Mitch Marner turned playoff doubters into believers by carrying the Vegas Golden Knights past the Anaheim Ducks with 11 points in six games, including a hat trick in Game 3. The Golden Knights move into the Western Conference Final against the Avalanche, and Marner's 14-point surge across his last seven games has erased years of Toronto baggage.

Alex Tuch's disappearance defined Buffalo's collapse. The forward registered zero points in seven games, firing 26 shots that refused to find the net. Buffalo dropped Game 7 to Montreal 8-1 at five-on-five when Tuch was on the ice, ending a season that started so promising he entered contract negotiations on a sour note.

Jakub Dobes, a 24-year-old fifth-round pick, emerged as Montreal's answer between the pipes with a .913 save percentage and a Game 7 overtime stop that sealed the series. Meanwhile, Minnesota's center depth cratered against Colorado, where four healthy centers managed one goal and six assists without Eriksson Ek, who missed the series with a broken heel bone.