Two teams are left standing as the NHL playoffs have reached the Stanley Cup Final.After the first round — and even the second — was full of newcomers who hadn’t played postseason hockey in a long time, the conference finals featured some of the usual suspects.The Vegas Golden Knights swept Presidents’ Trophy-winning Colorado in the West final, and the Carolina Hurricanes got past Montreal in five games. They’ll meet in a final matchup of the two hottest teams in hockey over the past two months. There will be a new champion and no three-peat after the Florida Panthers were derailed by injuries following three consecutive trips to the final. In fact, both finalists are new after Edmonton got knocked out by Anaheim.What’s happened so farWESTERN CONFERENCE: Vegas got through Utah and Anaheim in six, then won four in a row against the Avalanche. EASTERN CONFERENCE:Carolina swept Ottawa and Philadelphia, then responded from a Game 1 loss to the Canadiens to advance to the final for the first time since 2006.
The matchupsThe top three teams in each of the four divisions make the playoffs. The other four spots go to the next two highest-placed teams in each conference, regardless of division. All four rounds of the playoffs are best-of-seven; the first team to 16 victories wins the Stanley Cup.— Carolina vs. Vegas vs., Game 1 Tuesday night.
