NHL Stanley Cup Final 2021: Canadiens vs. Lightning Expert Predictions Roundup

The Tampa Bay Lightning enter this year's Stanley Cup Final as the favorites. That shouldn't be a surprise. They are the defending champions who have cruised through most of the playoffs to get back to this point for the second year in a row.

The Montreal Canadiens are the underdogs, and it's nothing new for them. The Habs have had a remarkable run, going from a team that barely got into the postseason (they had the fewest regular-season points of the 16 playoff participants) to one of the last two standing.

Even though many think Tampa Bay will win, Montreal continues to defy expectations. Why not do it one more time and become the first team from Canada to win the Cup since it did so in 1993?

With the Stanley Cup Final set to get underway Monday, here's a look at whom the experts are picking to end the 2020-21 season as champions.

Expert Predictions

NHL.com

Amalie Benjamin: Canadiens in seven
Tim Campbell: Canadiens in seven
Brian Compton: Lightning in six
Nicholas J. Cotsonika: Lightning in six
William Douglas: Lightning in six
Tom Gulitti: Canadiens in six
Pete Jensen: Lightning in six
Adam Kimelman: Lightning in six
Mike G. Morreale: Lightning in seven
Tracey Myers: Canadiens in seven
Shawn P. Roarke: Lightning in six
Dan Rosen: Lightning in seven
David Satriano: Lightning in five
Dave Stubbs: Canadiens in six
Mike Zeisberger: Lightning in seven

Ten of the 15 members on the NHL.com staff picked the Lightning to win the series, but nine of them believe it will take at least six games for them to do so. The five who picked the Canadiens also had them winning the series in either six or seven games, so we could be in for a competitive matchup.

Satriano is the only staff member who believes the series won't need that many games. He's picking the Lightning to take care of business in five games, citing their recent playoff dominance.

"Tampa Bay has won seven straight series and is 14-0 following a loss in the postseason since 2020," Satriano wrote. "They are the defending champions and know how to win."

The five who picked the Canadiens to win the Cup all predicted that goaltender Carey Price will win the Conn Smythe Trophy. The NHL.com staffers on the Lightning's side were less decisive, as votes went to center Brayden Point (four), goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy (four) and forward Nikita Kucherov (two).

It's worth noting that Compton, Douglas, Kimelman and Satriano have been the most successful in picking series winners this postseason (all going 8-6), and each of the four picked Tampa Bay to win.

Bleacher Report

Abbey Mastracco: Lightning in six
Adam Herman: Lightning in five
Lyle Fitzsimmons: Lightning in five
Lyle Richardson: Canadiens in six

None of the B/R staff members believe this series is going the full seven games. Both Herman and Fitzsimmons believe the Canadiens will win only one game as their underdog run comes to an end.

Fitzsimmons acknowledged that he picked against the Habs in each of the first three rounds. Montreal has taken down the Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets and Vegas Golden Knights to get back to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since its most recent championship win. However, that didn't stop Fitzsimmons from picking against the Canadiens one final time.

"But I feel pretty confident in making this next statement: The Tampa Bay Lightning are the best team in hockey," Fitzsimmons wrote. "And they probably have been for most of the past four years."

Richardson is the lone B/R staffer going with the Habs, pointing out that they have a 93.5 percent penalty-killing percentage this postseason, the best in the NHL. With that unit and Price in the net, perhaps the Canadiens will be successful in pulling off yet another upset.

The Athletic (Panel of 41 voters)

Lightning in six: 19 votes
Canadiens in six: seven votes
Canadiens in seven: six votes
Lightning in five: four votes
Lightning in seven: three votes
Lightning in four: two votes

Nearly half of The Athletic staff members who voted believe the Lightning are going to win the series in six games.

Of the 41 voters, only six have the series not going at least six games, and four of them picked Tampa Bay to win in five.

The popular pick to win the Conn Smythe Trophy is Point, who received 16 of the 41 votes. The rest went to Price (13), Vasilevskiy (10) and Kucherov (two).

Not only did The Athletic ask its voters to pick this year's Stanley Cup winner, but it also wanted a prediction for which team will win it in 2021-22. The overwhelming favorite was the Colorado Avalanche, who received 29 votes.

Interestingly enough, there were three who believe the Lightning will win the Stanley Cup next season. If that were to happen, they could be the first team to win the Cup in three consecutive years since the New York Islanders won four straight from 1980-83.