"I was on such a high there for two minutes."

After a tense, back-and-forth thriller, the Carolina Hurricanes scored the overtime game winner in Game 2 of their first-round series on a delayed penalty, as Mark Jankowski jumped over the boards as an extra skater and banged home a rebound past Linus Ullmark.

At least, that's what the team thought had happened.

As the team mobbed around Jankowski, the on-ice officials started to gather around the penalty box and the Ottawa Senators weren't leaving the bench either.

Soon enough, it became clear to the nearly 20,000 attendees at Lenovo Center's Monday night game that the goal was under review.

After five minutes of deliberation, official Furman South broke from the huddle and took to center ice.

He flipped on his microphone and, much to the dismay of the home crowd, announced that the play had originally been offside 30 seconds earlier and that the goal was being rescinded. 

The NHL situation room had deemed that while Jordan Staal had possession of the puck as he crossed the blueline, he did not have full control of puck, thereby making the play offside.

"I pick up the puck, I look up where Marty is and apparently I lost control of it," Staal said. "And then I make a nice pass to Marty for a breakaway... I don’t really get it. To call back an overtime goal for that is..."

However, it wasn't all for naught, as Jordan Martinook was to be awarded a penalty shot for the call he had initially drawn, just the fifth time ever in NHL history that one had been awarded in overtime of a playoff game.

As "Rockstar" by Nickelback blared across the speakers, Martinook composed himself at the opposite blueline, waiting for the official's signal.

Once he got it, he collected the puck, cut to the left, cut back to the middle and snapped one glove-side on Ullmark. 

But it wasn't to be, as the big Swede stymied the Hurricanes alternate captain, keeping the game alive.

"I felt pretty bad when I didn't score that one," Martinook said. "I was trying to tell them we needed the power play and not the penalty shot."

Fate has a funny way of showing itself though and after nearly another full overtime period, Martinook would once again be given the chance to end it and this time, he delivered. 

"I'd be lying if I said I picked my head up and looked and picked the corner," Martinook said. "At that point, you're just trying top put as many pucks on net as you can. I felt we kind of had them on the run a little bit and Fly made a great play in the middle and I just got it and ripped it. Luckily it went in."

From the terrible low of thinking you may have just cost your team to the jubilant highs of your first ever playoff overtime goal.

"I didn't feel very good about myself after that penalty shot," Martinook said. "The intermission felt really long and it was going to be a long night if that penalty shot came back to bite me. That was cool though. I'm happy it worked out that way. Hockey's crazy. Sport's are crazy. Being able to score after that, I'll tell my grandkids about that one, that's for sure."

"You couldn’t have written it any better," Staal said. "What a shot. The place was electric, so it was super fun. Definitely in the memory bank."

"Just happy for Marty," Brind'Amour said. "It's nice to see him get that recognition for a game like that.

---

Game 2 of the Carolina Hurricanes' first-round series against the Ottawa Senators couldn't have been more different than Game 1.

After a tight, but straight forward 2-0 shutout, the Canes and Sens flipped the script en route to a double overtime thriller.

In Game 1, the two teams combined for two goals, 51 shots on goal and 114 shot attempts.

In Game 2, both teams found themselves all of a sudden with a lot more space and a lot more time as the final counts were five total goals, 85 shots on goal and 208 shot attempts.

The trio of Logan Stankoven, Jackson Blake and Taylor Hall were once again doing their thing — as the three combined for the Canes' first goal on the power play, with Stankoven notching his second of the postseason — and even Sebastian Aho got involved too as he scored off of a nice rush play set up by Staal. 

But the tale of the tape for this game was the outstanding performances put on by both netminders.

Frederik Andersen had a little hiccup on the game-tying goal as a Dylan Cozens shot from well outside the circles and from a bad angle beat him five-hole, but outside of that he was tremendous.

"You're gonna make mistakes," Andersen said. "Everyone does. But it's about what's next. Obviously we had to play a lot going forward. Just refocused and get ready for the next one."

Andersen would stop all 15 of the shots he faced in overtime, including multiple in-tight and in-alone looks, and was credited with 2.67 goals saved above expected for the game according to Natural Stat Trick.

On the other side, Linus Ullmark was sensational too, stopping 43 total shots and saving 2.24 goals above expected.

In fact, it was Ullmark's save on Taylor Hall in the second period that was really the turning point of the game for Ottawa.

If Hall scores there, Carolina goes up 3-0 and probably easily wins in regulation.

Instead, the Senators were given life and they scored their first goal just 1:14 after the miraculous save as Drake Batherson got a fortunate bounce.

The Sens would keep pushing from there and eventually tie the game, but Andersen wasn't going to be beat again, setting the stage for Martinook's thrilling goal.

"Every moment matters, and any situation, it's right then and there," Andersen said. "You just prepare like you would any other shot and every time you make a save, you give the boys a new chance to score."

The Hurricanes will now take their 2-0 series lead onto the road as they head to Ottawa to try and steal a game.

'Hockey's Crazy': Jordan Martinook, Logan Stankoven, Frederik Andersen, Jordan Staal, Rod Brind'Amour On Game 2 OT WinStaal, Martinook, Stankoven, Andersen, and Brind'Amour break down the wild Game 2 overtime thriller. Hear their candid reactions.

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Jordan Martinook notched the game-winner in double overtime to lead the Carolina Hurricanes to a 3-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Monday night at the Lenovo Center. The win gives Carolina a 2-0 lead in this playoff series and allows them to keep their home ice advantage.

The Canes thought they had won the game in the first overtime when Mark Jankowski ripped in a goal, but after a long review, it was ruled that Jordan Staal was offsides on the play because the desk in Toronto determined that he did not have control of the puck when he crossed the blueline.

Staal was not happy with the controversial call and said post game that he looked to pass the puck to Martinook, he did not feel like he lost possession or control. Poor Mark Jankowski said that he was on cloud nine for about two minutes when he celebrated his supposed goal.

Martinook had been the victim of a penalty earlier and weirdly enough, was awarded a penalty shot after the offsides decision. He missed the shot so he was certainly looking for redemption afterward and eventually got it.

When asked after the game how difficult was it to recover after celebrating and thinking you had won the game, to settling back down to the business and seriousness of playing hockey, “Try shooting a penalty shot right after that!” Martinook quipped.

The game started off with fast skating and hitting for both teams. The Canes took the lead off another goal by Logan Stankoven, who has been red hot since the Olympic break. He got a perfect pass by Taylor Hall, who set him up on the powerplay.

In the second period, the Hurricanes jumped to a 2-0 lead when Jordan Staal led Sebastian Aho, who made no mistake. This was another shorthanded goal for Carolina, who leads the league with shorties.

The Sens would strike back though with two goals of their own later in that period.

Ottawa came close to scoring several times in this game but had the worse luck as the puck either hit the crossbar or post or stopped just short of the goal line. Fred Andersen let in a goal he wished he didn’t on goal number two, but he was scrambling and played very well afterward, especially in the overtime periods.

