NHL power rankings: Which conference finals team is the best?

The NHL is down to the final four, and two rounds remain before a team gets to lift the Stanley Cup. The No. 1 overall Colorado Avalanche will take on the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference finals, starting on Wednesday, May 20, and the Carolina Hurricanes are facing the Montreal Canadiens the following day in the Eastern Conference finals.

How do the teams rank heading into what are sure to be intriguing series? USA TODAY Sports offers power rankings of the four conference finals teams, plus two Conn Smythe candidates per team in the race for playoff MVP. 4.

Vegas Golden Knights Mitch Marner is leading the playoffs in scoring, Pavel Dorofeyev is leading in goals and coach John Tortorella has Vegas playing the right way. But the Golden Knights' next opponent, the Avalanche, is formidable and it will be hard to advance, especially with Mark Stone out. Conn Smythe candidates: Marner, Dorofeyev 3.

Montreal Canadiens They're more than an upstart team. They're a 100-point team that beat two other 100-point teams. Top players Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki and Ivan Demidov are getting going and Alex Newhook has seven goals, including two Game 7 winners.