Cinderella runs are a lot of fun, and we've been spoiled with plenty of them lately. From the 2019 worst-to-first St. Blues to the 2021 Montreal Canadiens to the 2023 Florida Panthers, watching underrated teams come together to beat the odds and the favourites all the way to the pinnacle of the sport is a big part of what makes the Stanley Cup playoffs so thrilling.

But sometimes, you just want to see the best teams go head-to-head and beat the hell out of each other. Seeing the game's top stars match up when the pressure is ramped up, making the most of their brief and easily squandered contention windows, and providing even and entertaining hockey is as good as it gets in hockey – and arguably professional sports as a whole.

Fortunately, we've got one of those Finals. While both the Florid