In all, he made 37 saves on 39 shots.

Linus Ullmark played lights out in his own right, making several high level saves throughout. He made 43 saves on 46 Carolina shots.

It is late so I’m going to wrap this up and choose a “Player of the Game” later. The Canes will take Tuesday off before a practice on Wednesday and a flight to Ottawa.

Game Summary – https://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20252026/GS030132.HTM

Event Summary – https://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20252026/ES030132.HTM

Interviews –

Postgame notes and interviews from Carolina's 3-2 2OT win over the Ottawa Senators on Monday in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference First Round. https://t.co/MgTISD3788

The Hurricanes will not practice on Tuesday. General Manager Eric Tulsky will be available to the media at…

— Hurricanes PR (@CanesPR) April 21, 2026

Jordan Martinook made amends after an earlier overtime opportunity went awry by scoring with 6:07 remaining in the second OT, lifting the Carolina Hurricanes to a 3-2 victory in Game 2 on Monday, April 20.

Martinook scored coming down the slot to end the game and send the Hurricanes to a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Logan Stankoven and Sebastian Aho scored the first two goals for Carolina. Frederik Andersen made 36 saves for the win.

Drake Batherson and Dylan Cozens had Ottawa's goals, with Jake Sanderson assisting on both tallies. Goalie Linus Ullmark seemed dialed in to steal a victory for Ottawa, making 43 saves.

JORDAN MARTINOOK WINS IT FOR THE HURRICANES IN DOUBLE OT 🤯 pic.twitter.com/AbE5BkaX7m

— ESPN (@espn) April 21, 2026

The Hurricanes appeared to win it on a Mark Jankowski goal with 2:42 left in the first overtime, but an offside ruling after a video review negated the score and reset the clock to slightly more than three minutes. Yet Martinook was awarded a penalty shot as part of the sequence, with Ullmark making the stop to extend the game.

Game 3 is Thursday night in Ottawa.

There were stretches, including in overtime, when Ullmark and Andersen seemed to take turns making game-saving stops. Ottawa's Tim Stutzle nearly ended it in OT, but his shot bounced off the post.

Stankoven converted on the game's first power play 6:31 into the game off a feed from Taylor Hall, who was stationed behind the net. Stankoven has scored the first goal in both games in the series. Ottawa's Brady Tkachuk was in the penalty box for roughing.

Aho's first goal of the postseason came 7:50 into the second period in transition after he took a pass from Jordan Staal.

Ullmark's recovery for a save on Hall's blast prevented Carolina from taking a three-goal lead.

The Senators didn't score for the first 90 minutes of the series, and then they notched two goals in less than a six-minute stretch.

Batherson scored by shoveling the puck into the net after a deflection ended back near his stick on the left side of the net.

Cozens pulled the Senators even with 3:20 to play in the second period.

The pace was much accelerated from Game 1, with the Hurricanes holding a 28-16 edge in shots through two periods. The Senators outshot Carolina 8-5 in the scoreless third, which was played without a penalty called.

Stars 4, Wild 2

Wyatt Johnson scored twice as the Dallas Stars tied their series against the Minnesota Wild 1-1.

Johnson scored the opening goal and an empty netter as the Stars overcame a 6-1 loss in Game 1. Brock Faber scored twice for the Wild.

Game 3 is Wednesday in Minnesota.

Oilers 4, Ducks 3

Kasperi Kapanen scored twice, including the game-winner, as Edmonton won its opener.

Leon Draisaitl had two assists in his return from a 14-game injury absence.

Jason Dickinson also scored twice for the Oilers and Troy Terry scored twice for Anaheim.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hurricanes' Jordan Martinook scores in 2OT to beat Senators

Jordan Martinook's goal 13:53 into the second overtime gave the Carolina Hurricanes a 3–2 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Monday night. The victory gives the 'Canes a 2–0 lead in their first-round Stanley Cup Playoff series.

Linus Ullmark made 33 saves in regulation and 44 overall in what was likely his finest performance since joining the Senators in the summer of 2024.

For Ottawa, this wild, exciting, exhausting game didn’t start much better than it ended.

Just over five minutes in, Brady Tkachuk was called for a neutral-zone shove on Sebastian Aho, and the Hurricanes capitalized. Logan Stankoven, sitting alone in the slot, quickly ripped home a centering pass to make it 1–0.

In the second period, Tim Stützle's errant pass led to an odd-man rush. Jordan Staal’s pass went off Thomas Chabot’s skate, and Aho deflected it past Ullmark with his skates to double the lead.

Shortly after the Senators passed the midway point of the game (and series) without a goal, they finally caught a break.

Drake Batherson, at the side of the net, attempted a centering pass, but the puck bounced off a defender right back to him. He quickly shoveled it into a nearly empty net to cut the lead in half.

Almost six minutes later, Dylan Cozens tied the game at two with what appeared to be a harmless shot along the ice that slipped through Frederik Andersen’s pads. Cozens may have fanned on the attempt, which seemed to momentarily freeze Andersen.

Ottawa carried that momentum into the third period and controlled the pace of play, but their puck luck was done for the night. The period closed with yet another unreal Ullmark save, one of many he made in the game.

With under six minutes to play in overtime, Stützle had a chance to put the game away, but after a slick feed from Tkachuk, he beat Andersen but not the goalpost. It was the second time in the game Stützle had Andersen completely at his mercy.

Then, in the wildest series of events, Carolina's Jordan Martinook took a stick in the hands area while on a breakaway, which led to a delayed penalty on Ottawa.

With the extra attacker, the 'Canes scored what appeared to be the game-winning goal. But after Ottawa challenged the goal for offside, the review showed that Jordan Staal had put himself offside, crossing the line first without clear control of the puck.

But the penalty being called was going to be an overtime penalty shot for Martinook, which, by rule, apparently still stood, even though it happened after the offside.

Ullmark stood tall once again, stopping Martinook's wrist shot, and the Sens brought the game back from the dead for a second time.

With under nine minutes to play in the second overtime, Michael Amadio broke in all alone and tried to roof it. The puck just grazed Andersen's shoulder, and it fluttered off the post.

For all the help he got from his posts on Monday, Andersen had better spring for a new coat of red paint or something. The Sens struck iron five times on the night.

Then, as it so often goes, a minute after Amadio was a millimetre from being a hero, Carolina transitioned back and Martinook made no mistake with his shot this time, beating a screened Ullmark.

Unlike their last double-overtime loss nine years ago in Game 7 of the Eastern Final against Pittsburgh, there's still plenty of hockey left in this series, with the next two games back in Ottawa, but their margin for error is gone.

After a wild, emotional game like that, it will be interesting to see how the Senators respond in Game 3 on Thursday night.

Steve Warne
The Hockey News

After dropping Game 1 at home in rather unceremonious fashion, the Pittsburgh Penguins entered Game 2 against the Philadelphia Flyers in what was as close to a must-win situation as they could get without actually being in involved in an elimination game. 

