Stanley Cup Final: Who has the better playoff beards?

Leading up to Monday’s Game 1, Puck Daddy is previewing every facet of the Stanley Cup Final between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Nashville Predators — on the ice and off the ice.

For various and sundry reasons, the Puck Daddy Beard Watch took a breather this postseason. So consider this your official Beard Watch update, as we take a look at the face foliage for both the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Nashville Predators ahead of their Stanley Cup Final.

PENGUINS

Obviously, there wasn’t much turnover from last year’s Stanley Cup winners, which means there isn’t much novelty in the Penguins’ playoff beards. But there are some formidable follicles here.

Let’s start with last season’s most impressive beard for the Penguins:

Nick Bonino’s beard is Pennsylvania Dutch approved. It looks like a large cloud on a windy day.

Or 1970s porn.

In any case, the HBK Line might be dead, but Beardino lives on.

Sidney Crosby’s beard used to be a point of ridicule, but much like Sid worked hard to improve his shot and his defense, he has apparently willed his face into sprouting stubble worthy of a Telenovela.

In fairness to Matt Murray, all he had to do for just over two rounds was rehab his injury and grow a sweet beard. But that time away from the crease was well-spent, as this is a sweet looking face bush on the Penguins goalie.

Much better than last season’s scraggy mess.

Well this is something.

Jake Guentzel’s beard finally solves the riddle of “what would a cherub look like as a lazy stoner?”

That said, we’ve seen plenty of fair-haired players attempt a playoff beard, and this at the very least is not The Perry.

If nothing else, Jake Guentzel’s beard exists to help contrast it from the sublime shrub on Phil Kessel.

We imagine it’s soft, like an un-sheared New Zealand sheep. Heh.

PREDATORS

The Penguins won pretty much every aspect of the James Neal for Patric Hornqvist trade … well, except playoff plumage.

Horny hasn’t reached full Viking potential, while Neal has a glorious face-hugger. But it’s not even in the top three on his team!

P.K. Subban has one of the sneaky great beards of the 2017 playoffs.

And yes, it is weird to consider anything about P.K. Subban understated.

Another member of the “Code Red” beard assault by the Predators, this ginger glory would be good enough to put the Predators over the top here.

But then …

BAH GAWD! STOP THE FIGHT! IT’S A KNOCK OUT!

Ryan Ellis’s beard looks like it’s pulling other beards onto his face through its gravitational pull.

It’s like he went for the Joe Thornton before realizing that only Joe Thornton should have the Joe Thornton, and then just didn’t care.

This beard is our everything.

ADVANTAGE: Predators

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Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.

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