The NHL's final four are set, and if you picked the Nashville Predators, Anaheim Ducks, Pittsburgh Penguins and Ottawa Senators to reach the conference finals, you should buy a lottery ticket.
This year's unpredictable postseason has seen top teams in the East and West both knocked out, while a seventh and eighth seed remain standing, which makes for a pair of intriguing matchups with a trip to the Stanley Cup finals on the line.
Will the underdogs continue their magical runs? Or will the favorites still end up competing for a ring?
Let's have a look at what the key stats in each series tell us about what to expect:
Nashville Predators vs. Anaheim Ducks
Head to head:
Oct. 6: Ducks win 6-1
Nov. 12: Predators win 5-0
March 7: Ducks win 4-3 (SO)
Nashville strength: 53.5 percent Corsi for percentage, 66.7 percent goals for percentage with P.K. Subban on the ice in first two rounds
Stats that show puck dominance is no surprise for Subban, who posted a terrific 55.0 Corsi for percentage during the regular season, and has carried that excellence into the playoffs. Nashville's explosive blueliner is the centerpiece of the league's best defense corps, and he is flanked by terrific shutdown defender Mattias Ekholm on the first pair.
The 1A pair of Ryan Ellis and Roman Josi can be just as challenging for opponents. Ellis and Josi each have four goals, which leads Nashville's playoff scoring.
Nashville weakness: Potential regression for Pekka Rinne's .951 playoff save percentage
The Predators haven't shown many weaknesses in the postseason, running over the Chicago Blackhawks in four games and handling the St. Louis Blues in six. Rinne's outstanding play hasn't been the only reason for their success, but it's toward the top of the list. It's hard to imagine that the veteran netminder will keep up a .951 save percentage, considering only four goalies have topped .940 en route to the Stanley Cup during the past 20 years, and none of them cleared .950. Nashville has to hope that if Rinne comes back to earth, he doesn't crash hard.
Anaheim strength: 23:55 average time on ice for Ryan Getzlaf
Getzlaf, who hasn't reached the Stanley Cup finals since his second NHL campaign, is doing everything he can to carry the Ducks to their first appearance since 2007. The veteran center should be showing signs of aging by now, but instead he has scored 15 points in 11 playoff games while playing the second-most ice time of any Anahim player -- including defensemen.
Nashville center Mike Fisher, who will likely match up against Getzlaf, is in for an extremely difficult matchup, as the Ducks' captain is still one of the most powerful and skilled players in the game.
Anaheim weakness: Minus-6 penalty differential in the playoffs
For years, the Ducks have been known for their size and aggressiveness, but they will have to be careful in this series. During the regular season, the Predators had a plus-29 penalty differential, which ranked sixth in the NHL. Anaheim will have to find ways to slow down Nashville's fast pace of play without ending up in the box.
The pick: Nashville in seven
You can make a great argument for either team to represent the Western Conference in the Stanley Cup finals. If there's one difference, it might be that Nashville's 5-on-5 offense was more dangerous during the regular season, ranking third in the West in goals for per 60 even-strength minutes, compared to the Ducks, who were seventh.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Ottawa Senators
Head to head:
Dec. 5: Penguins win 8-5
Jan. 12: Senators win 4-1
March 23: Senators win 2-1 (SO)
Pittsburgh strength: 2.81 goals per 60 minutes in the regular season, best in the NHL
From the time Mike Sullivan was named head coach midway through 2015-16, the Penguins have been the NHL's best offensive team. They led the NHL with 2.81 goals for per 60 minutes this season, and put more shots on goal at even strength than any other team. Pittsburgh's three megastars Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel are a nightmare matchup for any opponent, but the Penguins' youth movement has played an integral role in their success. Young forwards Jake Guentzel, Conor Sheary and Bryan Rust have all shown the ability to come up with key goals in big games.
Pittsburgh weakness: No Penguins defenseman with over 50 percent Corsi for percentage
Kris Letang was sorely missed against the Capitals, as Washington dominated the puck for large portions of the Penguins' Round 2 series. Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury was strong enough in net to make up the difference, but Pittsburgh will need its blue line to help control play against the Senators. One thing working in the Penguins' favor is that Ottawa ranked 22nd in Corsi for percentage during the regular season, which is a far cry from the fourth-ranked Capitals.
Ottawa strength: Erik Karlsson's 13 points in 12 games
If there were a Conn Smythe Trophy for the MVP of the first two rounds, it would likely go to Karlsson, who has put on a masterful performance while flirting with 30 minutes per game. By the regular-season numbers, the Senators weren't as strong as either of their previous opponents, the Boston Bruins and New York Rangers, but they had the best player on the ice in both series. With Karlsson on the ice, Ottawa took 58 more shot attempts than the B's and Blue Shirts, and outscored them by seven.
Ottawa weakness: Out-chanced 79-59 during playoffs (via Corsica Hockey)
Without Karlsson, the Senators have been a completely different team. They have been outscored 16-7 and out-chanced 58-33 with the Swedish star on the bench. No matter how many minutes the former Norris Trophy winner plays, it might not be enough to make up the difference against the Penguins, who run four lines of offensive producers. While the Sens have overachieved, there are plenty of candidates on the roster to improve in Round 3. Karlsson is the only double-digit playoff scorer thus far. Proven offensive producers like Bobby Ryan, Derick Brassard, Mike Hoffman and Mark Stone will need to rise to the occasion.
The pick: Pittsburgh in five
If there is any factor that could turn this matchup into a long series, it's goaltending. Craig Anderson is one of the most underappreciated netminders in the NHL, and he has been up to the task so far.
But as long as the Penguins have enough left in the tank to play their uptempo game after surviving a seven-game series with the Capitals, they should roll over the inferior Senators, even if Karlsson is playing the best hockey of anyone in the postseason.