As it turns out, not much changed from one game to the next.

In Game 2, the Flyers ousted the Penguins, 3-0, in yet another frustrating, disjointed effort by the team. Pittsburgh was able to generate a bit more in terms of shots, as they outdid Philly in that department with a 27-23 advantage, but it was not nearly enough to rattle Dan Vladar, who earned his second-straight win between the pipes for the Flyers. 

"You have to give [Vladar] credit. He made some big saves as well," Penguins' head coach Dan Muse said. "But we can be doing things here to be getting better quality. Better quality, and just more in general. So that falls on us."

The game was, once again, scoreless after one, and there wasn't a whole lot of space out there - especially in the neutral zone - to begin this game. There were only seven total shots on goal in the first period, and Philadelphia was credited with five of them. This was despite the fact that the Penguins had three power play opportunities.

And, just like Game 1, much was the same for the first half of the second period, even if the Penguins did generate some chances. Bryan Rust hit iron a few minutes in, and Egor Chinakhov had an opportunity from the slot that he simply just whiffed on. 

After the Penguins failed to score during that stretch, it was only a matter of time before the Flyers took advantage of mistakes. About 13 minutes into the second, A TV timeout gave the Flyers a chance to reset after a strong wave of o-zone pressure from the Penguins, and they were able to generate a strong shift in the offensive zone for, really, the first time in the middle frame. The result was a Porter Martone goal on a nice seam pass across the low slot from Travis Konecny, and the Flyers took the 1-0 lead. 

Takeaways: Penguins Drop Game 1 To Flyers In Sloppy EffortThe Pittsburgh Penguins dropped their Game 1 tilt against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday, as they had trouble generating offense and neutralizing the Flyers' counterattack.

However, Luke Glendening took a cross-checking penalty a couple of minutes later, putting the Penguins on their fourth power play at a crucial moment in the game. They could not get anything generated, and conversely, Philadelphia pressured in the Penguins' zone on the penalty kill. Garnet Hathaway essentially had a tap-in opportunity from Owen Tippett due to some blown coverage by the Penguins' second unit, and the shorthanded goal put the Flyers up, 2-0.

Hath finds a way. #IgniteTheOrangepic.twitter.com/BFWK7mfMlF

— x - Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) April 21, 2026

That was, really, the nail in the coffin. The Penguins did generate some good looks in the third period, but it was simply not enough, and Glendening added the empty-netter with two minutes remaining in regulation. 

"When we sustained some zone time, when we moved the puck to open areas and separated ourselves a little bit from their tight checks - and, you know, their good defensive work - something will eventually open up," Erik Karlsson said. "It's really hard to defend in this league with the way everybody's skating these days, and we just don't do enough of it.

"Come the end of the second to third period, you knew they have a little bit more energy than we do, and that starts right from the beginning."

The Penguins will head to Philadelphia to face the Flyers in Game 3 on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. ET. Pittsburgh trails in the series, 2-0.

GAME BLOG: Pittsburgh Penguins V. Philadelphia Flyers, Game 2Follow along with the THN - Pittsburgh Penguins' LIVE game blog for Round 1, Game 2 against the Philadelphia Flyers

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Three Takeaways:

- This power play is their undoing right now, and it's a serious problem. 

The Penguins' man advantage is now 0-for-7 in this series, and it has cost them momentum in both of these hockey games. They had plenty of chances to establish an early lead in the first period, and they were barely able to set up against a bottom-10 penalty kill during the regular season. And, when they did, they either missed the net or attempted an ill-advised pass.

They had one shot across five power plays today. That's simply not good enough. Philadelphia legitimately generated more on the penalty kill against them. The unit is entirely disjointed, there's way too much perimeter play, and they're fumbling way too many opportunities to get pucks on net.

And, as the cherry on top, the shorthanded goals continue to be a legitimate problem from this unit.

"I said it before. I think there's different things every time, but there has to be awareness on the power play," Muse said. "It doesn't matter who you're out there against. Which team. They get the puck, they're going to be on the attack, and I think we have to have awareness of what's behind us."

I don't know if there is a quick fix for the power play, whether personnel-wise or strategy-wise. But something needs to change between Game 2 and Game 3; otherwise, it could very well be the primary reason they get eliminated.

'We're Going To Get It Right Overwhelmingly': NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman Talks Goaltender Interference Ahead Of Penguins-Flyers Game 2NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman took to the podium ahead of Game 2 between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers and spent a good chunk of time talking about the goaltender inteference controversy, reiterating that the league gets the calls right "overwhelmingly."

- Once again, Stuart Skinner was outstanding in this game, and he deserves a lot more support from the team in front of him. 

He made a ten-bell save on a shorthanded 2-on-0 opportunity during the third period on Glendening that would have given the Flyers two in the game and an earlier 3-0 lead. He stopped a third-period penalty shot by Owen Tippett to continue giving his team a chance to come back in this one. He made a lot of key saves in the second period as well.

For the first time in a while during the playoffs, the Penguins are actually getting really solid goaltending. Skinner is literally doing everything he can to keep them in this series. 

Once again, he has earned the next start. This series could be looking much, much uglier right now without him, and if there's a silver lining through these first two, that's it. If the Penguins can simply start scoring goals, they should be in good shape.

Stuart Skinner makes a great stop to keep the Penguins within two.

🎥: Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/puO7koMTl8

— Daily Faceoff (@DailyFaceoff) April 21, 2026

- And the Penguins won't start scoring goals if their top-six can't figure things out. 

Sidney Crosby has not looked anything close to himself in these first two games, and the case is the same with Rust, Karlsson, Tommy Novak, and Evgeni Malkin. Even Chinakhov looks off. Everything about the top-six is off, and trickling further down the lineup, too, I don't think Anthony Mantha or Connor Dewar have played particularly well, either. 

Muse did adjust the lines in the third period for good, slotting Rickard Rakell back up with Crosby and Rust and Chinakhov back alongside Malkin and Novak, and that seemed to help a little bit. But, simply put, if these guys can't get going, the Flyers are going to make quick work of this series. 

It's easy to tell frustration is starting to boil over. Tensions were high throughout the game, and especially at the end, when Mantha, Kris Letang, Noel Acciari, and Parker Wotherspoon were all assessed misconducts.

They need to turn the page, work it out in practice Tuesday, and not let the frustration seep into the next one. 

"There should be frustration," Muse said. "We should be frustrated. We just lost two games at home, and so I think with frustration comes, 'How are you going to respond?' I would hope every single guy in that room, entire staff... nobody's happy right now. Nobody should be. 

"Tomorrow, we're going to have to make a decision in terms of, are we going to stay with this? Stay with what we want to do? Get to our game, which we haven't gotten to in two games? Or are we going to let frustration continue to boil over into the next one? That's a choice that we, together, and all of us, including myself, are going to make here, hopefully, in the next 24 hours."

