At the start of the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs, 29 out of 30 people on ESPN's expert panel believed the Colorado Avalanche would get through the first round against the Nashville Predators. Whatever concerns they had about the Avs, they wouldn't hinder Nathan MacKinnon and the boys from advancing.
But those concerns manifested for later rounds. Only seven people picked the eventual Stanley Cup champions to win the big prize on the eve of the 2022 playoffs.
Maybe it was the goaltending. Maybe it was their inability to get over the hump in previous postseasons.