Second Chance: Who will win the NHL Playoff Conference Finals

The NHL playoff semifinal series starts on Tuesday night. There are Russian players in each of the four teams competing for the trophy. For the tenth time in a row, the Stanley Cup will be won by one of the Russian hockey players. Who has the best chance of success is in the Izvestia article.

Dallas – Edmonton

Russians: Lyubushkin, Dadonov — Podkolzin

Dallas reached the Western Conference Finals for the third year in a row and seems to be in better shape than in previous seasons, when they lost to Vegas and Edmonton. Today it is a team without weaknesses, which has bright leaders in every line.

After the injured defender Heiskanen and striker Robertson returned to the lineup, the Stars look powerful. A lot has already been said about Finnish goalscorer Rantanen, who is still in the list of the most productive players in the playoffs, and deservedly so. He is the one who makes the key difference in attack. Another important factor in Dallas' favor is the actions of the special teams. The team ranks third in both selling excess and killing a minority.

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When describing the Stars' trump cards, one should not forget that playing in equal squads leaves much to be desired, and a year ago the Oilers dragged the series on character. Edmonton, in its current version, looks even stronger mentally.

The team is less dependent than ever on the condition of McDavid and Dreisaitl. The other forwards also contribute — Brown, Perry, Kane, Hyman, Nugent-Hopkins, Podkolzin. Goalkeeper Skinner has been revived, returning to the squad only because of Picard's injury and making two "crackers" in games with Vegas.

In addition, the Oilers' best defenseman, Ekholm, who has not yet played in the current playoffs, should recover during the upcoming series. It's now or never — with this motto, the age-old Edmonton is approaching the fight for the Stanley Cup.

Izvestia's forecast: Edmonton won 4-2

"Carolina" – "Florida"

Russians: Kochetkov, Nikishin, Orlov, Svechnikov — Bobrovsky, Kulikov

The exit of "Florida" to the finals of the "East" should surprise no one. Rather, the surprise is that the Panthers suffered a lot in the series with Toronto, bringing the confrontation with the Maple Leafs to seven matches.

Cats boss Bill Zito, having done a great job at the deadline, gave Paul Maurice all the tools to defend the championship. The weak ending of the regular season, which was affected by a number of injuries to the leaders, misled many about the prospects for another Stanley Cup. But once Barkov and Tkachak healed their sores, and Ekblad served his suspension for doping, the Sunrise gang once again became almost the most balanced team in the league.

And against the background of Carolina, the Panthers look like a much more flexible, versatile and versatile mechanism. The current Hurricanes have arguably the best team speed in the league. Over the years of painstaking work, Brindamore has created a machine that can trample and run over anyone. But as fast as the hurricanes are, they are also eerily straightforward.

If they had faced the same Toronto, their status as the favorite in the finals of the East would not have been in doubt. However, Florida, with its packed top 9, is able not only to play effectively, but also to turn on the jackhammer mode, simplifying its hockey to the level of its upcoming opponent. The Panthers are quite capable of rebuilding and adapting to the style of the Hurricanes. But the Brindamore team's ability to transform itself during the playoffs has been questioned for years.

Izvestia's forecast: victory of "Florida" 4:2

It should be noted that at least one Russian hockey player will win the Stanley Cup this year. The record-breaking series (10 seasons) has been going on since 2016. Previously, there were two series of seven seasons (from 1994 to 2000 and from 2002 to 2009, the 2004/05 season did not take place).

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Recall that in 2016 and 2017, Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh) became the winner of the trophy. In 2018— Dmitry Orlov, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Alexander Ovechkin represented Washington. In 2019— St. Louis forwards Ivan Barbashev and Vladimir Tarasenko.

In 2020 and 2021, goalkeeper Andrey Vasilevsky, defender Mikhail Sergachev and forward Nikita Kucherov won for Tampa. Forward Alexander Volkov also played for the Lightning in 2020. In 2022, Colorado forward Valery Nichushkin won the trophy, and in 2023, Vegas forward Ivan Barbashev won. In 2024, Bobrovsky, Kulikov and Tarasenko won as part of Florida.