In any given year, upsets are a big part of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Injuries hit, teams come in on hot or cold streaks, or maybe it’s just a bad matchup. But, as we saw with Columbus’ and Colorado’s first-round upsets a year ago, we should always expect the unexpected.
But this year? This year could be the hardest to predict of all.
After four-plus months between games, the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs are upon us and Sportsnet has assembled a panel of insiders to do their best to pick qualifying round series winners, Cup finalists, a champion, and a Conn Smythe winner.
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EASTERN CONFERENCE
PITTSBURGH PENGUINS vs. MONTREAL CANADIENS
Chris Johnston: Penguins in 3
Jeff Marek: Penguins in 4
Eric Engels: Penguins in 4
Justin Bourne: Penguins in 3
Luke Fox: Penguins in 3
Caroline Cameron: Penguins in 4
Dan Murphy: Penguins in 4
Sean Reynolds: Penguins in 3
Iain MacIntyre: Penguins in 4
Mark Spector: Penguins in 4
Eric Francis: Penguins in 4
Shawn McKenzie: Penguins in 4
Ken Wiebe: Penguins in 4
Kyle Bukauskas: Penguins in 5
Ryan Dixon: Penguins in 5
Christine Simpson: Penguins in 4
Gord Stellick: Penguins in 4
Rory Boylen: Penguins in 5
CAROLINA HURRICANES vs. NEW YORK RANGERS
Chris Johnston: Hurricanes in 4
Jeff Marek: Rangers in 5
Eric Engels: Hurricanes in 5
Justin Bourne: Hurricanes in 3
Luke Fox: Rangers in 4
Caroline Cameron: Rangers in 4
Dan Murphy: Hurricanes in 3
Sean Reynolds: Hurricanes in 4
Iain MacIntyre: Rangers in 5
Mark Spector: Rangers in 5
Eric Francis: Rangers in 4
Shawn McKenzie: Rangers in 5
Ken Wiebe: Rangers in 5
Kyle Bukauskas: Hurricanes in 4
Ryan Dixon: Hurricanes 4
Christine Simpson: Rangers in 5
Gord Stellick: Hurricanes in 5
Rory Boylen: Rangers in 4
NY ISLANDERS vs. FLORIDA PANTHERS
Chris Johnston: Islanders in 5
Jeff Marek: Panthers in 5
Eric Engels: Panthers in 4
Justin Bourne: Islanders in 5
Luke Fox: Islanders in 4
Caroline Cameron: Islanders in 5
Dan Murphy: Islanders in 5
Sean Reynolds: Islanders in 5
Iain MacIntyre: Islanders in 4
Mark Spector: Panthers in 5
Eric Francis: Islanders in 4
Shawn McKenzie: Islanders in 5
Ken Wiebe: Islanders in 5
Kyle Bukauskas: Islanders in 4
Ryan Dixon: Panthers in 3
Christine Simpson: Islanders in 4
Gord Stellick: Islanders in 5
Rory Boylen: Panthers in 4
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS vs. COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS
Chris Johnston: Maple Leafs in 4
Jeff Marek: Maple Leafs in 4
Eric Engels: Blue Jackets in 5
Justin Bourne: Maple Leafs in 5
Luke Fox: Maple Leafs in 5
Caroline Cameron: Maple Leafs in 4
Dan Murphy: Maple Leafs in 5
Sean Reynolds: Maple Leafs in 5
Iain MacIntyre: Blue Jackets in 4
Mark Spector: Blue Jackets in 4
Eric Francis: Maple Leafs in 4
Shawn McKenzie: Maple Leafs in 5
Ken Wiebe: Blue Jackets in 5
Kyle Bukauskas: Maple Leafs in 4
Ryan Dixon: Blue Jackets 5
Christine Simpson: Maple Leafs in 5
Gord Stellick: Maple Leafs in 4
Rory Boylen: Maple Leafs in 3
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
EDMONTON OILERS vs. CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS
Chris Johnston: Oilers in 4
Jeff Marek: Oilers in 3
Eric Engels: Blackhawks in 5
Justin Bourne: Oilers in 5
