2020 Stanley Cup Final Preview: What Do the Writers Think?
After a month and a half of battles in the Toronto and Edmonton bubbles, the NHL is down to the final two teams in the quest for the Stanley Cup. The Western Conference champion Dallas Stars are facing off against the Eastern Conference champion Tampa Bay Lightning for a chance to hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup. Currently, the series is tied at one.
The teams each have had long journeys to get to this point. The Stars finished the round robin as the number three seed, and they faced the Calgary Flames in round one. In a back-and-forth series, the Stars took down the Flames in six games to move on to face the Colorado Avalanche in the second round. It seemed the Stars would have their way early in the series, going up 3-1 with several convincing victories. However, Colorado wouldn’t go away quietly, forcing a game seven and pulling ahead late in the do-or-die game.
Even with the deficit, Dallas rallied back to tie and win in overtime on a hat trick by Joel Kiviranta. In the Conference Final, Dallas faced the number one seeded Vegas Golden Knights. Even though they weren’t the favorite, the Stars’ defense stymied the high powered offense of the Knights and knock them out in five games.
Meanwhile, Tampa Bay finished as the number two seed in their round robin and faced the Columbus Blue Jackets in the opening round. Although Columbus was eager to pull off another first round shocker against the Bolts, the Lightning held their own and won in five games, including a thrilling five overtime win in the opener. Their next opponent was the Boston Bruins, who they were facing in the playoffs for the second time in three seasons. Although Boston beat them up in Game 1, Tampa regrouped and rallied off four straight wins, including a pair of OT wins, to advance to the Eastern Conference Final.
They faced the New York Islanders in the series, and New York gave them a run for their money. In a physically contested series, Tampa came out swinging early to take a 3-1 series lead. Even with a double overtime loss in game five, Tampa regrouped and took Game 6 in the extra session to finish the series.
With each team’s circumstances established, the question is now who is the favorite? Who will be the guy to step up and will his team to a championship? With this in mind, we polled three writers for their Stanley Cup Final predictions and Conn Smythe winners and here they are:
Matt:
With Tampa and Dallas each looking to win their second title, it should be an interesting matchup and a test of wills. Dallas has found a way to thrive off structure and magnificent goaltending by Anton Khudobin, but Tampa has a much more talented lineup and just as good a goalie in Andrei Vasilevskiy. However, Dallas has proven its ability to shut down any challenger, and that will be their edge in the series. Their structure is a key reason for their success, and it will be here as I believe they will win in six games. For the Conn Smythe, there is a very clear choice in Khudobin. He has been a very solid goaltender ever since he joined the Stars, and he is enjoying the postseason of his life to this point. In the 19 games he’s played these playoffs, he has a 12-6 record with a 2.62 goals against average and .920 save percentage. He has shut down several potent offenses, and his dedication and play this postseason is worthy of being awarded the playoff MVP award.
Ethan:
I am a first year student at Hofstra University and an avid Islanders fan. I have been writing for Drive4Five since March 2020. My family has been season ticket holders for the team since 2016, and hockey is my favorite sport. As I expand my knowledge in the field of Journalism, I am writing to express my love for the Islanders and the NHL.