'I Don't Think Anybody's Panicking Here': Penguins Discuss Keys To Managing Emotions In Stanley Cup PlayoffsThe Pittsburgh Penguins have excelled at "turning the page" all season long - and they will have to continue that trend heading into Game 2 against the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday.

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NHL hits leader Yakov Trenin had to go to the dressing room after absorbing a massive hit on Monday, April 20.

The Minnesota Wild forward had just received a pass as he skated up ice when the Dallas Stars' Colin Blackwell stepped into him with a clean hit and sent him flying. Trenin was down on the ice for several minutes as trainers came out to tend to him and hold a towel to his face.

He eventually got up and started skating off the ice with assistance, then by himself.

Trenin was the NHL's leader in hits during the regular season with 413. He had 13 hits in Game 1, a 6-1 Minnesota rout.

Colin Blackwell just destroyed Trenin in open ice#TexasHockeypic.twitter.com/vDsfI3OXi1

— DailyDallasHockey (@DallasStarsDDH) April 21, 2026

Blackwell ranked fourth on the Stars with 112 hits. He's 6 inches shorter and 20 pounds lighter than Trenin.

The Stars won the game 4-2 to tie the first round series at one game each.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Yakov Trenin, NHL's hits leader, crushed by Colin Blackwell check

Pregame

No lineup changes for the Penguins from Game 1, including going back to Stuart Skinner as the starting goalie.

A look at the lines for Game 2 ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/QDN52Ve6xT

— x – Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) April 20, 2026

The Flyers have one change from Game 1, Noah Juulsen is in and Emil Andrae is out on the blueline.

#Flyers warmup lines vs. PIT

Foerster – Zegras – Tippett
Konecny – Dvorak – Martone
Barkey – Cates – Michkov
Glendening – Couturier – Hathaway

Sanheim – Ristolainen
York – Drysdale
Seeler – Juulsen

Vladar starts in net, Ersson backs him up.

— Siobhan Nolan (@SGNolan) April 20, 2026

First period

Penalties are the story of the first period, the teams combine for eight minutes on four minors (three for Philadelphia, one for Pittsburgh) that ends up with the Penguins spending 4:00 of the period on the power play, where they don’t score and mostly don’t come close to doing so.

Other than that, the first period looked like Game 1 in many ways. The Flyers continue to gum things up in the neutral zone and play tight defense. The Penguins did better to cut through the defense at times — shot attempts were 19-5 PIT at one point — but still are unable to make much out of it just only getting two of those 19 attempts on goal. The Penguins are still butting their heads against the wall by attempting low-percentage cross-ice passes frequently. The Flyers are doing the typical Flyer things (Travis Sanheim dove forward and on his butt after feeling a stick in his skates to draw a penalty, Rasmus Ristolainen punched Sidney Crosby in the head after the whistle).

Shots for the period end up 5-2, PHI. Certainly not the style and way that Pittsburgh wants these games to go, it’s still right up the Flyers’ aisle. No goals through 20 minutes.

Second period

The Penguins get caught with six players on the ice 5:34 into the period. That happens before they can manage an official shot on goal in the period but they kill it off without much problems.

The game chugs along for a while, the Pens get some pressure and coming out of a TV timeout put Egor Chinakhov with Evgeni Malkin, Tommy Novak and the third pair defense. That group gets caught on the ice for a 1:30 shift and a bad bounce leads to the first goal. Ryan Shea blocks away a Travis Konecny shot but unfortunately the puck flips out right to Porter Martone. The rookie has a wide open net. 1-0 with 6:21 to play in the second.

Marty Supreme. #IgniteTheOrangepic.twitter.com/DgDSpcYjyb

— x – Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) April 21, 2026

A good shift by the fourth line draws a power play for Pittsburgh with 4:12 left in the period. It leads to disaster with a shorthanded goal against. Owen Tippett wants the puck way more than Tommy Novak, who compounds the mistake of an indirect path to the puck by then colliding with Kris Letang to hand the Flyers a late 2-on-1 down low. Tippett feeds Garnet Hathaway, who matches his regular season goal total of one in the playoffs with an easy finish to extend the PHI lead to 2-0.

Hath finds a way. #IgniteTheOrangepic.twitter.com/BFWK7mfMlF

— x – Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) April 21, 2026

Evgeni Malkin and a Flyer both get their sticks up and contact a Flyer up high, after review Malkin gets two minutes for the high-stick but avoids getting four minutes for not causing the injury.

End of the period and it wasn’t a good one. The Pens fall behind by two goals.

Third period

The Penguins kill off the carryover power play at the start of the period.

The newly reunited Rakell-Crosby-Rust line gets a very good shift, culminating in Sam Girard all alone from the middle getting a good shot that Dan Vladar answered with a big save.

Pittsburgh stacks a couple more good shifts with a second and third line playing well, followed up by Crosby getting a shot. Shots are 6-1 Pens and it’s the Flyers finally having to ice the puck to relieve pressure from the first sustained and decent push that Pittsburgh has made. Konecny hits Crosby once the puck is gone to open the door for yet another Penguin power play.

It starts out with near disaster, Bryan Rust can’t handle a zone entry pass and somehow the Flyers end up with a clean 2-on-0 break after Erik Karlsson misplays it. Skinner stands tall with by far his best save of the game to keep it from totally getting off the rails.

STUART SKINNER WITH A MASSIVE SAVE ❌ pic.twitter.com/Dn2lDp7CCU

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 21, 2026

A little later, Ben Kindel gets a glorious chance but sails a puck well high of the goal.

Karlsson has to water ski on Tippett after the Flyer got behind the defense, the refs award Tippett the rare playoff penalty shot. It goes outside the far post and stays out, still a 2-0 game.

There isn’t a lot more sustained pressure for Pittsburgh, they pull Skinner but there’s no late-game magic to be found this time. Luke Glendening scores on the open net. 3-0 game with 2:05 to go.

Tempers flare in garbage time, Letang gets called for a penalty hitting a Flyer away from the puck. Anthony Mantha feeds Tippett a couple of uppercuts and gets tossed. Letang picks up an extra penalty along the way, ending up in a four minute Flyer power play with 1:47 to go.

