The wait has been so long that it feels like the NHL offseason has fully begun. But, mercifully, the Stanley Cup Final begins Saturday with Game 1 between the Vegas Golden Knights and Florida Panthers at T-Mobile Arena in Sin City.
Both teams have defied expectations to reach the final stage before the championship summit.
Will the Golden Knights ride their forward depth and sturdy defense to their first Stanley Cup? Or will the Florida Panthers become the second No. 8 seed in NHL history to win it all?
The Daily Faceoff senior staff panel makes its predictions below for the Cup winner and Conn Smythe Trophy recipient as playoff MVP:
| Name | Record | VGK/FLA | Conn Smythe |
| Matt Larkin | 4-10 | VGK in 6 | Sergei Bobrovsky |
| Frank Seravalli | 7-7 | VGK in 6 | Jack Eichel |
| Tyler Yaremchuk | 6-8 | Fla in 7 | Matthew Tkachuk |
| Steven Ellis | 6-8 | Fla in 6 | Sergei Bobrovsky |
| Mike McKenna | 5-9 | VGK in 6 | Jonathan Marchessault |
| Nick Alberga | 6-8 | Fla in 6 | Sergei Bobrovsky |
| Jason Gregor | 7-7 | VGK in 6 | Jonathan Marchessault |
| Brock Seguin | 7-7 | Fla in 6 | Sergei Bobrovsky |
| CONSENSUS | Even | Sergei Bobrovsky |
The incredibly unpredictable postseason continues to pummel our prognosticators, with none of us even topping a .500 record through three rounds.
The staff is evenly split in picking a series winner for the Final, with Vegas and Florida earning four votes apiece. Only one staffer has the series going seven games.
Meanwhile, half the panel likes Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky for the Conn Smythe. I’m zagging from the group by picking ‘Bob’ to become the first to win it on a losing team since Jean-Sebastien Giguere 20 years ago.
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