The NHL isn't budging on the sanctions it dealt the Las Vegas Golden Knights for shirking its responsibilities with the media during the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The punishment handed out by the league to the Knights for "flagrant violations" of the NHL's postgame media policy during the postseason will remain as assessed after an appeal by the team, according to multiplereports on May 19.

The NHL announced earlier this week the Knights had to forfeit a second-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft and coach John Tortorella was fined $100,000 after the franchise didn't open its locker room to reporters and Tortorella did not speak to the media at a postgame news conference after a Game 6 win over the Anaheim Ducks in the Western Conference semifinals.

EASTERN CONFERENCE: Canadiens outlast Sabres in Game 7 OT thriller, move on to conference finals

The league said its sanctions came after previous warnings were issued to the Knights regarding their compliance with the league's media policies. The team's appeal hearing occurred May 19 in New York, according to the reports. Some players did speak from the podium after Game 6, according to ESPN.

The Knights said in a statement after the penalties were announced that the team would have no further comment on the matter. Tortorella also had no comment when asked about the controversy by reporters for the first time since the end of the conference semifinals on May 16.

Tortorella took over as the the coach in Las Vegas after the franchise fired Bruce Cassidy in late March. The Knights open the Western Conference finals against the Colorado Avalanche on May 20.

The Knights were already without their first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft after acquiring defenseman Noah Hanifin in 2024.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Las Vegas Golden Knights lose draft pick over NHL rules violation

Only three former Vancouver Canucks players remain in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, with Jalen Chatfield of the Carolina Hurricanes and Nic Dowd and Ben Hutton of the Vegas Golden Knights making it past the second round. Four ex-Canucks were eliminated during the second round of the post-season. 

Eastern Conference: 

Jalen Chatfield, Carolina Hurricanes

Chatfield and the Hurricanes knocked out both a former Canucks player and head coach on their way to the 2026 Eastern Conference Final, eliminating Philadelphia Flyers defenceman Noah Juulsen and head coach Rick Tocchet via series sweep. Chatfield, who played for Vancouver during the 2020–21 season, scored his first goal of this year’s post-season in a 4–1 Game 3 win against the Flyers. Carolina will face the Montréal Canadiens, who knocked out former Canucks and current Buffalo Sabres Tanner Pearson and Luke Schenn, in the Eastern Conference Final. 

Eastern Conference Final Schedule: 

Game 1: May 21, 5:00 pm PT 

Game 2: May 23, 4:00 pm PT 

Game 3: May 25, 5:00 pm PT 

Game 4: May 27, 5:00 pm PT

*Game 5: May 29, 5:00 pm PT 

*Game 6: May 31, TBD 

*Game 7: June 2, 5:00 pm PT 

Western Conference: 

Nic Dowd, Ben Hutton, & John Tortorella, Vegas Golden Knights 

Dowd, Hutton, and Vegas head coach Tortorella defeated the Anaheim Ducks in six games to advance to the third-round, making them the only former Canucks to be taking part in this year’s Western Conference Final. While Dowd has been in the lineup for Vegas’ entire playoff run, Hutton made his post-season debut in Game 1 of the Golden Knights’ second-round series. Vegas will take on a Colorado Avalanche team that eliminated former Canucks captain Quinn Hughes and the Minnesota Wild. 

Western Conference Final Schedule: 

Game 1: May 20, 5:00 pm PT

Game 2: May 22, 5:00 pm PT

Game 3: May 24, 5:00 pm PT

Game 4: May 26, TBD 

*Game 5: May 28, 5:00 pm PT

*Game 6: May 30, 5:00 pm PT

*Game 7: June 1, 5:00 pm PT 

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.

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The Montreal Canadiens are off to the Eastern Conference Final after defeating the Buffalo Sabres in Game 7 of the second round.

Alex Newhook was the hero for the Canadiens in this one, as he scored the series-clinching goal in overtime with a nice wrist shot on the rush. 

With this overtime winner, Newhook also made some NHL history.

According to NHL Public Relations, Newhook is now just the second player in the history of the NHL to score multiple Game 7 series-clinching goals in the same post-season. The only other player to achieve this was Nathan Horton, who did so with the Boston Bruins back in 2011 during their Stanley Cup championship run. 

This achievement shows just how clutch of a player Newhook has become this post-season. The 25-year-old forward is continuing to show the Canadiens that they made the right call acquiring him from the Colorado Avalanche during the 2023 NHL off-season.