a

Tha

Some thoughts

• The Pens’ power play went 7/18 vs PHI during the regular season, it’s at 0/7 for the playoffs with a SHG against tonight. That’s a big problem that’s actively hurting them. Situationally tonight there were some unfortunate circumstances (Erik Karlsson was stuck in the penalty box himself for a chunk of one power play) but there’s not much within the power plays to feel good about how it’s running at the moment.
• Two shots in the first, the team’s lowest playoff output since 2000. Fast starts were such a key to the series, so far the Penguins haven’t been able to get out to anything at all. Another huge, huge issue.
• The Flyers stick with starting the Sean Couturier checking line to open periods, today’s adjustment by Pittsburgh was to throw the Novak-Rakell-Malkin line out there to meet them. It’ll be interesting to see what happens at the start of periods now that the Pens have to make the first selection on the road in Games 3+4. A good bet: the Lizotte fourth line will start to see if Philadelphia will move accordingly to keep Couturier off the ice until a scoring line goes out for the Pens.
• Another reason this game was way too much like Game 1 was the continued struggles of the Girard/Letang pair. Girard doesn’t look like he’s lost confidence but try as he may, he’s not having very many successful puck touches in all three zones. Letang’s struggles have continued.
• Same could be said for Kindel too, he’s got no time or space to do anything and now might be clutching the stick a little too tightly. Subbing in Justin Brazeau isn’t alone going to fix all that ails the lineup right now, the players within it aren’t performing up to a playoff standard right now.
• The Flyers’ teenager, on the other hand, is making a huge difference. Philadelphia had 23 shots on goal today, Martone had six of them and the only 5v5 goal.
• The one good thing is the Flyers’ focus clearly being defensive-minded to layer their defense and often stack three near the blueline is that it’s difficult for them to generate a lot of sustained offense of their own. It’s a tight checking game that almost devolves into which team is going to get a good bounce or find some breakthrough that cracks the ice and forces the action to open up. Today the Flyers got that break out of nowhere (they hadn’t had a shot in 7:28 of game time before scoring).
• It was good to see the lines get switched in the second period, Chinakhov and Crosby had nothing going on at all through a game and a half of these playoffs. The decision to put the Shea-Clifton pair out for an offensive-zone draw coming out of a TV timeout with a scoring line on the ice looked questionable and ended up coming back to bite the Penguins in that instance.
• If you only knew that shot attempts were 75-38 PIT and at one point in the third period were 66-33, you’d be excused to think suggested good things on the scoreboard. That would end up being misleading, especially since the Pens only got 27 of those 75 shots on net and only a handful of them even had remote chances of being goals. The Pens got a bit of pressure at the start of the third period and required Vladar to look alive and make a couple of nice saves but just not nearly enough Grade A chances.

It’s back to the wall time now, the Penguins head on the road for Game 3 on Wednesday night and will need to come up with a lot better play than what they’ve showed so far.

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Fans of the Detroit Red Wings got several up-close and personal looks at former Michigan State Spartans forward Porter Martone, whom the Philadelphia Flyers selected with the sixth overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. 

He picked up his first NHL point earlier this month against the Red Wings in Philadelphia, and picked up another point with several friends from Michigan State in attendance at Little Caesars Arena just days later.

He's already made a considerable impact for the Flyers, who punched their ticket to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2020. 

And now, he's officially made NHL history. 

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features. 

Martone has now scored in consecutive postseason games for the Flyers, and in doing so, became just the 12th teenager in NHL history to score in each of his first two playoff games.

He's already become one of their top forwards at just 19 years of age, showing that the sky truly is the limit for him.

In 35 games played with the Spartans this season before officially signing with the Flyers and making his NHL debut, Martone scored 25 goals with 25 assists. 

He also racked up 78 penalty minutes while posting an impressive plus-24 rating. 

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Ahead of Monday's first-round, Game 2 matchup between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman held a press conference and opened the floor for questions. 

Topics such as the Penguins' ownership sale and another NHL premier event potentially coming to Pittsburgh were big topics of discussion.

But the central topic? Goaltender interference. 

According to a piece written on Mar. 31 - shortly before the conclusion of the regular season - by The Athletic's Shayna Goldman, the success rate for coach's challenges on goaltender interference this season was 35.2, which is the lowest success rate since 2018-19, when it was 26.4 percent. It is also a steep dropoff from last season, which saw a 55.4 percent success rate. 

Goalie interference has been a source of frustration for many NHL teams, coaches, and general managers. But, according to Bettman, they're getting more right than ever before.

"You know, when it was first instituted, we had warned the coaches and managers that this isn't going to be crystal-clear in every situation," Bettman said. "It will be, sort of, a judgment. Whatever your view of the process is, I guarantee you it's much better in terms of getting it right than if we didn't have video replay. There's no question. But the only difference (is) it was originally designed for the most simple case: Somebody skates by the goaltender and hits his glove, but the officials on the ice don't see it. That would be something that's clear-cut when you pick it up in video.

"I think (NHL director of hockey operations) Colin Campbell and his people have done a great job with more and more cameras in the net (behind) the crossbar and overhead. We're going to get it right overwhelmingly. And we'll get a few calls where people will debate them. Depending on your interest in the game, you may have a different view."

LIVE GAME BLOG: Pittsburgh Penguins V. Philadelphia Flyers, Game 2Follow along with the THN - Pittsburgh Penguins' LIVE game blog for Round 1, Game 2 against the Philadelphia Flyers

In addition, Bettman reiterated that it is on the coaches to make the right call when it comes to challenges and only contest calls that are blatantly obvious to overturn. He said that this was a point of discussion when meeting with NHL GMs last summer. 

"I think the issue comes when people hope that a goal will either be confirmed or overturned," Bettman said. "In final analysis, you shouldn't be challenging unless the call is clearly and conclusively wrong one way or the other. And sometimes, strategically, you'll make the call to support your goaltender. Sometimes, you hope you'll get result you want. But, no, goaltender interference - and we've had a few video calls over the weekend, and they were all bang-on.

"Sometimes, the situation room has a view that isn't shown in real-time, or, sometimes, not at all, and we have to tweet it out. But the situation room does a good job. We went through an exercise a year ago with the general managers, and I think we showed 54 examples of what were, quote, 'controversial' coach's challenges. And the general managers, as a group, I think on like 48 or 50 of them, agreed that the right call had been made overwhelmingly, and the three or four where there was some disagreement, the room was pretty split. 

"So, the rule of thumb should be that unless it's conclusively wrong, you shouldn't be challenging it."

'I Don't Think Anybody's Panicking Here': Penguins Discuss Keys To Managing Emotions In Stanley Cup PlayoffsThe Pittsburgh Penguins have excelled at "turning the page" all season long - and they will have to continue that trend heading into Game 2 against the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday.

Bettman doubled down when asked whether or not there was any discussion about a deviation or shift in interpretation of the rule. 

"Listen... When you have a rooting interest or you are, in the moment, very passionate or frustrated, you may challenge a call," Bettman said. "But, in the final analysis, overwhelmingly, they get it right... and this final analysis, it's a judgment call. You know, offsides - other than when it comes to control of the puck - but offsides in terms of where the skate is is a whole lot easier to do because it's more black and white. It's a fine line.

"Goaltender interference is, again, a judgment call, which is why you go with the call on the ice unless it's conclusively wrong."

---

Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!  