Luke Fox: Oilers in 3
Caroline Cameron: Oilers in 4
Dan Murphy: Oilers in 4
Sean Reynolds: Oilers in 4
Iain MacIntyre: Blackhawks in 5
Mark Spector: Oilers in 4
Eric Francis: Oilers in 4
Shawn McKenzie: Oilers in 4
Ken Wiebe: Oilers in 4
Kyle Bukauskas: Oilers in 3
Ryan Dixon: Oilers in 4
Christine Simpson: Oilers in 4
Gord Stellick: Edmonton in 3
Rory Boylen: Oilers in 4
NASHVILLE PREDATORS vs ARIZONA COYOTES
Chris Johnston: Predators in 4
Jeff Marek: Predators in 4
Eric Engels: Coyotes in 4
Justin Bourne: Coyotes in 4
Luke Fox: Predators in 3
Caroline Cameron: Coyotes in 5
Dan Murphy: Predators in 4
Sean Reynolds: Coyotes in 5
Iain MacIntyre: Predators in 3
Mark Spector: Predators in 5
Eric Francis: Predators in 3
Shawn McKenzie: Predators in 4
Ken Wiebe: Predators in 5
Kyle Bukauskas: Predators in 3
Ryan Dixon: Predators in 4
Christine Simpson: Predators in 4
Gord Stellick: Predators in 4
Rory Boylen: Predators in 5
VANCOUVER CANUCKS vs. MINNESOTA WILD
Chris Johnston: Canucks in 5
Jeff Marek: Canucks in 4
Eric Engels: Canucks in 4
Justin Bourne: Canucks in 4
Luke Fox: Canucks in 4
Caroline Cameron: Canucks in 4
Dan Murphy: Canucks in 5
Sean Reynolds: Wild in 4
Iain MacIntyre: Canucks in 5
Mark Spector: Canucks in 5
Eric Francis: Canucks in 5
Shawn McKenzie: Canucks in 5
Ken Wiebe: Canucks in 5
Kyle Bukauskas: Canucks in 4
Ryan Dixon: Wild in 5
Christine Simpson: Canucks in 5
Gord Stellick: Canucks in 5
Rory Boylen: Canucks in 4
CALGARY FLAMES vs. WINNIPEG JETS
Chris Johnston: Jets in 5
Jeff Marek: Jets in 5
Eric Engels: Flames in 5
Justin Bourne: Jets in 4
Luke Fox: Jets in 3
Caroline Cameron: Flames in 5
Dan Murphy: Flames in 5
Sean Reynolds: Jets in 4
Iain MacIntyre: Jets in 4
Mark Spector: Jets in 4
Eric Francis: Flames in 5
Shawn McKenzie: Flames in 5
Ken Wiebe: Jets in 5
Kyle Bukauskas: Jets in 5
Ryan Dixon: Jets in 4
Christine Simpson: Jets in 5
Gord Stellick: Jets in 4
Rory Boylen: Jets in 4
EAST CHAMPION | WEST CHAMPION | CUP CHAMPION | CONN SMYTHE | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Chris Johnston | Tampa Bay | Colorado | Tampa Bay | Victor Hedman |
Jeff Marek | Tampa Bay | Colorado | Tampa Bay | Anthony Cirelli |
Eric Engels | Tampa Bay | Dallas | Dallas | Ben Bishop |
Justin Bourne | Tampa Bay | Colorado | Tampa Bay | Andrei Vasilevskiy |
Luke Fox | Toronto | Dallas | Dallas | Ben Bishop |
Caroline Cameron | Boston | Colorado | Colorado | Nathan MacKinnon |
Dan Murphy | Boston | Colorado | Colorado | Nathan MacKinnon |
Sean Reynolds | Tampa Bay | Colorado | Tampa Bay | Nathan MacKinnon |
Iain MacIntyre | Philadelphia | Colorado | Colorado | Nathan MacKinnon |
Mark Spector | Tampa Bay | Winnipeg | Tampa Bay | Andrei Vasilevskiy |
Eric Francis | Boston | Vegas | Vegas | Marc-Andre Fleury |
Shawn McKenzie | Washington | Colorado | Washington | John Carlson |
Ken Wiebe | Tampa Bay | Vegas | Vegas | Mark Stone |
Kyle Bukauskas | Pittsburgh | Colorado | Pittsburgh | Evgeni Malkin |
Ryan Dixon | Tampa Bay | Nashville | Tampa Bay | Victor Hedman |
Christine Simpson | Boston | Colorado | Boston | David Pastrnak |
Gord Stellick | Tampa Bay | Winnipeg | Tampa Bay | Andrei Vasilevskiy |
Rory Boylen | Boston | Dallas | Boston | Patrice Bergeron |
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