Will Mitch Marner keep his hot streak going, or will Nathan MacKinnon take the spotlight in the Western Conference final? Who could be the top scorers in the East final? Gary Pearson looks closer for BetMGM.
Mitch Marner enters the Western Conference final as the NHL playoffs' leading scorer, with 18 points.
He tallied 11 points in six second-round games, but how much of that was because of his brilliance, and how much was down to the Anaheim Ducks' lackluster defense?
The question on most people's minds is how the Carolina Hurricanes' offensive players acquit themselves after sitting idly by for the better part of two weeks.
And what about Nathan MacKinnon, the hockey odds favorite to win the Conn Smythe Trophy? Will he continue his goal-scoring streak against the Vegas Golden Knights?
Here are my best picks to finish each conference final with the most goals and points.
Western Conference Final Most Points: Nathan MacKinnon
MacKinnon scored 12 points in the previous six games, including nine in five contests against the Minnesota Wild.
He's averaging 1.44 points per game, the third-most among those remaining behind Taylor Hall (1.5) and Marner (1.5).
While Marner was prolific against the Ducks, the Colorado Avalanche represents an altogether more formidable challenge.
I expect Marner to have an excellent series, but nobody, including Jack Eichel, will be able to keep pace with MacKinnon, who has the fifth-most points per game (1.33) all-time in the playoffs among those who played at least 100 career games.
Western Conference Final Most Goals: Nathan MacKinnon
Despite the abundance of offensive talent on display, MacKinnon is not only the obvious choice but also the best.
He enters the third round on a six-game goal-scoring streak. Sure, three of those were into an empty net, but that offers even more incentive to back the Conn Smythe Trophy favorite.
Pavel Dorofeyev leads the playoffs with nine, including four goals in the last two games. While the 25-year-old is also an appealing pick, I expect the league's best defensive team in the regular season to limit his time and space considerably better than the Ducks.
And despite exploding for five goals against the Ducks, Marner is a setup man first and foremost.
Brett Howden, who has eight goals, is also a compelling option. He's benefitted from receiving pinpoint passes from Marner, but as I'm backing the Avs to win, I landed on MacKinnon.
Eastern Conference Final Most Points: Taylor Hall
Even though he hasn't played in what feels like an eternity, it didn't take long to recall Hall's exploits in the first two rounds.
He has 12 points in eight games and, alongside Jackson Blake and Logan Stankoven, was utterly dominant throughout.
Hall registered at least one point in seven of eight games, busting it open with three helpers in Game 4 against the Philadelphia Flyers, which included setting up Blake's overtime-winner.
While it might take a period or two to skate through the accumulated rust, I expect Hall to pick up where he left off against the Flyers.
Eastern Conference Final Most Goals: Logan Stankoven
Alex Newhook gave me seven reasons to pause before settling on Stankoven.
While Newhook's story, if the Habs go all the way, is tailor-fit for a Disney feature film, I can't overlook Stankoven's goal-scoring exploits.
The 23-year-old has seven goals in eight games, including at least one in the Hurricanes' first five games.
There is a chance that 11 rest days will negatively impact Stankoven's goal-scoring form. However, I'm sure he used the gift of time to perfect the telepathy he and his linemates had in the opening two rounds.
By Gary Pearson, BetMGM