NHL Conference Finals Pit Heavyweights on the Road to the Cup

The league has officially set the table for the conference finals, and the names left standing are the ones nobody wanted to see in May. This is where the margins shrink, the scouting gets obsessive, and every coaching decision gets dragged into the light. The Stanley Cup is still the prize, but the road there usually turns into a bruising test of depth, nerve, and who can handle the pressure without blinking.