The first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs is nearing its conclusion. The field of teams vying for the Stanley Cup will soon be halved. At this point, does it appear like the eventual winner is going to come from the Eastern Conference or the Western Conference? Evan Rawal and Tyler King debate:

Evan Rawal, Avalanche beat writer

Answer: the East

The best teams remaining are in the Western Conference, but as we’ve seen throughout the first round, the West is a bloodbath. Even lower seeds are putting up a heck of a fight against the top seeds so no team is getting to the second round easily. Whoever makes it out of the West might not actually have much left in the tank when they get to the Stanley Cup Final.

Because of that, I think the Cup champion will come from the East, and specifically, Florida. Again.

The Panthers dispatched the Tampa Bay Lightning with ease in the first round in what was a matchup between the two best teams in the conference. Washington might be Florida’s best competition, but I wouldn’t trust Carolina. Although the Hurricanes beat the Devils in 5 games, some of the games were coin flips, which shouldn’t have been necessary against a team missing some of its best players. Toronto is struggling to put away a middling Ottawa squad.

Florida is a heck of a team with an easier path to the final, so I could see it going back-to-back.

Tyler King, college sports writer

Answer: the West

While Evan is probably right that the Panthers should be the favorites to repeat as Stanley Cup champions, they and the Capitals (sorry Maple Leafs fans) feel like the only teams from that side of the bracket that could lift the Cup.

In the West, however, there really isn’t a team that hasn’t looked strong in the opening round.

Each series has gone at least six games so far and all of Winnipeg (the Presidents’ Trophy winners), Vegas, Dallas and Edmonton look like teams that could win it all.

After nearly completing the miracle comeback last year, the Oilers look primed to avenge that loss behind the ever-present star duo of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. The Golden Knights have championship experience up and down their roster and behind the bench. The Jets have Kyle Connor, and if Connor Hellebuyck can put his postseason struggles behind for a few weeks, maybe the best goaltender in the league.

Finally, the Stars have shown all series against the Avalanche that they’re capable of taking it to a theoretical Cup contender — and that’s with some serious star power not yet to return from injury.

Assuming Dallas gets defenseman Miro Heiskanen and forward Jason Robertson back at some point, it will be the team that denies the Panthers back-to-back titles.