Playoff predictions, final round: Peter vs Ian vs Keith, a coin

Finally, the Final! After a brief, nearly week-long break, pro dudes ice hockey returns to our TV screens. Just like last year, the Cup will go the winner of Panthers vs Oilers. Last year, the series went seven games, with both teams scoring by committee. Leon Draisaitl famously went goal-less that series, while Matthew Tkachuk got on everyone’s nerves (on both benches, as he committed six penalties).

This one could go either way. You could say it’s a real…

Meet Keith, a Coin

COIN TOSS. Keith, a Coin, is the world’s premiere random number generator, as long as the number is 0 or 1. He’s a quarter, and his agent is trying to get him in the PHWA next season. He wants to leave us and get in those ESPN Expert’s Predictions articles instead. He thinks he’s hot stuff, but he’s barely worth 25 cents, and he’s right about half the time.

The results so far

Using the universally understood 🚽/🌮 score-keeping system.

And now, our predictions.

Edmonton 🛢️ vs Florida 🐱

Peter: I like a rematch, and I like Canada having a shot at bringing the Cup “home.” They won’t though. This was always going to be a coin-toss match (yes), but in my reckoning losing Hyman drops the Oilers out of favorite status. I think I’ll still root for them, and I’ll never doubt the game-breaking power of Draisaitl and McDavid, but I don’t think they will win. Florida in six.

Ian: I’m just going to come out and say it: I think Edmonton’s going to do it. The three decade-long Canadian Cup drought will finally end this June. The how and the why is much more difficult for me to explain. It’s just a feeling. Connor McDavid is one of the greatest players of all time and almost all the greats manage to get it done once in their careers — even with teams that have injuries to big players or not the best analytics (2018). As I learned in Hershey, winning back-to-back championships is very difficult (doing it three times in a row is even harder) and what Florida is playing against is more than the Panthers. It’s history. It’s a team that lost in heart-breaking fashion last year in Game 7. There’s gonna be a different energy here from the Oilers and it’ll make the difference. Edmonton in six.

Keith, a coin: Florida in seven.

Now it’s your turn. Share your results below. I like this format: CITY in X games.