Welcome to the Greatest Show on Ice....We have arrived at the Stanley Cup Final.
And I honestly can't remember a harder Cup Final to Pick. These are two teams who rarely play each other, and have neither won a Cup. And yet they are about to wage war for al of us to sit back and enjoy...except for fans of Vegas or Florida who will live and die on every dump in.
The best way to look at this series and how it could go would be to compare opponents the two have faced similarly..
Vegas is Most Like the Boston Bruins. Lots of depth, big solid defenders, fast transition, well coached.
Florida is most like Dallas. Hard Working, Great Goalie, Physical, and Opportunistic.
So let's look at the Florida/Boston Series: The Bruins SHOULD have had a better goalie than Aiden Hill, but the Bruins were more injured than anyone realized. They took a 3-1 lead, but then kind of ran out of steam, and let the Panthers back into the series. The Panthers did struggle against Boston early, but that was before their confidence was through the roof. The Panthers are 11-1 in their last twelve games against the 1st, 2nd, and 4th best teams in the NHL.
As for the Vegas/Dallas series: Vegas looked really strong against a VERY good Dallas team. They got out to a 3-0 lead, but then did drop 2 games to Dallas. However, the Dallas strength of goaltending didn't exactly work out for them in this series...Vegas is well suited for playing a team like Florida..But finishing Florida off will be a painful task.
These two coaches are oddly more familiar with the teams they are coaching against in this Final than you'd think, since both coached years in the opposite conference prior to this season.
Since 2019, Paul Maurice with Winnipeg went 4-1 against the Knights.
Since 2019, Bruce Cassidy with Boston went 4-2 against the Panthers.
What makes Vegas Better Than Boston: Health
What makes Vegas not as good as Boston: Goaltending
What makes Florida better than Dallas: Goaltending and Depth
What makes Florida not as good as Dallas: Lack of true Snipers
While the Panthers have won 11 of 12, they also won MANY of those games in overtime or the final seconds. They won two series in OT, and last series woith 4 seconds to go.
Vegas hasn't been nearly as consistent as Florida, but when they are playing well they show they are REALLY playing well. The last game against Dallas was a statement and I don't think any team in the NHL could have beaten them on that night...
Join the Discussion:
»