Pittsburgh Penguins v. Philadelphia Flyers - Game 2 (PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pa.)  |  Monday, Apr. 20, 2026

Puck Drop: 7:10 p.m. ET

Penguins' projected lines and pairings:

Forwards
Egor Chinakhov - Sidney Crosby - Bryan Rust
Tommy Novak - Rickard Rakell - Evgeni Malkin
Elmer Soderblom - Ben Kindel - Anthony Mantha
Connor Dewar - Blake Lizotte - Noel Acciari

Defensemen
Parker Wotherspoon - Erik Karlsson
Sam Girard - Kris Letang
Ryan Shea - Connor Clifton

Goaltenders
Stuart Skinner (starter)
Arturs Silovs (backup)

Flyers' projected lines and pairings:

Per Siobhan Nolan of THN - Philadelphia Flyers:

Forwards
Travis Konecny - Christian Dvorak - Porter Martone
Matvei Michkov - Noah Cates - Denver Barkey
Tyson Foerster - Trevor Zegras - Owen Tippett
Luke Glendening - Sean Couturier - Garnet Hathaway

Defensemen
Travis Sanheim - Rasmus Ristolainen
Cam York - Jamie Drysdale
Nick Seeler - Emil Andrae

Goaltenders
Dan Vladar (starter)
Samuel Ersson (backup)

---

First period

- Gary Bettman held a press conference prior to the start of the game. Piece to come on that. But here is a bit of a highlight. 

After a question from Taylor Haase of DK Pittsburgh Sports about the success rate of coach's challenges on goaltender interference being low this season, I asked Bettman - who said that he met with NHL GMs last summer regarding the interpretation of goaltender interference - if part of those discussions involved any shift or deviation in the interpretation of goaltender interference that might help explain the low success rate.

Gary Bettman doesn’t think the league has a problem with goaltender interference challenges. Coaches just need to stop challenging the wrong ones. — From Taylor Haase in Pittsburgh pic.twitter.com/JcbQFRxAGt

— DK Pittsburgh Sports (@DKPghSports) April 20, 2026

He said:

"No. I mean, I think... listen. When you have a rooting interest or you are, in the moment, very passionate or frustrated, you may challenge a call. But, in the final analysis, overwhelmingly, they get it right... and this final analysis, it's a judgment call. You know, offsides - other than when it comes to control of the puck - but offsides in terms of where the skate is is a whole lot easier to do because it's more black and white. It's a fine line. Goaltender interference is, again, a judgment call, which is why you go with the call on the ice unless it's conclusively wrong.

"You know, when it was first instituted, we had warned the coaches and managers that this isn't going to be crystal-clear in every situation. It will be, sort of, a judgment. Whatever your view of the process is, I guarantee you it's much better in terms of getting it right than if we didn't have video replay. There's no question. But the only difference (is) it was originally designed for the most simple case: Somebody skates by the goaltender and hits his glove, but the officials on the ice don't see it. That would be something that's clear-cut when you pick it up in video.

"I think Colin Campbell and his people have done a great job with more and more cameras in the net (behind) the crossbar and overhead. We're going to get it right overwhelmingly. And we'll get a few calls where people will debate them. Depending on your interest in the game, you may have a different view."

- Penguins have been playing a bit more in the Flyers' end during thie first period. Still only three shots on goal for each team - and their power play could not convert on three opportunities - but, overall, a much better start to this one than in Game 1.

- The fourth line of Connor Dewar, Blake Lizotte, and Noel Acciari, in particular, have had a nice start to this game. The Flyers are still frustrating the Pens in the neutral zone, but this line has had the most success in terms of zone entries and simplification. 

- END OF FIRST PERIOD - 

Score: 0-0  |  Shots on goal: Philadelphia 5, Pittsburgh 2

---

Second period

- The fourth line had another solid o-zone shift about two and a haldf minutes into the period. The Penguins seem to be making a better effort to get pucks to the net, but they still only have two shots on goal and none this period. Flyers are still clogging up all their lanes.

Still too much happening on the perimeter. The Penguins absolutely need this first goal here. 

- Rust hits the post on a solid shift by the first line. Chinakhov also whiffed on a chance. 

Attack looks a good bit better so far in this period. 

- Pittsburgh penalty, too many men on the ice (5:33). Philadelphia to the power play. No score. 

- Penguins' penalty kill makes quick work of the Flyers' power play. Again, night and day difference between this unit with and without Blake Lizotte. It also helped generate some momentum for the Penguins, who have tilted the ice a bit for the time being. 

- Chinakhov just threw the body a bit on Trevor Zegras, much to the delight of the crowd. A "Zegras sucks" chant rang out afterward.

Pens have the momentum now. 

- Ben Kindel and the third line get mixed up with some Flyers around goaltender Dan Vladar. Kindel has been in the thick of the physicality through these first two games - but, especially, in this one - and it's a great thing to see from the 19-year-old, whose birthday was Sunday. 

There is a lot of energy in this building right now. Pens need to feed off it. 

- GOAL (Philadelphia): Porter Martone (2), from Travis Konecny an Christian Dvorak (13:39). Philadelphia leads Pittsburgh, 1-0. 

- It's really a shame. The Penguins had all the momentum prior to a TV timeout, which gave the Flyers a chance to reset and generate one of their only instances of sustained zone time in the second period. They were cycling , and Martone snuck in down the left side to finish a perfect seam pass by Konecny.

The Penguins need to respond quick and keep on the pressure so Philly can't stack the blue line and deploy an effective neutral zone trap - which was their kryptonite last game. 

- MASSIVE power play for the Penguins coming up with 4:12 to go in the second. Glendening for cross-checking. Penguins trail, 1-0, and head to the man advantage. 

- This power play is a disaster right now. It's absolutely burying the Penguins, and if they lose this series, they could point to this alone as a primary reason why. Passes aren't connecting. Too many long, cross-ice, low-percentage passes. And... a shorty.

Flyers generated more on that penalty kill than the Penguins did on their power play. 

- GOAL (PHILADELPHIA): Garnet Hathaway (1) - SHG, from Owen Tippett (17:43). Philadelphia leads Pittsburgh, 2-0. 

- Fans are booing the home team here at PPG. All the life has been sucked out of the building. The Flyers continue to frustrate the Penguins, and Rick Tocchet's fingerprints are all over it again. 

- Malkin takes a high-sticking penalty that they reviewed and confirmed. Ristolainen's stick got up on Konecny, too, but it appeared that Malkin initiated the play that led to both sticks clashing with Konecny's face. 

Or, at least, that seems to be what the ruling was. 

- END OF SECOND PERIOD -

Score: 2-0 Philadelphia over Pittsburgh  |  Goals from Travis Konecny (PHI) and Garnet Hathaway (PHI)  |  Shots on goal: Philadelphia 17, Pittsburgh 14

---

Third period

- The Penguins needed that kill, and they got it. Crosby mentioned after last game that the Penguins wanted to make sure they were supporting their PK more and feeding off the momentum from that unit. 

Girard was stopped on a point-blank chance from the shot shortly after. 

- The top-six has been switched around. 

Chinakhov is now with Malkin and Novak on the second line, and Rakell has bumped back up to the first line with Crosby and Rust.

It's way past time for this, but the Malkin line has generated a bit so far in the third. 

- Chinakhov came in with speed and almost created a scoring chance for himself. Lost a handle on the puck as he broke away from Philly's defense. 