With his Game 7 overtime winner against the Sabres, Newhook now has seven goals and nine points in 14 games this post-season for the Canadiens. This included him scoring six goals and recording seven points in the Canadiens' series against Buffalo alone. 

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With the NHL conference finals set to begin on Wednesday, oddsmakers believe that the Colorado Avalanche are in line to become the next Stanley Cup champions.

The Avalanche lead BetMGM’s Stanley Cup odds board at +135, yet their hoisting the trophy would be a positive outcome for the sportsbook.

Key Takeaways

• Only one remaining team, the Canadiens, began the year with odds longer than +1200.
  
  
• The Canadiens beat the Hurricanes in all three regular-season matchups. 
  
  
• Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon is the odds leader and most popular pick to win the Conn Smythe Trophy.

Stanley Cup Odds

The Avalanche most recently won the Stanley Cup in the 2021-22 season. They’re down to +135 at BetMGM after opening the season at +800, the third-shortest of all teams and only behind the Edmonton Oilers (+650) and the Florida Panthers (+750).

Colorado continues to appeal to bettors; 17.7% of tickets and 23.7% percent of the money wagered in the Stanley Cup futures market were on the Avalanche, both the leading amounts in their respective categories.

While the Avalanche have been the most popular pick to win the league championship, the Carolina Hurricanes aren’t far behind in odds. Sitting at +175 after opening at +900, they have 8.3% of bets (second) and 10.5% of the pot (third) backing them.

While the Avalanche have been the most popular pick to win the league championship, the Carolina Hurricanes aren’t far behind in odds. Sitting at +175 after opening at +900, they have 8.3% of bets (second) and 10.5% of the pot (third) backing them.

The two remaining teams — the Vegas Golden Knights and the Montreal Canadiens — are much further down the board.

One of those teams, the Knights, has still remained quite popular with bettors. The 2022-23 champions are +575 in odds to win the Stanley Cup after opening the season at +1200. They have 7.3% of wagers (third) and 11% of the money (second) supporting them. 

Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy also has a $100,000 ticket placed at +650 odds at DraftKings Sportsbook riding on the Golden Knights. A win would pay a $750,000 total prize.

Davey Pucks Activated. #dkpartnerpic.twitter.com/0FEgl3LV3p

— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) May 3, 2026

The final remaining team is the Canadiens, who are +600 after opening the year at a whopping +8000. Only 10 of the league’s 30 teams had longer odds when players took the ice for the first time last October.

The Canadiens aren’t just fighting the oddsmakers, they’re also fighting the public consensus. Their 4.5% of tickets and 3.6% of the handle are both the lowest of the remaining teams and rank ninth among all teams in both categories.  

Odds to win the Stanley Cup at @BetMGM

▪️ Avalanche +135
▪️ Hurricanes +175
▪️ Golden Knights +575
▪️ Canadiens +600@GoldenKnights are the only remaining liability on the future market@Canes are the best outcome

Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER

— John Ewing (@johnewing) May 19, 2026

Does the past predict the future?

The Golden Knights and the Canadiens are both +200 series underdogs, while the Avalanche and the Hurricanes are both -250 series favorites in the conference finals, per BetMGM sportsbook.

No team has been better in the playoffs than the Hurricanes, who swept the Ottawa Senators and the Philadelphia Flyers in consecutive series. On the flip side, the Canadiens went seven games with the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Buffalo Sabres, and needed overtime to grab a win against the Sabres in Game 7 on Monday.

Despite the series odds heavily tilting one way, the Hurricanes lost all three of their regular-season matchups with the Canadiens by an aggregate score of 15-8.

Out west, the Avalanche have only dropped one game in the playoffs, a Game 3 second-round defeat at the hands of the Minnesota Wild. The Knights went six games with both the Utah Mammoth and the Anaheim Ducks, although they won seven of their last nine games on the ice.

The Knights did not have the same luck against their favored opponent as the Canadiens, losing two of three regular-season matchups with the Avalanche. The lone win was the most recent matchup on April 11, which ended in overtime, 3-2.

Conn Smythe odds

With the Avalanche in pole position to win the Stanley Cup, center Nathan MacKinnon is the Conn Smythe Trophy odds leader (+170) and most popular pick for BetMGM users, with 22% of tickets and 27.5% of the handle. Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen is second in odds (+400) but far behind in support from bettors, receiving 5.7% of wagers (second) and 8.1% of the pot (third). 

The most popular underdog pick is Golden Knights right wing Mitch Marner, who is third in odds at +900. He only has 5% of bets, but he also generated 17.6% of the money wagered in this market (second).

