Even without the Lightning, the Stanley Cup Finals remain one of sports’ most fascinating championships. The end of a marathon with each combatant hoping to record four more victories and reach that magic number of 16. This year’s final pit an emerging rookie goalie against a veteran goalie who has really emerged in the playoffs. Boston can win its second Stanley Cup of the decade. St. Louis can win its first cup ever. Who’ll come out on top? We convene a roundtable to get answers. Fans of every sport like to root against Boston because all the teams are successful and the fans are, well they’re a lot. But there’s more reason than that to root for St. Louis in this series. Underdog is too simple of a word for the Blues, but St. Louis has never won the Stanley Cup (Boston has won it six times) and was last in the league midway through the season (Boston has been near the top throughout). So, let’s go with underdog. In early December, after an embarrassing 6-1 loss to Vancouver, the Blues called up Jordan Binnington and installed him in net. That was the start of the comeback for St. Louis. Last offseason, St. Louis picked up Tyler Bozak, Patrick Maroon, David Perron and Ryan O’Reilly as free agents. They account for 44 points in the playoffs (almost a third of St. Louis’ total). This series features two of the best defensive forwards; both O’Reilly and Patrice Bergeron are finalists for the Selke Trophy. The two centers may not match up directly (O’Reilly plays on the second line and Bergeron on the first), but they’ll both impact play. Prediction: Blues in 6St.. Louis and Boston will be one of the most physical matchups we’ve seen this year, outside of it being the Stanley Cup Final. The Blues hold a bit of an edge over the Bruins in that their level of play might be more escalated in the fact the franchise has never won a Stanley Cup. The Blues hold the puck in the zone really well to wear down the clock, which might get frustrating for the Bruins down the stretch. Boston also had a lot of weight on their own shoulder, bearing the chance to be the first city since Detroit in 1935-36 to hold championship trophies in the three major sports: baseball, hockey and football. The Blues should take advantage of the Bruins’ extended break, which has kept Boston off of the ice since May 16. St. Louis has been the epitome of rising to higher standards this season, going from one of the worst in the league to the Western Conference Champions. The Blues have rookie goalie Jordan Bennington to thank for that as he’s up for the Calder Trophy this year. With that being said you can’t discount Boston’s veteran experience heading into this series. Zdeno Chára, Brad Marchand, Tukka Rask, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnák are all hefty threats (with plenty of experience) against this young an hungry St. Louis team. The only St. Louis player that knows what that championship feeling is like is Oskar Sundqvist. Both teams will match up well for this final series - using all four lines, having top-notch goaltenders and moving the puck seamlessly up and down the ice. History could be made either way, but it will be the biggest test yet to see who ends up on top.Prediction: Blues in 6.In one of the most fascinating developments in sports history, the St. Louis Blues have adopted a 1982 syth-pop hit as its victory song. That, and that alone, makes them one of my all-time favorite teams and a sure bet to win the 2019 Stanley Cup. Apparently the Blues, while mired with one of the worst records in the NHL, found themselves in a South Philly bar and saw the patrons dancing to Laura Branigan’s Gloria during commercial breaks . Now stations in St. Louis play the song for 24 consecutive hours each time the Blues win a series. Of course, that’s the heart talking. The head says pick the Bruins. They’re statistically the better defense, they possess more Stanaly Cup Final experience and even though Jordan Binnington propelled the Blues into the postseason, the Bruins’ Tuukka Rask has been the hotter net minder in the playoffs. Boston’s sweep of Carolina was not a fluke, and the Bruins already sent Columbus a thank you note for eliminating the Lightning, the team it feared most. Yep, every intelligent indication points to Boston winning. That’s why I’m going with the Blues. Besides Gloria, I met a Blues fan outside of Sacred Heart Catholic Church last month. Go with the heart. Prediction: Blues in 7