Stanley Cup Semifinals predictions

The Stanley Cup Semifinals include some unexpected qualifiers among the final four teams left standing.

The Montreal Canadiens, the last of the 16 teams to qualify for the postseason, advanced as the No. 4 seed from the Scotia North Division.
The Canadiens were not picked by any of the 15-member panel in either of the first two rounds. Staff writer William Douglas is the only one to select them for this round against the Vegas Golden Knights, the No. 2 seed from the Honda West Division.
Game 1 of that best-of-7 series is Monday at Vegas (9 p.m. ET, NBCSN, CBC, SN, TVAS).
RELATED: [Canadiens-Golden Knights series coverage | Islanders-Lightning series coverage]
Nick Suzuki said his Canadiens are well-suited for the underdog role. The forward was selected No. 13 in the 2017 NHL Draft by the Golden Knights before
being traded to Montreal in 2018
as part of the package that sent forward Max Pacioretty to Vegas.
"We weren't really [expected] to be this far," Suzuki said. "That's fine with me, I don't really care too much about what other people say. I have all the confidence in the world in this group and how we can play. I think we've shown that throughout the playoffs. We have a ton of confidence in everybody right now and that's what a winning team needs."

In the other semifinal, the New York Islanders are also a No. 4 seed, from the MassMutual East Division. They play the Tampa Bay Lightning, the defending Stanley Cup champions and No. 3 seed from the Discover Central Division.
Game 1 is at Tampa Bay on Sunday (3 p.m. ET; NBC, CBC, SN, TVAS).

Not surprisingly, the results among NHL.com's prognosticators reflect the chaos of the first two rounds. Six of the 15 members of the panel are at or above .500 after 12 series. Deputy managing editor Brian Compton leads the way at 8-4 (.750).
Will the staff have better results in what should be an exciting third round?
Here are the selections:
Amalie Benjamin, staff writer
Record through two rounds: 4-8
Stanley Cup Semifinals
TBL vs. NYI:Tampa Bay Lightning
VGK vs. MTL: Vegas Golden Knights
Tim Campbell, staff writer
Record through two rounds:5-7
Stanley Cup Semifinals
TBL vs. NYI: Tampa Bay Lightning
VGK vs. MTL: Vegas Golden Knights
Brian Compton, deputy managing editor
Record through two rounds: 8-4
Stanley Cup Semifinals
TBL vs. NYI: New York Islanders
VGK vs. MTL:Vegas Golden Knights
Nicholas J. Cotsonika, columnist
Record through two rounds: 4-8
Stanley Cup Semifinals
TBL vs. NYI: Tampa Bay Lightning
VGK vs. MTL: Vegas Golden Knights
William Douglas, staff writer
Record through two rounds: 7-5
Stanley Cup Semifinals
TBL vs. NYI: New York Islanders
VGK vs. MTL: Montreal Canadiens
Tom Gulitti, staff writer
Record through two rounds: 5-7
Stanley Cup Semifinals
TBL vs. NYI:New York Islanders
VGK vs. MTL: Vegas Golden Knights
Pete Jensen, senior fantasy editor
Record through two rounds: 5-7
Stanley Cup Semifinals
TBL vs. NYI:Tampa Bay Lightning
VGK vs. MTL: Vegas Golden Knights
Adam Kimelman, deputy managing editor
Record through two rounds: 7-5
Stanley Cup Semifinals
TBL vs. NYI:Tampa Bay Lightning
VGK vs. MTL: Vegas Golden Knights
Mike G. Morreale, staff writer
Record through two rounds: 6-6
TBL vs. NYI:New York Islanders
VGK vs. MTL:Vegas Golden Knights
Tracey Myers, staff writer
Record through two rounds: 3-9
Stanley Cup Semifinals
TBL vs. NYI:Tampa Bay Lightning
VGK vs. MTL: Vegas Golden Knights
Shawn P. Roarke, senior director of editorial
Record through two rounds:5-7
Stanley Cup Semifinals
TBL vs. NYI:Tampa Bay Lightning
VGK vs. MTL:Vegas Golden Knights
Dan Rosen, senior writer
Record through two rounds: 5-7
Stanley Cup Semifinals
TBL vs. NYI:Tampa Bay Lightning
VGK vs. MTL: Vegas Golden Knights
David Satriano, staff writer
Record through two rounds: 7-5
Stanley Cup Semifinals
TBL vs. NYI:Tampa Bay Lightning
VGK vs. MTL:Vegas Golden Knights
Dave Stubbs, columnist
Record through two rounds: 5-7
Stanley Cup Semifinals
TBL vs. NYI: Tampa Bay Lightning
VGK vs. MTL:Vegas Golden Knights
Mike Zeisberger, staff writer
Record through two rounds: 6-6
Stanley Cup Semifinals
TBL vs. NYI: Tampa Bay Lightning
VGK vs. MTL: Vegas Golden Knights