The NHL is down to the final four, and two rounds remain before a team gets to lift the Stanley Cup.
The No. 1 overall Colorado Avalanche will take on the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference finals, starting on Wednesday, May 20, and the Carolina Hurricanes are facing the Montreal Canadiens the following day in the Eastern Conference finals.
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How do the teams rank heading into what are sure to be intriguing series? USA TODAY Sports offers power rankings of the four conference finals teams, plus two Conn Smythe candidates per team in the race for playoff MVP.
4. Vegas Golden Knights
Mitch Marner is leading the playoffs in scoring, Pavel Dorofeyev is leading in goals and coach John Tortorella has Vegas playing the right way. But the Golden Knights’ next opponent, the Avalanche, is formidable and it will be hard to advance, especially with Mark Stone out.
Conn Smythe candidates: Marner, Dorofeyev
3. Montreal Canadiens
They’re more than an upstart team. They’re a 100-point team that beat two other 100-point teams. Top players Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki and Ivan Demidov are getting going and Alex Newhook has seven goals, including two Game 7 winners.
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Conn Smythe candidates: Newhook, Jakub Dobes
2. Carolina Hurricanes
They have won eight in a row, the first team to sweep the first two series since the first round went to best of seven in 1987. Goalie Frederik Andersen has rediscovered his game and the line of Logan Stankoven, Taylor Hall and Jackson Blake has been dangerous. The Hurricanes haven’t made it to the Stanley Cup Final under coach Rod Brind’Amour. Is this the year?
Conn Smythe candidates: Andersen, Stankoven
1. Colorado Avalanche
They were the best team in the regular season and get the nod in the playoffs because they beat the high-powered Minnesota Wild in five games. Colorado was the best offensive and defensive team in the regular season and is averaging 4.11 goals per game in the playoffs. Cale Makar appears to be favoring his shoulder, which could hurt the Avalanche in the long run.
Conn Smythe candidates: Nathan MacKinnon, Scott Wedgewood
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NHL power rankings of the four conference finals teams
