With the conference finals set to begin Friday night, theScore's Sean O'Leary put together the second installment of NHL Playoff Rankings. (Rankings 9-16 unchanged from the last edition.)

1. Winnipeg Jets

It was the seven-game war we all expected, but the Jets' thrashing of the Presidents' Trophy winners in their rink to close out the most anticipated series of the playoffs puts them in the top spot heading into the conference finals.

2. Tampa Bay Lightning

That 6-2 loss to the Bruins in Game 1 sure seems like an eternity ago, doesn't it? After the surprising result, the Bolts quickly found their groove, getting contributions from all areas and looking like the team that led the standings for the majority of the regular season.

3. Vegas Golden Knights

It seems most people are still waiting for the Golden Knights to fall back to earth, yet here they are, four wins from a Stanley Cup Final berth in Year One. On top of stellar netminding from Marc-Andre Fleury, Vegas controls 53.57 percent of expected 5-one-5 goals so far in the playoffs. Why stop now?

4. Washington Capitals

It's hard not to feel good for Ovi and the Caps, finally getting past their mortal enemies in Pittsburgh. Ideally the momentum of slaying their biggest dragon carries them forward, as a draw against the Lightning for Eastern Conference supremacy is yet another tall task.

5. Nashville Predators

Throughout their 117-point regular season, the Predators lost just nine games at home in regulation, which leaves one baffled looking at their three losses to the Jets at Bridgestone Arena in Round 2. Shaky goaltending can sink even the best of teams.

6. Pittsburgh Penguins

You know you've been dominant when a second-round elimination results in a longer-than-usual summer break. Hats off to the Pens, whether you love 'em or hate 'em, falling short of a three-peat can hardly be considered a failure.

7. Boston Bruins

The Bruins got hit hard by injuries at a tough time, helping lead to the demise of an incredibly deep roster that winds up a lick or two short of competing for a championship.

8. San Jose Sharks

Credit where it's due: The Sharks actually managed a playoff win over the Golden Knights, which is more than their in-state rivals can say, but they got shutout twice as well, so that doesn't help their cause.

The rest

• 9. Toronto Maple Leafs
• 10. Colorado Avalanche
• 11. Columbus Blue Jackets
• 12. Philadelphia Flyers
• 13. New Jersey Devils
• 14. Minnesota Wild
• 15. Anaheim Ducks
• 16. Los Angeles Kings

(Photos Courtesy: Getty Images)

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The season is over for the Nashville Predators, but Eeli Tolvanen isn't ready for a break, as the first-year forward will join Finland for the remainder of the World Championship, the team announced Friday.

Tolvanen headed to the Predators in March after finishing his KHL season with Jokerit, for whom he tallied 36 points in 49 games.

The native of Vihti, Finland, appeared in just three games for the Predators, and was held off the scoresheet in each contest. He didn't dress for any of Nashville's 13 playoff games.

The Preds selected Tolvanen with the 30th pick in the 2017 draft.

Finland has won three of its four games thus far at this year's World Championship.

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have named Kyle Dubas their new general manager, succeeding Lou Lamoriello, the club announced Friday.

Upon the expiry of the three-year contract he signed in 2015, the Maple Leafs announced earlier in the month that Lamoriello wouldn't return as GM. Though it was initially announced that the veteran executive would transition into an advisory position with the team, it's now unclear if he intends on fulfilling that role.

Dubas, only 32, is the 17th GM in the history in the franchise. He joined the Maple Leafs in 2014 as an assistant GM after a successful run with the OHL's Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.

Since joining the Maple Leafs, Dubas has also served as the GM for the AHL's Toronto Marlies, helping develop a strong farm system that's bred the likes of William Nylander, Kasperi Kapanen, Andreas Johnsson, and Travis Dermott, among others.

While the Maple Leafs kept the situation largely under wraps, it was long believed the position would come down to Dubas or fellow AGM Mark Hunter, who's also played a key role in the club's recent rebuild.

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With the second round of the playoffs wrapped up and only four teams remaining, we take a look at the leading candidates for the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.

5. Braden Holtby, Washington Capitals

Perhaps the biggest reason the Capitals got the monkey off their back and defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins in Round 2 was that Braden Holtby outplayed his counterpart, Matt Murray. He'll need to do the same against Tampa Bay Lightning netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy if the Caps are to advance to the Stanley Cup Final.

Holtby is coming off the worst regular season of his career, but he's making up for it in a big way this postseason.

4. Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning

The Bolts have won eight games so far in the playoffs and Kucherov has scored in five of them, notching the game-winning tally on three occasions. However, after picking up 10 points against a relatively easy first-round opponent in the New Jersey Devils, Kucherov's production tailed off a bit in the second round against a better Boston Bruins team, which is why he's somewhat low on this list as Tampa Bay's representative.

3. Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals

Ovechkin still managed to be productive during the Capitals' playoff failures, so it's not surprising that he's been playing at an extremely high level during the franchise's deepest postseason run this century.

Arguments can be made that Holtby or Evgeny Kuznetsov have been Washington's most valuable players this postseason, but the Caps march to the beat of Ovechkin's drum. He's the heart and soul of the team, which he leads in both goals and points in these playoffs.

