We’re down to the final four teams in contention for the Stanley Cup. Our No. 1 vs. No. 4 matchup pits the Vegas Golden Knights against the Montreal Canadiens. Vegas was one of the top Cup favorites at the start of the postseason, while Montreal was not. But the Habs have relished their role as underdogs.
Meanwhile, it’s a rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference finals, as the Tampa Bay Lightning‘s repeat bid continues against the New York Islanders.
How will each of these series play out?
We gathered our panel of NHL experts to hear their picks on each series, along with how many games it will take to get to the result in each case.
More: Playoff schedule | Playoff Central
Ben Arledge: Knights in six
Pierre Becquey: Knights in five
John Buccigross: Knights in seven
Sach Chandan: Canadiens in seven
Linda Cohn: Knights in six
Emily Kaplan: Knights in five
Nabil Karim: Knights in six
Tim Kavanagh: Knights in six
Don La Greca: Knights in six
Steve Levy: Knights in six
Vince Masi: Knights in five
Victoria Matiash: Knights in six
Arda Ocal: Canadiens in seven
Greg Wyshynski: Knights in five
Consensus pick: Knights (12/14)
Ben Arledge: Lightning in seven
Pierre Becquey: Islanders in seven
John Buccigross: Lightning in six
Sach Chandan: Islanders in six
Linda Cohn: Lightning in seven
Emily Kaplan: Islanders in six
Nabil Karim: Lightning in six
Tim Kavanagh: Lightning in seven
Don La Greca: Islanders in seven
Steve Levy: Islanders in seven
Vince Masi: Islanders in six
Victoria Matiash: Lightning in six
Arda Ocal: Islanders in seven
Greg Wyshynski: Lightning in seven
Consensus pick: Tie 7-7