NHL Stanley Cup Final 2019: Roundup of Expert Predictions for Blues vs. Bruins

Some years, it's easy to predict which team will win the Stanley Cup Final. This season, that's not the case.

The Boston Bruins and St. Louis Blues are both strong teams that have had impressive postseason runs, and it's plausible to picture either winning the Stanley Cup.

The Blues were one of the best teams in the NHL during the second half of the regular season and into the playoffs, while the Bruins have had plenty of past success.

There's still time to make predictions for the Stanley Cup Final, as the series doesn't begin until Monday night in Boston. 

Here's a look at what some of the experts are predicting for this season's final playoff series.

Expert Predictions

NHL.com
Amalie Benjamin: Bruins in five
Tim Campbell: Bruins in five
Brian Compton: Bruins in seven
Nicholas Cotsonika: Blues in six
William Douglas: Blues in seven
Tom Gulitti: Bruins in six
Pete Jensen: Bruins in six
Adam Kimelman: Blues in six
Mike Morreale: Blues in seven
Tracey Myers: Blues in seven
Bill Price: Bruins in six
Shawn Roarke: Bruins in seven
Dan Rosen: Bruins in seven
Dave Stubbs: Bruins in six
Mike Zeisberger: Blues in seven

The majority of the NHL.com staff has the Bruins winning the Stanley Cup, as nine of the 15 experts predicted Boston will take the final series. However, many are predicting this to be a competitive matchup. Thirteen expect the series to go at least six games, while none are predicting a sweep.

The NHL.com staff also predicted which player will win the Conn Smythe Trophy, awarded to the most valuable player of the postseason, and six of the 15 picked Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask. Blues goalie Jordan Binnington came in second with three votes.

The Athletic
Joe McDonald: Bruins in seven
Jeremy Rutherford: Blues in six

These beat writers for the two teams are split on their predictions. McDonald is picking the Bruins, but he expects it to be a close series because Boston and St. Louis are so similar in playing style.

Rutherford is going with the Blues because of their resiliency throughout the NHL playoffs and the buzz surrounding the city of St. Louis as the team is making one of its best runs in the postseason ever.

The Washington Post's Neil Greenberg: Bruins, most likely in seven

Greenberg pointed out that the last time these two teams met in the Stanley Cup Final in 1970, the Bruins swept the Blues in four games.

He doesn't think it will be that one-sided this time, but he's picking Boston because of its ability to win the battle in the slot and the recent performance of its top line.

While these experts are split on which team they believe will win the series, it appears that many think the Stanley Cup Final will last at least six games. For good reason, as the Blues and Bruins combined have played only one series shorter than six games this postseason (Boston's Eastern Conference finals sweep of the Carolina Hurricanes).

The Bruins and Blues each have balanced lineups with a deep scoring attack and numerous players who are capable of taking over on the offensive end. They've also each had strong defensive play recently and are led by a solid goalie.  

Get ready for the Stanley Cup Final, because it could be one of the best series of this year's NHL playoffs.