Fourteen of 15 staffers who made their picks predicted the Avalanche to defeat the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference Final, which begins with Game 1 at Ball Arena in Denver on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, TVAS, CBC).
In the Eastern Conference, which begins with Game 1 at Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; HBO MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS, CBC), all but two staffers predicted the Hurricanes to defeat the Montreal Canadiens.
As for the first two rounds of the playoffs, senior writer Dan Rosen has the best record, going 11-1, including 4-0 in the second round.
Here are the staffers' picks for the conference finals:
