Top 10 storylines ahead of NHL conference finals

The final four is finally set.

Alex Newhook's goal 11:22 into overtime against the Buffalo Sabres in Game 7 on Monday sent the Montreal Canadiens into the Eastern Conference Final and filled out the field for the penultimate round in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

It's the Canadiens against the very well-rested Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final, and the Colorado Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference Final.

The West gets going first with the Golden Knights and Avalanche playing Game 1 at Ball Arena in Denver on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, TVAS, CBC). Carolina and Montreal play Game 1 at Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; HBO MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS, CBC).

All four teams have previously won the Stanley Cup. Vegas did it most recently in 2023 after Colorado won in 2022. Carolina won its lone Stanley Cup championship in 2006 and Montreal won its 24th in 1993, also the last time a Canada-based team won the Cup.

Here are 10 storylines for the conference final round:

1. Eichel vs. MacKinnon

The most anticipated individual matchup of the conference final round is in the West with Vegas' Jack Eichel going head-to-head against Colorado's Nathan MacKinnon.

They are two of the top centers in the League, both Stanley Cup champions, and two of the top scorers in the playoffs; Eichel tied for second with 15 points (one goal, 14 assists) in 12 games and MacKinnon tied for eighth with 13 points (seven goals, six assists) in nine games.

Vegas coach John Tortorella and Colorado coach Jared Bednar both will not hesitate to put their top center on the ice against anyone, let alone the opponent's top center. They won't play a matchup game to get the other one away and ruin the flow and limit shifts, so expect to see plenty of Eichel against MacKinnon in the series.

There will be other factors that determine the winner of the Western Conference Final, but the Eichel-MacKinnon storyline will persist throughout, especially if they are matched against each other often.

2. Shedding the rust

The Hurricanes haven't played since May 9, giving them 11 full days off between games before playing Game 1 against Montreal. It is the longest time off between rounds in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 107 years and the fourth time a team has had double-digit days off in the playoffs.

The Canadiens had 12 days off before the Stanley Cup Final in 1919. More recently, the Boston Bruins in 2019 had 10 days off between sweeping Carolina in the Eastern Conference Final and starting the Stanley Cup Final. The Anaheim Ducks had 10 days off before the Cup Final in 2003.

Carolina had seven days between games bridging Game 4 of their first-round series sweep of the Ottawa Senators (April 25) and the start of their second-round series against the Philadelphia Flyers (May 2).

The break didn't impact the Hurricanes as they defeated the Flyers 3-0 in Game 1, the start of that series sweep.

But this is almost two full weeks off, a total of 11 full days and most of the 12th before an 8 p.m. ET start Thursday. It's unprecedented in the modern-day NHL and it'll be interesting to see how they respond against the Canadiens, who are coming off an emotional overtime win Monday.

3. Marner's mission

Mitch Marner is proving with each game that he is a clutch playoff performer, rewriting a narrative that followed him for the past several seasons when he was with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Stay hot and he could lead the Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup Final in his first season in Las Vegas, and remain one of the favorites, if not the unquestioned leader, for the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the playoffs.

Marner is in the conference final round for the first time and leading the playoffs with 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists) in 12 games. More impressive is that he has a combined six points (three goals, three assists) in Games 5 and 6, helping the Golden Knights go 4-0 to finish off both the Utah Mammoth and the Anaheim Ducks in six games.

With Toronto, Marner struggled as the series got later into Games 5, 6 and 7. He had 11 points (one goal, 10 assists) in 26 games played after Game 4 from 2017-25. Toronto went 9-17 in those games, advancing out of the first round just twice.

4. Colorado's depth scoring

So they say you need everyone contributing to win in the playoffs. Well, the Avalanche have basically had that through two rounds, and more contributions across the board in the Western Conference Final will help them punch their ticket into the Stanley Cup Final.

The Avalanche have had 17 different players score a goal in the playoffs, making them the seventh team in NHL history to have at least that many unique goal-scorers through a team's first nine games in the postseason, and first since the Los Angeles Kings had 17 in 1993.

Colorado had 16 players score a goal in five games against the Wild in the second round, which is tied for the most unique goal-scorers for a team in any single playoff series with the 2025 St. Louis Blues (first round), 2019 Bruins (Stanley Cup Final), 1993 Kings (division semifinals) and 1988 Bruins (conference final).

Forward Joel Kiviranta, and defensemen Josh Manson, Jack Ahcan and Brent Burns are the only Avalanche players without a goal in the playoffs. Burns is the only one of the four who has played in all nine games. He has three assists.

5. Dobes' pursuit of legendary status

Ken Dryden.

Patrick Roy.

Jakub Dobes?

OK, it's premature to lump the Canadiens rookie goalie with two Hall of Famers who once proudly wore le bleu, blanc et rouge and paraded the Stanley Cup down Sainte-Catherine Street in Montreal when they were young goalies just getting their feet wet in the NHL.

But Dobes is halfway to becoming the third rookie goalie to win the Stanley Cup with the Canadiens after Dryden did it in 1971 and Roy in 1986.

He's doing it in similarly impressive fashion, with a 6-0 record and .938 save percentage in games following a loss and a .957 save percentage in two Game 7s, including 37 saves on 39 shots in Buffalo on Monday.

Dobes is 8-6 with a 2.52 goals-against average and .910 save percentage through two rounds.

Roy was 15-5 with a 1.93 GAA and .923 save percentage in 1986, when the first round was a best-of-5. Dryden went 12-8 with a 3.01 GAA and .914 save percentage in 1971, when the playoffs were three rounds.

6. Goaltending

There are no Vezina Trophy winners or finalists still playing in the playoffs. The goalies remaining are instead a mixed bag.

Carolina's Frederik Andersen is the most experienced having played in 93 playoff games since 2014, including going 8-0 with a 1.12 goals-against average, .950 save percentage and two shutouts in the first two rounds this postseason. He's a Conn Smythe Trophy candidate.

The Hurricanes could turn to Brandon Bussi if necessary. He has never played in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Pyotr Kochetkov is also on the playoff roster. He has played in 10 career postseason games with four starts.

In Colorado, there's Scott Wedgewood and Mackenzie Blackwood, who have combined to appear in 22 playoff games in their careers, including 11 this year. Wedgewood was a career backup until this season.

Vegas' Carter Hart restarted his NHL career this season after being away from the League since Jan. 23, 2024. Hart was one of five players on Canada's 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship gold-medal team who was accused of committing sexual assault in June of that year. All five were found not guilty. 

Hart’s primary backup is Adin Hill, who won the Stanley Cup with Vegas three years ago.

And in Montreal, Dobes is making a name for himself as a rookie, especially in Game 7s.

7. Carolina and the conference final narrative

The Hurricanes are in the Eastern Conference Final for the fourth time since 2019, all under coach Rod Brind'Amour.

They have another chance to make this time different than the past three.

Carolina is 1-12 combined in its previous three (short) visits to this round. It was swept by the Bruins in 2019 and the Florida Panthers in 2023. Last year, the Hurricanes were down 3-0 to Florida, extended the series to Game 5, and lost it, 5-3, at home.

Go back to 2009, when Brind'Amour was still playing for the Hurricanes, and they're 1-16 in the conference final. That year, 17 years ago, they were swept by the Pittsburgh Penguins, who went on to win the Stanley Cup.

The Hurricanes are trying to reach the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2006, when they won the franchise's only championship.

8. Makar's health

Cale Makar's health is of paramount importance to the Colorado Avalanche and their chances of defeating the Golden Knights in the conference final.

Makar, a finalist for the Norris Trophy which goes to the NHL's best defenseman in the regular season, will not play Game 1 on Wednesday because of an undisclosed injury he has been dealing with all postseason.

He has not been skating with the Avalanche on off days or at morning skates, and will miss his first game.=

Makar had to leave Game 5 against the Minnesota Wild with about 10 minutes remaining in the third period after taking a reverse check to his right shoulder. He returned to the game and stayed in it through Brett Kulak's overtime winner, but the way he left created obvious concern.

Colorado's health concerns also extend to defensemen Sam Malinski, Josh Manson and Brent Burns, and forward Artturi Lehkonen.

Malinski and Lehkonen didn't play Games 4 and 5 against the Wild because of upper-body injuries. Manson returned for Games 4 and 5 after missing four games with an upper-body injury. Burns has not missed a game and, frankly, never does.

Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said all of them are expected to be ready for Game 1.

9. Concern over Stone's availability

Mark Stone's ability to play in the Western Conference Final is one of the biggest question marks for the Golden Knights heading into Game 1 on Wednesday.

Stone (lower body) hasn't played since Game 3 against the Ducks, which was May 8. He missed the last three games of the second round and has not practiced with the Golden Knights during the break between rounds.

Vegas coach John Tortorella said he doesn't have an update on Stone's status for Game 1.

Vegas got by without its captain against Anaheim, but the challenge becomes greater against the Avalanche, the Presidents' Trophy winners who are 8-1 in the playoffs.

Stone's health will be a daily story in the series, and it's unlikely there will be many updates provided by the Golden Knights until he plays, or if he's ruled out completely.

10. Canadiens' power play vs. Carolina's penalty kill

Special teams will certainly play a role when the Hurricanes and Canadiens get going, particularly how Montreal's elite power play fares against Carolina's stout penalty kill.

The Canadiens are 25.0 percent with the man-advantage in the playoffs, including 4-for-6 in Games 5, 6 and 7 against the Sabres. They have scored at least one power-play goal in five straight games and six of seven.

Carolina, however, is 95.0 percent on the penalty kill, allowing two goals on 40 times short-handed. The Hurricanes also have a short-handed goal.

The one downfall is Carolina has been short-handed an average of five times in its eight games. It'll be hard for the Hurricanes to maintain their efficient PK if they continue to go to the box at that rate against the Canadiens.