2023 Stanley Cup playoffs: Conference Final series picks

Credit: Jack Eichel and Jake Oettinger (© Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports)

If there was any doubt that the NHL has reached an era of peak randomness: look at the slate of conference finalists this season. The Dallas Stars are the least surprising entry of the four, but the Vegas Golden Knights weren’t given much of a chance against Connor McDavid’s Edmonton Oilers and didn’t even need seven games to dispose of them. The Florida Panthers pulled consecutive upsets over the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs. The Carolina Hurricanes somehow scored enough goals to reach the final four despite being missing top forwards Andrei Svechnikov, Max Pacioretty and Teuvo Teravainen.

As you can see from our prognosticator records, the 2023 postseason has been extremely difficult to predict. Not one member of our eight-staffer panel is above .500, while yours truly brings up the rear with an embarrassing 3-9 mark.

Looking at our Conference Final picks: almost everyone believes in the Stars, who were perhaps the one team many of us expected to be here, chosen by myself and Mike McKenna to win the Stanley Cup when we filled out our brackets before the playoffs began. Only Frank Seravalli believes the Golden Knights, who have gone from riding backup goaltender Laurent Brossoit to backup goaltender Adin Hill, can prevail. The field is more split between the Panthers and Hurricanes. Some of us believe the Canes’ superior defense will win out, while a majority of us like the higher-octane Panthers to continue their momentum with another upset.

Here’s a snapshot of the Conference Final predictions from eight senior DFO staffers:

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2023 Stanley Cup playoffs: Conference Final series picks

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