The games have begun. The hubs are abuzz with activity.
And all of a sudden, we have a 16-team bracket to determine a Stanley Cup champion.
A week's worth of play in Toronto and Edmonton has eliminated eight teams—including both the hosts—and sent eight on to battle with the top four seeds in the Eastern and Western conferences, respectively.
A set of best-of-seven series will halve the field from 16 to eight before the field is again whittled to four for the conference finals and the Stanley Cup Finals, which will be played entirely in Edmonton.