- Crosby with a one-time blast. The Penguins' first line has come to life. They are playing with desperation and energy and need one soon here. 

Much more smooth operation with this set of lines. They're finally not galaxy-braining it. 

Also, Penguins now lead in shots, 20-18, with 14:21 to go. 

- Rust misses a pretty wide-open chance on the backhand just after this off the faceoff.

- Crosby is "chatting" with Konecny and Sanheim at center ice. Stirring it up. Gets the crowd going. Penguins to the power play, as Konecny goes to the box (6:31). Penguins to the power play. They trail, 2-0. 

- Stuart Skinner absolutely bails out Erik Karlsson on an errant neutral zone pass on the power play. Went post-to-post for a save on Glendening. Remember that save if the Penguins come back in this one.

Talk about the game with Pens fans here!

Flyers rip off two road wins to open playoffs, put Penguins on their heels originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

PITTSBURGH — Rick Tocchet talked about the importance of the Flyers not feeling too comfortable with a series lead.

The head coach had liked his team’s businesslike approach after its Game 1 win. That sure seemed to pay off Monday night.

The Flyers blanked the Penguins, 3-0, at PPG Paints Arena to take a 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven first-round matchup. Tocchet’s club stunned a lot of people by winning the first two games on the road.

“Coming in here, in a building like this and taking the first two games, it’s huge,” Owen Tippett said. “We’re really excited to get home, but we’re staying even-keeled.”

Dan Vladar was terrific again, providing his first shutout with the Flyers.

Porter Martone delivered another goal, giving him two in two career playoff games. He’s just 19 years old and not even a month out of college.

“It’s pretty impressive,” Travis Konecny said. “There are not a lot of guys that can come in and make the impact that he has. Especially in the games leading up to making the playoffs, how important those were, and for him to be able to jump in, I think it just speaks to not his hockey ability, but how he wants to learn.”

After Martone handed the Flyers a 1-0 lead in the second period, Garnet Hathaway struck a little over four minutes later at shorthanded. Tippett made a determined and skillful play to find Hathaway for the 2-0 lead.

tbh can't stop won't stop thinking about this Owen Tippett shift pic.twitter.com/6KevfXrbCe

— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) April 21, 2026

The Flyers fended off Pittsburgh in the third period. Luke Glendening’s empty-net goal sent fans to the exits.

Tocchet’s club now comes home to what should be a raucous Xfinity Mobile Arena.

The Flyers won the opening two games of a playoff series for the first time since 2012. Ironically, they did it against the Penguins then, too. The Flyers won that first-round series in six games.

Going back to Feb. 26 of the regular season and including the start to these playoffs, the Flyers have won 20 of their last 27 games. In that span, they’ve allowed just 2.26 goals per game.

“It’s a series and it’s a war,” Noah Cates said before the game. “A little crack can go a long way, whether you see it on a team or kind of your body language and stuff like that. So you’ve just got to be strong mentally and physically, do all the right things and do it over and over to break them down little by little.”

The scene at PPG Paints Arena ahead of Flyers-Penguins Game 2. pic.twitter.com/CUeEwS6mkp

— Jordan Hall (@JHallNBCS) April 20, 2026

• Vladar denied all 27 shots he faced.

The 28-year-old really closed the door in the third period when Pittsburgh made a concerted push. Vladar had a message for his team during a break in the period.

“They were coming in waves at us and he said, ‘We’re OK, guys don’t worry about it, relax,'” Tocchet said. “He says that, he’s the goalie, he’s getting peppered a little bit, it means a lot.”

With under seven and a half minutes to go, Vladar stopped a redirection by Evgeni Malkin when the Flyers lost the winger backdoor.

He had a massive save on Samuel Girard early in the third period.

“He has been like that all year for us,” Tocchet said. “Guys enjoy playing for him. He comes by the bench, he’s talking to the players. A lot of guys aren’t used to goalies talking that much, but that’s the way Vladdy is; I love his personality. He’s a fun guy to coach, I’ll tell you that.”

The Flyers played with fire a bit in the first period when they put the Penguins on the power play three times. They weren’t hurt, though, keeping the game scoreless going into intermission.

Travis Sanheim did a nice job to negate one of the power plays when he put pressure on Pittsburgh up ice and drew a tripping penalty on Erik Karlsson.

The Flyers’ penalty kill went a perfect 5 for 5.

“It was a goofy game for us, there were a lot of penalties, they had three or four power plays early, guys get out of the game,” Tocchet said. “Sometimes in the playoffs, you’ve got to win those ugly games. It was an ugly game for us.”

Penguins netminder Stuart Skinner stopped 20 of 22 shots.

He denied Tippett on a penalty shot in the third period, but the Flyers got their insurance with Glendening’s empty-netter.

More: Flyers start playoffs with sweet new shirt that ‘says a lot’

Looks like some Flyers fans have a 3.8 percent sign. pic.twitter.com/1IsrNkliBQ

— Jordan Hall (@JHallNBCS) April 20, 2026

• Martone just continues to open eyes.

“He fit in right away, he’s a confident kid,” Christian Dvorak said. “He has been huge for us. To show that confidence straight from college is very impressive.”

For Martone to be making this much of an impact already is super promising for the Flyers. Konecny and Dvorak made strong plays to assist his game-opening goal.

Tippett and Hathaway then took the air totally out of the building when they connected.

Hathaway’s style of play is built for the playoffs. The veteran winger finished with two points.

“We talk about it a lot as a group — how can you bring it each shift to help this team,” Hathaway said. “I love it. If you’re not jacked up out there, you’ve got to check your pulse or something.”

More: Dvorak ‘fits in everywhere’ with Flyers, a team he believed could make playoffs

• After holding Sidney Crosby scoreless in Game 1, the Flyers pulled it off again.

They’ve quieted No. 87 so far.

Crosby, of course, has been the ultimate Flyers killer. He owns 139 points (60 goals, 79 assists) in 93 career regular-season games against the Flyers. In the playoffs, he has put up 36 points (15 goals, 21 assists) in 25 career meetings with the Flyers.

• Noah Juulsen entered the lineup for Emil Andrae, who missed the game because of an upper-body.

Andrae didn’t practice Sunday. He has been considered day to day.

• The series shifts to Philadelphia for Game 3 on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).

It’ll mark the Flyers’ first playoff action on home ice since 2018; the 2020 postseason was forced into the bubble because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs are officially underway. While the Vancouver Canucks will not be taking part in the post-season — unsurprisingly — there are quite a few former Canucks who will look to make their mark as they pursue the Stanley Cup with their current teams. Here are the former Canucks taking part in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs in the Western Conference. 

Central Division 

Tyler Myers, Dallas Stars 

A Canuck for nearly seven full seasons, Myers’ upcoming post-season with the Dallas Stars will be his first stint in the playoffs since Vancouver’s run in 2023–24. The defenceman was one of two long-time members of Vancouver’s roster who were traded ahead of the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline, with Conor Garland being the other. 