2. Mark Scheifele, Winnipeg Jets

The most impressive part about Scheifele's spectacular performance this spring is that nine of his 11 goals have come away from home, including an NHL-record seven road goals in one series against Nashville - not exactly an easy place to play. He was also clutch when it mattered most in Winnipeg's Game 7 win over the Presidents' Trophy-winning Predators, finding the twine twice.

1. Marc-Andre Fleury, Vegas Golden Knights

Anyone who disagrees with ranking Fleury at the top of this list probably hasn't watched more than a minute of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He's been nothing short of sensational, and has single-handedly stolen four wins. If Vegas is going to continue its miraculous run all the way to the final, Fleury will be the reason why.

And while Scheiefle has been remarkable, Fleury's had a greater impact on the direct outcomes of games, giving him the edge.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)

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The Winnipeg Jets took control of Game 7 against the Nashville Predators and never looked back, winning 5-1. Here are three players who stepped up in the winner-take-all affair, and three who did not.

Studs

Connor Hellebuyck

Hellebuyck was calm, cool, and collected in the Jets' crease, stopping 36 of 37 shots that came his way. The only puck that beat him was off a P.K. Subban power-play blast that went in off the post. Even when the Predators amped up the tempo late, Hellebuyck was there to weather the storm.

Paul Stastny

Maybe the best trade-deadline acquisition of all time? Stastny notched two goals in Game 7, including the game-winner. The Jets generated 62.96 percent of the shot attempts and 66.67 percent of the scoring chances while Stastny was on the ice (at 5-on-5), both of which led the team.

Mark Scheifele

Scheifele had two goals, though one was an empty-netter. It's tough to choose between him and linemate Blake Wheeler since they both had phenomenal games, but Scheifele gets a slight edge. In addition to his nose for the net, he also had three hits and three blocked shots in the contest.

Duds

Pekka Rinne

Game 7 nightmares could keep Rinne up at night all summer long. He allowed two early goals and was yanked less than 11 minutes into the game. To make matters worse, both goals were awfully ugly on his part.

Ryan Ellis

It was also a game to forget for Ellis. He could've been much more aggressive on Statsny's first goal, as he allowed him to walk in and get not one, but two shots on Rinne - even if they were both from a bad angle. He finished with two giveaways, was on the ice for three goals against, and nine scoring chances against at 5-on-5 - the second-most on the team.

Roman Josi

Given that he's paired with Ellis, it's not all that surprising that Josi didn't have his best game, either. He had two giveaways, was on the ice for three goals and a team-high 10 scoring chances against at 5-on-5. We're accustomed to the Josi-Ellis pairing controlling the game and driving offense, but they failed to do that when it mattered most.

(Advanced stats courtesy: Natural Stat Trick)

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)

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In P.K. Subban's eyes, Pekka Rinne is not responsible for the Nashville Predators' demise in Game 7.

The club fell to the Winnipeg Jets 5-1 on home ice in a game highlighted by Rinne, who was pulled early in the first period after allowing two goals on seven shots.

Rinne claimed postgame that he felt he had let his team down, but Subban wasn't having it.

"Critics that want to criticize him don't know what they're talking about, I don't care if they played in the NHL or not," Subban said, per Brady Trettenero of the Nation Network. "He's the backbone of our hockey club and he's one of the main reasons we're here.

"I'm sick and tired of people always talking about him. He's the backbone of this team. He's the main reason we're here. You talk about top goaltenders in the league it's him, it's (Carey) Price, it's (Andrei) Vasilevskiy, it's (Connor) Hellebuyck, it's these guys. You're lucky to have one of them."

While Subban might not believe Game 7 was Rinne's fault, it's hard not to wonder if the team might have had a better fate in the series had it gotten stronger play from its No. 1 netminder.

Rinne concluded the postseason with a .904 save percentage. The 35-year-old was abysmal at home during the second round, posting an .848 save percentage and 4.93 goals-against average at Bridgestone Arena.

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Pekka Rinne faced the music after faltering in the Nashville Predators' biggest game of the season, taking full responsibility for his lackluster performance.

"It's tough," the veteran goaltender told reporters, including NHL.com's Mike Zeisberger, after the 5-1 loss that eliminated the Predators and sent the Winnipeg Jets to the Western Conference Final.

"It's the most important game of the season and I let the whole team down."

The 35-year-old was pulled just over halfway through the first period after giving up a soft goal to Paul Stastny, the second weak one he gave up while facing only seven shots as the Jets jumped out to a 2-0 lead they would not relinquish.

"It’s a terrible feeling," Rinne added, according to Brooks Bratten of the club's communications department. "You let your teammates down and it’s tough to swallow.”

Rinne's self-deprecation didn't end there.

He struggled on home ice in the series, winning only one of four games and posting subpar peripheral numbers.

Rinne, who in April was named one of three finalists for the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top goaltender, now has one year left on his contract with Nashville.

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With two goals in Game 7, Winnipeg Jets forward Mark Scheifele set an NHL record with his seventh road goal in a single series.

Scheifele did all his goal-scoring in the second round at Bridgestone Arena and in doing so, bested the previous record for road goals in a series that was shared by 10 different players, including Sidney Crosby.

The 25-year-old proved to be the Predators' killer with a whopping 11 points in the seven games. Scheifele now leads the playoffs with 11 goals and paces his team with 16 points.

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