It all comes down to this. The Dallar Stars have a chance to win their first Cup since Pantera was releasing new music. The Tampa Bay Lightning have a chance to win their first Cup since back when CO2 levels were under 400 parts per million. And Keith, who is a coin, must get the final right or else he’ll be below 50 percent.
So here’s Keith.
(Pictured: Keith I, whom I lost)
Keith, a Coin, II, is a 1990 quarter minted in Pennsylvania. Keith II was lost for some time, so his son Keith III inherited his lands and titles, to the woe of the peasants. But now Keith II is back, and he shot an arrow through a bunch of axe heads or something, I don’t know. There’s no continuity here. It’s not like the Marvel movies; it’s more of a loose anthology feel. Anyway, he is right about half of the time, which is the point of the bit.
Here’s how it’s gone so far, using the universal 
and 
score-keeping system.
| First Round | Peter | Ian | Keith |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vegas beat Chicago | |
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| Colorado beat Arizona | |
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| Dallas beat Calgary | |
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| Vancouver beat St Louis | |
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| New York beat Washington | |
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| Boston beat Carolina | |
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| Philadelphia beat Montreal | |
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| Tampa beat Columbus | |
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| Second Round | Peter | Ian | Keith |
| Vegas beat Vancouver | |
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| Dallas beat Colorado | |
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| New York beat Philadelphia | |
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| Tampa beat Boston | |
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| Third Round | Peter | Ian | Keith |
| Dallas beat Vegas | |
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| Tampa beat New York | |
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| Finals | Peter | Ian | Keith |
| TBD |
Dallas ![⭐]()
vs Tampa Bay ![⚡]()
vs Tampa Bay 
Peter: As much as Dallas could be seen as PDO-ing their way into the final, they’re still a fearsome team and one that may match up against the Bolts team surprisingly well. Anton Khodobin will be the key to the series, and he may excel given how Tampa generates chances (lots of movement but not particularly up close). But the deciding factor for me is injuries. Stamkos is out at least for a bit, and Brayden Point is clearly playing through something bad. That’s enough to bring this series into coin-flip (sorry, Keith) territory for me. I want a long, intense series, and I’m taking the Dallas in 7.
Ian: The Dallas Stars remind me a bunch of the 2018 Capitals championship team. They’re scoring a lot of big goals but it’s their rookies and depth players who are coming up clutch in those big moments. Combined with an interim coach they love and a weird backup goalie they love even more, Dallas is playing inspired hockey. They’ve been fun to watch. Then there’s the Tampa Bay Lightning. They are a deeper team. They’ve run roughshod through their Eastern Conference opponents with their system that utilizes both their speed and forechecking ability. I think this is going to be a great back and forth series. Overall, I think Tampa is going to muck it up and forecheck the Stars to death, neutralizing their good play of late. While Anton Khudobin is a Russian machine, he’s not THE Russian machine. Tampa in 6.
Keith, a coin: Dallas.
Share your picks below. Do “Team in # of games” so it’s easier to read for a grumpus like me.