The playoff field of 16 has been pared to eight, and the intensity is likely to go up as the NHL's best teams compete in the conference semifinal round of the postseason.
The eventual winner of the Stanley Cup still has a long way to go, but the pretenders have been eliminated and the teams remaining in the competition have proved their ability to win big games.
Two of the more surprising teams in the first round of the playoffs were the Nashville Predators and the St. Louis Blues.
The Preds had the most impressive performance with their 4-0 sweep of the Chicago Blackhawks, the team that many expected to win its fourth Stanley Cup since 2010.