My 2021 Stanley Cup Semifinals Predictions

 The second round of this year's Stanley Cup Playoffs has officially wrapped up, and despite not getting one of my desired outcomes, we had some great series take place in the second round. 

I expected more of a fight from the Jets against the Canadiens. After Mark Scheifele made an errant hit to knock out Jake Evans and leave Evans with a concussion after scoring an empty-netter, Winnipeg basically folded for the rest of that series. I expected the Hurricanes to win more games than they did in the second round against the Lightning, but that was still an entertaining series, and most importantly, the better team advanced. The Islanders-Bruins series went the way I wanted it to, and the Nassau Coliseum is absolutely buzzing during playoff time with one very passionate fanbase. In addition, the Islanders have shown that they thrive in the playoffs and when it matters most under Barry Trotz's coaching system. I really wanted the Avalanche to force a Game 7 against the Golden Knights and ultimately win Game 7, but unfortunately Vegas was the better team after the first game in that series. Colorado went on to lose four straight after winning the first two games on home ice against the Knights to be eliminated in the second round for the third straight year. The Curse of the President's Trophy lives on. 

As for the Semifinals, the final four teams are the same as last year except for the Montreal Canadiens, who have been the biggest surprise of this year's playoffs thus far. However, the biggest similarity between this year's Canadiens and last year's Dallas Stars is that Corey Perry played for both of those teams. Now that the Stanley Cup Semifinals match-ups have been determined, here are my predictions for both Semifinals series: 

• Islanders vs. Lightning (rematch of last year's Eastern Conference Final that took place in the bubble): Lightning in 5
  

• Canadiens vs. Golden Knights (first-ever playoff series between these two teams; only way this playoff match-up occurs in a normal year is in the Cup Final): Canadiens in 6 

The Stanley Cup Semifinals begin on Sunday, and I am greatly looking forward to them getting underway. Check back in about two weeks for some of my thoughts on the Semifinals once they are completed and my Cup Final prediction here on CPF Hockey. 

Sources: NBC Sports, NHL Network, NHL.com