NHL Conference Final Superlatives - The Real MVPs, Letdowns, and Smoke

The conference final field has been set, and the usual playoff myths are already getting stress-tested in real time. Some stars are carrying the load like it is April in a contract year, while a few big names have gone missing when the margin gets razor thin. The bracket has reached the point where every mistake gets magnified, every hot streak gets a lobby full of believers, and every disappointment starts to look a lot more expensive than it did a week ago.