Don't look now, but we are down to just four teams in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Twelve teams have seen their dreams end, with the Buffalo Sabres being the latest after suffering a brutal Game 7 loss at home to the Montreal Canadiens on Monday night in an Eastern Conference second-round series.
That series ended a run by the Sabres that seemed improbable earlier this season when they struggled out of the gate. However, they turned things around, but shaky goaltending ended their season earlier than they would have liked. With the Eastern and Western Conference Finals set, let's take another stab at predicting this round.
Eastern Conference Final: Montreal vs. Carolina
Talk about two teams taking two different paths to this series. Literally. The Canadiens have played the most possible games, 14, after going the distance against the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Sabres. The Hurricanes have played the fewest number of games possible, eight, after sweeping the Ottawa Senators and Philadelphia Flyers.
Montreal getting this far is playing with house money as one of the youngest teams in the playoffs as a whole. However, they have found a way to win a pair of Game 7's on the road in two hostile environments. Alex Newhook has been the hero in both games.
Carolina has been a well-oiled machine this postseason so far in all areas. Their penalty kill has been fabulous, and Frederick Andersen has been great as well. Carolina will lose a game this series, and it wouldn't be surprising to see them drop two, but four over seven games? That feels like a tall task for Montreal.
Prediction: Carolina wins in five games
Western Conference Final: Vegas vs. Colorado
No matter who wins this series, there is guaranteed to be a former Boston Bruins player who will play for a Stanley Cup championship in the next series. If they play the Hurricanes, then it is guaranteed that a former Bruins player will get their name on the Cup.
The Vegas Golden Knights took down the Utah Mammoth in the first round before dispatching the Anaheim Ducks in the second round. Mitch Marner has asserted himself in the playoffs with the Golden Knights in his first season in Vegas.
As for the Colorado Avalanche, they have dropped just one game this postseason, Game 3 against the Minnesota Wild in the last series after sweeping the Los Angeles Kings in the first round. If the Avs can continue to put everything together, they are going to be tough to beat in a best-of-seven series.
Prediction: Colorado wins in five games
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