Last year in this expert predictions space, I said we should “celebrate that a Stanley Cup will be hoisted in a Canadian arena. Next year, maybe a Canadian team will finally be the one doing it for the first time since Montreal in 1993.” And lookie what we have here: Those same Canadiens, the champion of Stanley Cup champions, against the Lightning, last year’s champion, who debuted in that 1992-93 season. The plot is thick.

Scoreboard Page: Canadiens in 6. When the Stanley Cup playoffs began, I declared that the North Division bracket winner would bring the Cup home to Canada. All of those Canadian teams battling it out across the border, isolated, with no one really knowing what those teams would be. I chose underrated. Did I think it would be Montreal to emerge? Actually, yes. Who better to do it than the last team that did? Too bad I didn’t put any money on it in this newly sports-betting-friendly world. Still, I see no reason to stray from the bandwagon now. Carey Price will carry the way, carry the day and ultimately carry the Cup.

Here’s how the picks of experts at other media outlets broke down:

ESPN: Lightning 10, Canadiens 5

NHL.com: Lightning 10, Canadiens 5

NBC Sports: Lightning 6, Canadiens 0

USA Today: Lightning 0, Canadiens 1

Sporting News: Lightning 1, Canadiens 0

The Athletic: Lightning 1, Canadiens 0

Sports Illustrated: Lightning 1, Canadiens 0

CBS Sports: Lightning 1, Canadiens 0

Click the links above for their full predictions.