NHL Conference Finals 2020: Predictions

We have finally arrived, or should I say already arrived at the NHL Conference Finals. Four teams with eight games to win to be crowned Stanley Cup Champions.

These playoffs have been odd for many reasons such as COVID-19, a playoff bubble, seeding questions, and upsets. Here we are though, the NHL Conference Finals with just one goal in mind and that is to make it to the final round.

Four teams remain… the Tampa Bay Lightning, Dallas Stars, New York Islanders, and Vegas Golden Knights. Each has been to a final, three have won a cup before. Tampa took Lord Stanley in 2004 ousting the Calgary Flames in seven.

The Stars claimed the Cup in 1999 against Buffalo in the series which came down to overtime and a skate in the crease. The islanders have not since 1983. The Knights reached the final in 2018 where they were beaten by the Washington Capitals.

The West: (1) Vegas Golden Knights vs (3) Dallas Stars

These two teams have been dominant through the 2020 season and have faced similar questions en route to the NHL Conference Finals.

Dallas has been good all year with stellar play from a veteran team with the pieces to be good now and beyond. The teams the Stars have faced have been a good indicator of how they will fare against Vegas, ousting the second-seeded Colorado Avalanche is no small feat, with or without their starting goalie.

The issue they face is with goaltending. Anton Khudobin and Ben Bishop are a decent tandem and both have seen later rounds in the playoffs before such as Khudobin being with Boston for a few runs, and Bishop was in goal for the Lightning in 2015, where his team lost in six games to the Blackhawks. This series will rely on the Stars’ goaltending to keep it close against Vegas and their offensive assault.

Vegas has never missed the playoffs since joining the league in 2017 and the Golden Knights have shown with the right building blocks, an expansion team can dominate. Losing in the final in 2018, dealing with the Sharks nonsense in 2019, and beating the Canucks in seven games this year has shown they are a team not to be messed with.

There are a few questions with Vegas moving forward: How will Ryan Reaves behave post-suspension? Will the Golden Knights stay hot, and will their goaltending hold up?

Marc André Fleury and Robin Lehner are two good goalies with some question marks through the playoffs. They will need to stay sharp against Dallas, and should they do so it will be Vegas in the final yet again.

Prediction: Vegas sends the Stars back to the rodeo in seven.

The Vegas Golden Knights will show off their experience to a Dallas team that may have a solid mix of young and veteran players, but it will be too much for a goaltending duo that really is not Stanley Cup ready.

The East: (2) Tampa Bay Lightning vs (6) New York Islanders

What even is this series? The Boston vs Carolina 2019 vibes are strong and it should be a good one. Tampa Bay has looked good and is primed to finally take what is theirs, the Stanley Cup. New York has surprised us and beaten the No. 1 seeded Philadelphia Flyers in seven.

Tampa Bay has looked strong all year and through the playoffs. The Lightning have been faced with some challenges such as questions of if they will fail yet again and they’ve shown us that they are primed to win.

Without Steven Stamkos, it was looking to be another early exit for the Bolts but that was not the case. After beating Columbus, beating Boston, and now facing the Islanders there is a ticket to the big fight at stake.

New York was looking to be in rebuild mode when they got rid of pieces such as Jaroslav Halak and John Tavares. This was not the case as they have been a playoff team of late.

Thanks to stellar play from pieces such as Mathew Barzal and Semyon Varlamov, they have become this year’s surprise. They have taken out some fierce competition en route to the NHL Conference Final but will it be enough?

Prediction: Tampa will take on Vegas, sending the Isles home in six.

This is Tampa Bay’s year to shine. They have added key pieces over the years in Patrick Maroon and Ryan McDonagh. They have solid goaltending and they will see the finals with what should be one of the best teams in a long time.

What do you think? What are your picks? Let us know in the comment section below!

Interested in reading more? Head over to our blog section!

Stay connected with us on social media below!