With only four teams still battling it out in the Stanley Cup playoffs, The UCSD Guardian’s sports staff predicts who will take home the trophy in a month’s time.
Emily Gjevre, Contributing Writer
The Dallas Stars have been on a tear this postseason. Even with an incredibly dicey first round — having eliminated the Colorado Avalanche by the skin of their teeth in Game 7 — the team plays like a well-oiled machine. Their success is largely thanks to trade deadline acquisitions of forward Mikko Rantanen and goalie Jake Oettinger.
Rantanen has performed astonishingly well in the postseason. He currently sits at 19 points and 12 goals in the Stanley Cup playoffs, leading the league in both. With two hat tricks against the Avalanche — a feat achieved by only two other players in league history — he’s had a great run already and will most likely continue to impress.
Oettinger has earned a .916 save percentage in 12 games, only topped by Carolina’s goaltender Frederik Andersen. Oettinger, who averaged a .851 in the regular season, is a challenge for any team between the pipes. Without his skills, the Stars would likely have a much harder time.
The Stars recently reactivated defenseman Miro Heiskanen off long-term injury recovery, adding yet another tough player to Dallas’ lineup. Heiskanen was out starting January with a knee injury, but returned for Game 4 against Winnipeg. Heiskanen, a top-line defenseman notable for his prolific scoring and agility on the ice, is an essential member of the team, and having him back will no doubt be beneficial for the Stars’ run.
Dallas is a formidable opponent for any team. The combination of veteran leadership, with captain Jamie Benn holding down the fort since 2013, and Thomas Harley and Wyatt Johnston’s young talent give the team both energy and skill, essential to any postseason run. High spirit and balanced offense and defense will lead Dallas to its second-ever Stanley Cup victory.
Stanley Cup prediction: Dallas Stars
Sam Propst, Contributing Writer
The Carolina Hurricanes are no strangers to the chaos of the playoffs. Despite having won only one Stanley Cup title in 2006, the Hurricanes have proven to be a consistently strong team by making the playoffs every year since 2019.
During the 2024-25 regular season, the team finished second in the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, 12 points behind the Washington Capitals. It finished fourth in the conference overall. The Hurricanes have cruised through the playoffs since, easily securing a spot in the conference finals after a 4-1 series win against the New Jersey Devils in the first round and another 4-1 series win against the Capitals in the second round. Their secret? A stellar lineup.
Goalie Frederik Andersen currently has the highest save percentage of .937 and the lowest goals against the 1.36 postseason average. On the offensive side, right-winger Andrei Svechnikov has three game-winning postseason goals — the most in the league — and eight total postseason goals. The tally puts him at the second in the league after forward Mikko Rantanen from the Dallas Stars.
Centers Seth Jarvis and Sebastian Aho bolster Svechnikov’s offense. The pair have put up 10 points each in the postseason and are currently tied for most postseason points scored in the team. Their offensive superpower gives the Hurricanes a strong foundation for their postseason success, which has already been reflected in the team’s playoff point percentage of .800.
The Hurricanes have been a formidable team in past seasons, though they haven’t hoisted the cup in 19 years. Thanks to their powerful performances throughout the playoffs, this may be the year they finally bring home another Stanley Cup title.
Stanley Cup prediction: Carolina Hurricanes
Henry Stanger, Senior Staff Writer
Since Connor McDavid’s arrival in Edmonton in 2015, the narrative surrounding the Oilers has been they will go as far as him and Leon Draisaitl can drag them. So far in the 2025 playoffs, that narrative has been turned upside down. While McDavid and Draisaitl’s numbers aren’t quite as gaudy this postseason as they have been in years past, their supporting cast has filled the void and then some. Heading into their Western Conference finals matchup with the Dallas Stars, Edmonton has a 63% net goal share when its two superstars aren’t on the ice. In plainer terms, the Oilers have scored nearly two goals for every goal they have allowed without McDavid and Draisaitl on the ice. For reference, the Oilers’ previous best mark in this metric in the postseason since McDavid arrived was 50% in 2020. While McDavid and Draisaitl are the engine that makes the Oilers run, this is also the deepest team they have ever played on.
The Oilers’ increased depth scoring is primarily driven by their second line of Zach Hyman, Evander Kane, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. This combination has relieved some of the burden from McDavid and Draisaitl, with a 75% net goal share and a 75.4% expected goal share. They linked up for two of Edmonton’s three goals in their crucial 3-0 victory in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals to take a commanding 3-1 series lead over the Las Vegas Golden Knights.
The Oilers’ blue line also deserves credit for their playoff success so far. Evan Bouchard — whose emergence as one of the NHL’s premier two-way defenseman was crucial to Edmonton’s postseason success last year — has continued his development this season. Bouchard is third on the team in postseason points behind McDavid and Draisaitl, while the pairing of him and Brett Kulak has a 64.9% expected goal share. A strong and deep defensive corps is a prerequisite for winning the Stanley Cup, and Edmonton is not lacking in this regard.
Edmonton has the best player in the world with another Hart Trophy winner as his running mate, as well as strong depth on both sides of the ice. This depth gives them the boost they need to finally hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup.
Stanley Cup prediction: Edmonton Oilers
