Every team competed hard to be where they are, and with the Stanley Cup finals so close, the intensity level will only go higher.
It seems that a few teams had a big advantage over the others, and the theory is proven by looking at who reached the third round.
What links three of the four teams left is that they're based in southern states.
Florida, Dallas, and Las Vegas all have no state tax. So the players don't pay taxes when they go to live there and play, which is about 20% of their salaries.
It looks like southern teams have a clear advantage in attracting players to their teams. In addition to the lifestyle and the hot sun, they simply pay less money to live.
| POLL | ||
MAI 16 | 263 ANSWERS Major Discovery Shows Why Southern Teams Have Seen so Much Success Where would you rather play? | ||
| Florida | 84 | 31.9 % |
| Dallas | 48 | 18.3 % |
| Las Vegas | 73 | 27.8 % |
| Carolina | 58 | 22.1 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
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YESTERDAY
MAY 25, 2026
| ||||
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Shayne Gostisbehere | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Taylor Hall | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Lane Hutson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Michael Matheson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Andrei Svechnikov | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jackson Blake | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Cole Caufield | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Ivan Demidov | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jake Evans | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Mark Jankowski | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Seth Jarvis | - | 1 | 1 | |
| K'Andre Miller | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Eric Robinson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Sebastian Aho | - | - | - | |
| Frederik Andersen | - | - | - | |
| Josh Anderson | - | - | - | |
| Zachary Bolduc | - | - | - | |
| Alexandre Carrier | - | - | - | |
| William Carrier | - | - | - | |
| Jalen Chatfield | - | - | - | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||