With the NHL playoffs at the halfway point, fans are about to witness some of the greatest moments in sports with the conference finals and the Stanley Cup finals.
The Florida Panthers and the New York Rangers have taken their places in the East while the Edmonton Oilers and the Dallas Stars locked their places in the West.
The Panthers are loaded, with Matthew Tkachuk as an elite offensive presence and Sergei Bobrovsky in net with a .909 save percentage.
Their opponents, the Rangers, have studs on all lines, making them a well rounded team. They also have stars such as Artemi Panarin when the time is needed.
While the Rangers seem like the better team on paper, the Panthers have better leaders, which sometimes get overlooked. The Panthers took the first game of the series in a 3-0 win on Wednesday in Madison Square Garden, proving they can beat anyone anywhere.
Meanwhile in the West, the Oilers earned a Game 7 win over the Canucks on Monday to earn a chance to battle Dallas in the conference finals.
The Oilers have finally gotten some depth for their two stars, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, making them one of the best teams in the league.
The Stars, though, have stars Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin searching for a Stanley Cup as their careers are nearing the home stretch. Jake Oettinger has also built a great resume with the Stars, recording a .918 save percentage in this year’s playoffs for the team.
While the Oilers have found some depth players, the lineup in Dallas seems more complete, and goaltending for the Stars has been lights out.
In the first game of the series, the Oilers defeated the Stars 3-2 in double overtime on Thursday night.
Looking ahead to the Stanley Cup finals, if the Stars and the Panthers manage to do their job in the conference finals, the Stars could take home the Cup for the first time since 1999.
