East Final Heat Check - NHL Bracket Tightens

The Eastern Conference Final is down to the kind of stretch that turns every shift into a referendum on a team’s nerve. With the bracket narrowing and the Stanley Cup chase getting brutally simple, every bounce starts to feel like a front-office decision retroactively explained. The margin for error is basically gone, and the clubs left standing know the whole league is watching how they handle the pressure. This is where contenders separate themselves from teams that just made it through April.