Which team is the new Stanley Cup favorite?

No, I do not think they'll start a 50% power play, they will not be able to sneak up either. But I'm willing to accept the fact that a team that was in the top 10 of most statistics this season, has improved dramatically by the trade deadline and three incredible weeks can ensure its survival. Ring the barrel. This could turn out to be something special. (Or again, I hope again that Jarmo Kekalainen will be rewarded for firing his shot.)

Emily Kaplan, NHL National Reporter: the Washington Capitals. Choosing the title champions is inexpensive, but as the first round was absolutely unpredictable, we must return to a logical wisdom. And the logical wisdom tells us that the easy-going team is usually in the Stanley Cup final. Two of the biggest threats in the capitals, the Pittsburgh Penguins and Lightning, have already been eliminated. The Boston Bruins are scary, but they will likely end up in a seven-game slugfest fight with the Toronto Maple Leafs, which could wear them out. The Carolina Hurricanes did a great job of winning a big home win to bring the series back to 2-1, but they now have two of the top six forwards in the foreseeable future; capitals should be able to feed themselves. Of course, to pass the next round, the Caps will have to call their former coach, Barry Trotz. It would be tricky, but the Caps have more offensive firepower and the ability to break open parts. This could break New York's stifling defensive structure.

Chris Peters, Editor-in-Chief and NHL prospect: the Vegas Golden Knights. Depth, goalkeeper, the unstoppable Mark Stone. There is a lot to love there. They can play as they please: fast, heavy, hard, finesse – no matter, they have the staff to do it. Stone, Max Pacioretty and Paul Stastny were incredible at the start of the series and showed no signs of slowing down. The pucks are going for these guys at an alarming rate. You can not expect that to be that easy, but it is at that moment that you will be able to see other people like William Karlsson and Reilly Smith making things better. There are some moderate concerns about the depth of the team, but it's not a problem for the moment to know if Stone's line has played well. Nashville seems to be their biggest threat to me, despite Wednesday's bad start to Dallas. After seeing what Columbus did in Tampa Bay, however, it suddenly seems like anything can happen now.

Dimitri Filipovic, Hockey Analytics Editor: the Vegas Golden Knights. In the lead-up to the playoffs, when we were all filling our hooks, there was some understandable apprehension to push them to go far only because of the brutal roadmap to which they faced. It seemed like they would probably have to hit the road against both the San Jose Sharks and the Calgary Flames, who could be considered the two most scary opponents of the entire conference. But over the past week, this path has really started to clear.

Sachin Chandan, ESPN magazine researcher: How about the New York Islanders? Goaltender Robin Lehner saves 95.4% of the shots, making it the second best rate since 1968. It is even better at high risk, with a save percentage of 0.962. After winning the first game in overtime, the islands had to come back three times against the Penguins to respond quickly to the second, third and fourth games. The Penguins only led for 4:43 of the series. Less than five minutes. Matt Barzal has been a wizard to create scoring opportunities with five assists, and he has pitched Jordan Eberle three times. The first three lines scored goals for this team. There are always flaws, like a 43.7 Corsi Close percentage and 17 penalties committed, but having the hottest goalie in series can take you far enough (Marc-Andre Fleury 2018?). And all this without mentioning their Cup winning coach, Barry Trotz.