NHL playoff picks for conference finals: Who advances to Stanley Cup Finals?

The NHL's conference finals are loaded with storylines.

It's the first time all four teams are from the Sun Belt. Florida Panthers forward Eric Staal and defenseman Marc Staal will face brother Jordan Staal, a forward with the Carolina Hurricanes.

Dallas Stars coach Peter DeBoer is facing the Vegas Golden Knights, who fired him last offseason, while Paul Maurice's Panthers battle the Hurricanes, who fired him as coach two different times. Current Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour played for Maurice and was Maurice's assistant in his final season with Carolina.

The Eastern Conference matchup is a first-time playoff meeting while the Stars beat the Golden Knights in the 2020 conference final in the Edmonton bubble.

Which two teams will advance to the Stanley Cup Final? USA TODAY Sports' NHL experts weigh in.

Best bets: These 7 sportsbooks and sports betting sites stand above the rest

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Carolina Hurricanes vs. Florida Panthers

Hurricanes in 7: I incorrectly picked against the Panthers in the first two rounds, and they have impressed me. But I'm not ready to pick them in this round. The Hurricanes are solid defensively, have a top-notch penalty kill and will be better able to handle the Panthers' aggressive forechecking. With Teuvo Teravainen expected back during the series, they could get enough offense to win a close series. — Mike Brehm

Hurricanes in 6. Carolina has lost three games this postseason and it has defeated two different types of teams — physical and speedy. It has proven that despite injuries to players like Andrei Svechnikov and Teravainen, it wins based on its depth, coaching and structure. Twelve players have at least two goals this postseason. The Panthers have been a great story, but their defense gets thin fast, and the Hurricanes will be able to expose that area. — Jimmy Hascup

Hurricanes in 6. Despite missing several key offensive pieces, the Hurricanes have been largely rolling these playoffs. This run has served as a reminder that Brind’Amour is one of the best coaches in the NHL and the Hurricanes remain incredibly hard to beat in Raleigh (12-2 at home the last two postseasons). I have been wrong about both these teams all playoffs so I’d like to congratulate Florida in advance. — Jace Evans

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Vegas Golden Knights vs. Dallas Stars

Golden Knights in 7. The Stars have a lot of offense, but the Golden Knights did a good job limiting the high-flying Oilers in the second round. Vegas gets strong play from its goaltending, regardless of who's in there (Adin Hill for the moment), and the Golden Knights also have players who can score. The Stars have better special teams, but the Golden Knights are stronger at 5-on-5. — Mike Brehm

Stars in 6. The Stars have gotten this far despite uneven play from Jake Oettinger, who I consider the best goalie left in these playoffs. The signs are there for a deep run, though, if his play steadies: They have the highest expected goals percentage among playoff teams (55.6%, per moneypuck.com) while giving up only 22 shots per game. While Vegas has also been stingy on defense (23 shots against per game), I continue to love the Stars' mix and upside when Jason Robertson, who had 46 goals this season, gets more puck luck (two goals on 37 shots in the postseason). — Jimmy Hascup

Stars in 7. Inconsistency has been Dallas’ biggest problem these playoffs, but when the Stars are on, they look like the best team in the NHL. They can’t have those lapses against a team as good as Vegas. Still, the Stars have the edge in goal with Oettinger and if Robertson starts finding the back of the net they could be even more formidable. — Jace Evans

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NHL bracket, playoff picks for Stars-Knights; Hurricanes-Panthers