This is going to be a great series. I think the winner will go on to represent the Eastern Conference.
I read a lot of "experts" discounting the Panthers' chances due to last ten games and performance since the 4 Nations event. But the Panthers have been missing large chunks of the team since then, including Tkachuk, Ekblad, Barkov, Marchand, and Bennett; not to mention the number of days off they gave to everyone else. On some nights, they were missing $50+ million of salary cap. Prior to the 4 Nations, the Panthers were fairly comfortably in first place and had strong records against Tampa, Toronto, and other top playoff teams.
The betting odds seem to back up the Panthers and present a clear dichotomy with the "experts." A healthy, rested Panther team is fully capable of going the distance again this year.
Go Panthers!
