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NHL Playoffs 2023: X-Factors to Watch on Conference Finals
The four teams remaining in the Stanley Cup Playoffs displayed few weaknesses over the first two rounds.
The Carolina Hurricanes, Dallas Stars, Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights were all difficult to beat, making the conference final matchups so intriguing.
The two Stanley Cup Final participants could be determined by X-factors, like incredible goalie play or the strength on the penalty kill.
Experience at this stage of the postseason could also help in the opening games of the series while all four teams find their footing in specific on-ice matchups.
There is no clear favorite in either series and should set up two exciting extended series over the next two weeks, starting with Thursday's Game 1 in Carolina.
The two conference finals could feature a ton of low-scoring games because of the tremendous goalie play displayed in the first two rounds.
Vegas' Adin Hill, Florida's Sergei Bobrovsky and Carolina's Frederik Andersen all have save percentages over .918.
Dallas' Jake Oettinger owns the most wins of any goalie this postseason. He only has a .903 save percentage, but he is coming off a Game 7 in which he conceded once on 23 shots against the Seattle Kraken.
Bobrovsky is the most experienced goalie of the quartet. The two-time Vezina Trophy winner has been in the league for over a decade and is producing some of the best performances of his career with the Panthers.
Andersen has a long playoff track record from his time with the Toronto Maple Leafs before he joined the Hurricanes.
Hill and Oettinger are going through their first deep playoff runs as the No. 1 goalie. Hill was placed in that position after Laurent Brossoit got hurt early in the second round.
We could see strong performances out of all four goalies in the conference finals, given their current form.
A large amount of low-scoring games may not be exciting for the fans, but all four teams are more than willing to win contests by scoring two or three times.