For the conference finals, I will rank the four possible matchups in each conference in terms of watchability, and choose a favorite.
Eastern Conference Final Possibilities (Ranked):
1. (A1) Tampa Bay Lightning vs. (M1) Washington Capitals
2. (M1) Washington Capitals vs. (A2) Toronto Maple Leafs
3. (A1) Tampa Bay Lightning vs. (M2) Pittsburgh Penguins
4. (A2) Toronto Maple Leafs vs. (M2) Pittsburgh Penguins
Let me get one thing clear straight-away: any of these matchups would be a ton of fun. All four teams have so much talent and are legitimate NHL championship contenders, so any permutation of them facing each other would be a must-watch series.
That being said, I think a Bolts-Caps rematch would be just slightly better than the other three options. The defending Stanley Cup champions against the probable Presidents’ Trophy winners, in a rematch of last season’s Eastern Conference Finals, would be a gem.
Right behind this matchup is the Capitals and Maple Leafs, if only because Toronto facing the defending champs in the conference finals would send all of Canada into conniptions. Throw in a rematch of the 2017 first round, and this would be a very entertaining series.
Tampa-Pittsburgh would be another talent-filled series that is a rematch of the 2016 conference finals. Finally, Toronto-Pittsburgh would see a Matthews-Crosby matchup that would have the media salivating, although there is not much in the way of recent history between the two teams.
Western Conference Final Possibilities (Ranked):
1. (P1) Calgary Flames vs. (C1) Winnipeg Jets
2. (C2) Nashville Predators vs. (P2) San Jose Sharks
3. (P1) Calgary Flames vs. (C2) Nashville Predators
4. (C1) Winnipeg Jets vs. (P2) San Jose Sharks
This situation is different from in the Eastern Conference, as there is a clear winner of the four: two Canadian teams meeting in the conference finals would bring about a media frenzy and atmosphere that has not been seen in the Western Conference in a long time.
Calgary-Winnipeg is not the strongest of rivalries, but they are two young and talented teams that could have a very entertaining series, especially with the Canadian market behind them. The guarantee of Canada’s first Stanley Cup finalist since 2011 would be big news north of the border.
I have Nashville-San Jose second of the four because of the interesting storyline that they were back-to-back conference champions in 2016 and 2017. Preds-Flames could also be interesting, because Nashville would have had to beat another Canadian team to make it there.
Bringing up the rear for me would be the Jets against the Sharks. There is simply no history to be had there, and while both teams boast a good amount of talent, on paper this does not look like a very entertaining series.