Hot "Stanley Cup" Summer

The Stanley Cup better be ready for the heat this summer. This is the first time the final four in

the NHL all reside below the sunbelt. It’s as tight a race as ever for the Cup. There is not a clear

cut favorite remaining, or a team that's done it before. The most recent Stanley Cup winner out

of the four was Carolina in 2006. Let’s go over the keys for each team in order for them to have

a chance to represent their conference in the Stanley Cup Final.

Carolina Hurricanes

The betting favorite by a very small margin, the Carolina Hurricanes are in position to make

history. Head Coach Rod Brind'amour would be the first person to win a Stanley Cup as the

captain and as the head coach for the same team in different years. The Canes have a strong

defensive system that has made them competitive since Brind’amour took over as head coach

in 2018. Although they have the least amount of offensive star power left, they arguably have

the best defensive core remaining. They also have a good goalie tandem in Anderson and

Raanta and feel comfortable playing either in these playoffs. In order to get past Florida, they

need to break the wall that has been Sergie Bobrovski and slow down the scoring of the

Panthers top offensive weapons. If Carolina can stick to their defensive style of play and keep

games low scoring, they should find success in this series.

Florida Panthers

One year after winning the Presidents Trophy the Panthers came into the playoffs as the low

seed in the conference. Now entering the conference final they are the hottest team remaining

coming back from a 3-1 series deficit to knock out the greatest regular season team in NHL

history and then beating the next favorite in the east in four out of five games. The Panthers

have beaten the best this year, something they haven't done since 1996. And if momentum was

all that mattered they'd be the favorite to win the Cup. They have the hottest goalie remaining in

the playoffs and arguably the most offensive star power remaining. That makes for a deadly

combo, but is it enough to beat a better team with the better coach? I think it is. I predict the

Panthers will win this series in six games because of their momentum and superstars playing

their best when it matters most. They can overwhelm Carolina, while Bobrovski shuts the door

on them.

Vegas Golden Knights

In a rematch of the 2020 “bubble” conference final, the Vegas Golden Knights seek redemption

against the Dallas Stars. Jack Eichel wasn’t in this series last time around and he needs to

make a big impact in order for Vegas to win. Goaltender Adin Hill had a strong finish to the

series against the Oilers and has provided a lot of confidence for his time going forward. But

Vegas will win or lose based on their offensive production in this series. Stone, Marchessault,

Karlsson, and Eichel have to find ways to beat Oettinger and consistently outplay the “stars” for

Dallas. In order to win this series they must win the special teams battle and have consistent

play in net from Hill. They will also have to show more discipline than they did at times against

the Oilers. Hill and their penalty kill saved them from what could have been a disaster in game 5

and propelled them to victory in game 6. This is Vegas’s fourth appearance in the conference

final, but I still don't believe it’s their year to raise the Cup.

Dallas Stars

From top to bottom I believe the Stars are the best team remaining in these playoffs. Oettinger

at times can be unbeatable in net. In his wins, like game 7, he is by far the best goalie left in the

final four, but his inconsistencies can be worrisome if they show back up in this series. Dallas

also, in my opinion, has the best skaters at each position, Hintz, Robertson, Pavelski, and

Heiskanen. Their production will be the difference between Dallas reaching their goal or not.

Peter Deboer vs Bruce Cassidy is a close coaching battle that I think Deboer will win because of

his aggressiveness as well as knowledge of his former team's roster. There just simply isn’t an

area where I can give Vegas the edge over Dallas. This has all the makings for the same

outcome as 2020. I believe they will beat Vegas in six games and return to the Stanley Cup

Final.

There are many ways each of these series could swing towards one team or the other. Special

teams, goaltending, clutch third period and overtime goals can all be the difference in these

series. But due to the star power and goaltending remaining, it just makes sense that it will be

Dallas and Florida in the Cup Final. This is the best time of the year in the NHL. Eight more wins

for any of these teams and the cup is theirs.