings of a fantastic series, so all I
really hope for is that it goes 7 games. These are two teams that have the
talent and grit to get it done, so it's anyone's series. Give the goaltending
advantage to Florida. |
