From 30 to 16 to eight to four teams, the 2016-17 NHL season has trimmed all the fat.
The conference final round is here and the matchups, while not exactly steeped in rivalry, provide plenty of intrigue. And, best of all, there is no clear-cut favourite to win the Stanley Cup.
OK, let's take a look at the East and West final series through a stats-based lens, first by reviewing some key numbers and then by focusing on one storyline per showdown.
(Note: the ranking system below includes only teams who competed in the second round.