Myers has made the post-season seven times through his NHL career, with two of these occasions coming as a member of the Canucks. The defenceman also took part in playoff runs with the Buffalo Sabres (2009–10 and 2010–11) and Winnipeg Jets (2014–15, 2017–18, and 2018–19) through his career. Prior to the Sabres’ first playoff game on Sunday, Myers was the only active NHL player to have played in a playoff game for the Sabres. 

Casey DeSmith, Dallas Stars 

Also on Dallas’ playoff squad is DeSmith, whose lone season with the Canucks resulted in a playoff run. The Stars goaltender has played in three different post-seasons — one for the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2021–22, the Canucks in 2023–24, and the Stars in 2024–25. He has registered a combined five games played in through these three playoff runs. 

Vancouver first acquired DeSmith via trade at the start of the 2023–24 season, with the goaltender posting a 12–9–6 record during the regular season. An injury during the playoffs forced Artūrs Šilovs into the net and resulted in the Latvian leading the way through the rest of Vancouver’s run. DeSmith later signed with the Stars in free-agency. 

Quinn Hughes, Minnesota Wild 

Once the franchise’s hope for a better future, a mid-December trade resulted in Hughes becoming the next big thing for a Minnesota Wild team that is looking to do some damage heading into the playoffs. The Wild have not made it past the first-round in the playoffs since 2015; with Dallas as an opponent in the opening-round of this year’s post-season, this task will be a difficult one. 

Vancouver made the playoffs twice in Hughes’ time as a Canuck — in 2019–20 and 2023–24. Through both post-seasons, the defenceman averaged nearly a point per game, putting up two goals and 14 assists in 17 games in 2020 and 10 assists in 13 games in 2024. In both playoff runs, Vancouver was eliminated in Game 7 of the Pacific Division Finals. 

Ian Cole, Utah Mammoth 

Cole is one of two Utah Mammoth defencemen who previously played for the Canucks and will now help Utah succeed in their first playoff appearance in franchise history. Cole joined Utah the season after his one-year stint with the Canucks, then re-upping his contract with the Mammoth for another year. This season, he put up near career-high totals with three goals and 20 assists in 82 games. 

In Cole’s lone season with the Canucks, Vancouver scraped together a division-leading season that saw them lose in Game 7 of the second-round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Cole was a massive factor in the team’s success early-on for his sharp defensive play and previous playoff experience. He’ll be a player Utah will rely heavily on heading into the post-season. 

Nate Schmidt, Utah Mammoth  

The other one-year Canuck who now plays for the Mammoth is Schmidt. Traded to Vancouver back in October of 2020, Schmidt’s tenure with Vancouver lasted only one season — 2020–21 — during which he put up five goals and 10 assists in 54 games played. The defenceman was then traded at the end of the season, this time to the Winnipeg Jets. 

Schmidt’s most recent playoff run went about as successfully as any player could ask for, as the defenceman joined the Florida Panthers in winning their second-straight Stanley Cup and the first in his career. Previously, Schmidt had come close, joining the Vegas Golden Knights for their inaugural-season Stanley Cup run back in 2017–18. 

Pacific Division 

Vasily Podkolzin, Edmonton Oilers 

Podkolzin appears to have fit with the Edmonton Oilers like a glove since being traded there in August of 2024. The forward had a strong 24-point season the year prior and has now hit career-highs in goals (19), assists (18), and points (37) in his sophomore season with the Oilers. Were he playing at this rate while still on this year’s Canucks team, the forward would be fifth on the team in points. 

Podkolzin has made the post-season in his past three seasons, starting with the Canucks’ 2024 Stanley Cup Playoff run. While he only got into two games during this run, the season after, he was a much more noticeable force for Edmonton. Through 22 playoff games with the Oilers, he had three goals and seven assists. 

Jason Dickinson, Edmonton Oilers  

Dickinson has seen some of his best NHL seasons as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks, who acquired him from the Canucks in July of 2021. With Vancouver, on the other hand, Dickinson put up five goals and six assists in 62 games played. The forward followed that up with back-to-back 30-point seasons with Chicago, including a career-high 22 goals and 13 assists in 82 games during the 2023–24 season. 

The Oilers acquired Dickinson and prospect Colton Dach at the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline in exchange for Andrew Mangiapane and a conditional first-round pick in next year’s draft. Since joining Edmonton, Dickinson has a goal and three assists in 17 games. The forward’s last playoff appearance was in 2019–20, when he and the Dallas Stars lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup Final. 

Curtis Lazar, Edmonton Oilers  

Lazar was only a Canucks for 45 games, during which he scored three goals and two assists, before he was traded to the New Jersey Devils in March of 2023. He stayed with the Devils for two seasons after that before signing a one-year deal with the Oilers this season. With Edmonton this season, Lazar scored four goals and two assists in 45 games. 

This will be the sixth NHL post-season that Lazar participates in. His first playoff run came as a member of the Ottawa Senators in 2014–15, followed by a one-game performance with the Calgary Flames in 2016–17. The bulk of his post-season experience comes from his time with the Boston Bruins in 2020–21 and 2021–22, during which he played in 10 and seven games respectively. 

Andrei Kuzmenko, Los Angeles Kings 

Due to a meniscus tear suffered on February 25 against Vegas, Kuzmenko’s season ended early as the forward required time to adjust after undergoing surgery. Prior to the injury, the forward put up 13 goals and 12 assists in 52 games played. He has since appeared to recover and is now available to play for his team, though he did not end up skating in Game 1 of Los Angeles’ series against the Colorado Avalanche. 

Kuzmenko has only been to the post-season once while in the NHL — in 2024–25 with the Kings. Despite Los Angeles being eliminated in the first round in Game 6 against the Oilers, the forward scored three goals and three assists. 

Ben Hutton, Vegas Golden Knights 

Hutton seems to have found a great fit with the Golden Knights since departing from Vancouver. After bouncing around from Los Angeles, to the Anaheim Ducks, to the Toronto Maple Leafs, he found himself in Vegas where he has since spent the past five seasons. He hit a new season-high in points with the Golden Knights, putting up six goals and nine assists in 55 games this year. 

All of Hutton’s career post-season experience has come as a member of the Golden Knights. He played in two playoff games with Vegas in their Stanley Cup-winning effort in 2023, also taking part in one game the season after. 

Nic Dowd, Vegas Golden Knights 

Once a Canuck for only 40 games, Dowd’s eight-year tenure with the Washington Capitals ended at the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline, when he was moved to Vegas in exchange for goaltender Jesper Vikman, a 2027 third-round pick, and a 2029 second-round pick. Through 20 regular season games with the Golden Knights this season, Dowd put up a goal and four assists. 

Aside from this season, Dowd has taken part in the Stanley Cup Playoffs six times throughout his career, all with Washington. In 40 total playoff games with the Capitals, Dowd scored four goals and two assists, with his highest single-season numbers being registered in 2020–21 (2 G, 5 GP) and 2021–22 (1 G, 1 A, 6 GP). 

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