The road to the Stanley Cup is fraught with peril, and much of that peril happens in and around the mouth.

Hockey players earned the gap-toothed stereotype fair and square, so it's never all that surprising when a player takes a puck, glove or stick to the mouth and loses a few teeth in the process -- but this postseason has been off the charts. The Montreal Canadiens/Ottawa Senators series alone stole seven teeth from the mouths of four players.

And it didn't end there. Players have been losing teeth all over the place. It's almost too much to keep track of.

But we have to try, friends. We must. And with that in mind, we introduce NHL tooth watch, our running tally of who's losing teeth and how many they're losing.

Total Teeth Lost this postseason: 16

And here are the incidents that got us to where we are:

BRENT BURNS - May 16

Brent Burns came into the 2013 season looking pretty close to homeless, and after taking a punch to the face at the bottom of a scrum late in Game 2 of the Sharks' series with the Kings, he looked even moreso. He lost two teeth in the fracas.

But hey, it could have been worse. Heck, it has been worse for Burns. He lost four teeth after taking a helmet to the face in December of 2010.

Teeth lost: 2

***

JOHN MOORE - May 16

The New York Rangers' defenceman lost 6 teeth -- 4 upper and 2 lower -- in Game 1 of the Rangers' series with the Boston Bruins after taking a puck to the face.

His quote, just prior to playing Game 2 like nothing had happened: "It feels fine."

Teeth lost: 6

***

DEREK STEPAN - May 12

At the end of Game 6 between the Rangers and the Washington Capitals, Stepan was involved in a minor scuffle with a number of other Rangers and Caps. The fight had no winner, but Stepan was the big loser: he lost one tooth.

Teeth lost: 1

JEAN-GABRIEL PAGEAU - May 5

Pageau's first playoff goal was unforgettable for a number of reasons. It turned out to be one of three he would score on the night, for one thing. For another, he traded a tooth for it. Just as he shot the puck, P.K. Subban's stick caught him in the mouth.

Pageau celebrated the goal by spitting out blood and enamel. Welcome to the playoffs, kid.

Teeth lost: 1

***

CAREY PRICE - May 3

One night after his opponent at the other end, Craig Anderson, lost a tooth, Price accidentally one-upped the Senators' netminder by losing two.

When Jarred Tinordi fell headlong through the crease, his skate caught the Canadiens' goalie in the mouth, chipping two teeth. In a moment of sheer badassery, Price casually skated over to his trainer and handed the teeth to him:

Teeth lost: 2

***

CRAIG ANDERSON - May 2

Anderson took a shot to the mask in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals between his Ottawa Senators and the Montreal Canadiens. The force of the shot was enough to knock one of his front teeth out.

Anderson was all smiles after the game, which gave us plenty of opportunity to see where the tooth used to be.

Teeth lost: 1

***

LARS ELLER - May 2

Eller was hit by Senators' defenceman Eric Gryba after taking a breakout pass midway through the second. Gryba was suspended 2 games for the hit. Eller suffered considerably more, with a concussion, a broken nose, and what sounds like three lost teeth.

Teeth lost: 3