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

If the Edmonton Oilers are holding out hope that the Vegas Golden Knights will eventually decide to let former head coach Bruce Cassidy interview, or that the NHL might step in should Vegas not do so, there is some potentially bad news. 

Vegas has not allowed teams like Edmonton or the Los Angeles Kings to interview Cassidy. It's also not known if Toronto has asked. The Golden Knights have withheld and exercised their right to say no while Cassidy remains under contract. 

On Frankly Hockey on Monday, NHL insider Frank Seravalli reported the following:

“The league is not going to overrule the Golden Knights here. Contract law and contract language are just that. They, I believe, have a clear stance in the League office that if Vegas wants to go to the mat here and not grant permission for Bruce Cassidy to speak to a division rival, then that is their right to do so, so long as they continue to pay the four and a half million dollars that are owed to Bruce Cassidy for next year.”

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He adds, “If that’s the cheque they want to write to not have Bruce Cassidy, they believe, make the Oilers better next year, the league, there’s not much they can do, even if it defies custom and norms.”

Whether related or unrelated, the Oilers have also begun making requests to interview other candidates. Among them is Craig Berube, the former Maple Leafs head coach. It is being reported he would have interest, but there is a lot of pushback in Edmonton amongst the fan base and local media. 

All the while, Seravalli is also reporting that the Golden Knights have appealed sanctions for violation of media access policy. Their appeal was heard on Tuesday morning in-person in New York. Servalli notes, "The penalties currently stand as originally assessed. We'll see if Commissioner Bettman decides to reduce upon consideration." 

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The Buffalo Sabres were the better club for most of their Game 7 match with the Montreal Canadiens, but in spite of outshooting the Habs 39-25, the Sabres sluggish and tentative first period had them playing catch-up for the rest of the game. Buffalo came back to tie the game in the third period, but midway through the first overtime, Habs playoff hero Alex Newhook scored his seventh goal of the postseason to send Montreal to the Eastern Conference Final with a 3-2 win at KeyBank Center on Monday. 

The loss was as devastating for the Sabres as it was filled with jubilation for the Canadiens, as Buffalo was not on the favorable end of a pair of controversial calls. Phillip Danault’s opening goal went off the Habs center’s right skate, but after being reviewed by league, it was not deemed to be directed into the net with a distinct kicking motion. After Rasmus Dahlin tied the game in the third, the Sabres appeared to take the lead, as Jordan Greenway jabbed at the puck under Dobes pads, but the referee blew the play dead just as Greenway knocked the puck loose for linemate Beck Malenstyn to push it over the goal line. 

The Sabres THOUGHT they scored the go-ahead goal but Wes McCauley's whistle was blown a SPLIT second before it went in 😵‍💫 pic.twitter.com/DoORVtzlqu

— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) May 19, 2026

"I thought it was a little bit of a quick whistle, and because you can always go back and look at those,” Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff said after the game. But, (I) didn't really get an explanation on it.”

The Sabres had opportunities in overtime, including a Tage Thompson odd-man break where he attempted a toe-drag past the Montreal defenders and Dobes, but a turnover by Dahlin and Thompson at the blueline led to a Montreal counterattack, where Newhook knuckled the puck past Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to end Buffalo’s season. 

"I think we said at the start of this series it was going to be two really good teams playing. We had some momentum swings. You get to overtime, we had a couple of really good chances when we had the chances in our hands. Those are the opportunities that you hope you get. We just didn't finish." Ruff said. "We had a couple great opportunities, even in the third, the Helenius toe(drag) glove save that almost went. I think the the ice was fairly tilted, we had a lot of opportunities to make a difference in the game."

Other comments after the game:

 Rasmus Dahlin on the game-winning goal:

“That was on me. I can’t do that.”

Dahlin on the overall game:

“We could have scored a few more. (Dobes) made some good saves. It comes down to small things. Today, they got the bounces.”

Dahlin on the emotions of the season ending the way it did:

“It sucks.”

On the tying goal and the set-up by Owen Power:

"Great play by him, it wasn't enough though."

How hard is it to see the season end the way it did:

 "It's one shot that decides the whole season, it sucks."

Can you appreciate the success this club had during the season and the fan reaction after the game?

“Not right now. Tomorrow, I will appreciate more things” 

Tage Thompson:

"It's tough. I thought we played hard all year to get to this point. I don't think anyone in this room felt like we were done yet. Just disappointed." 

“I thought we played a really good game, which makes it even tougher of a taste. Had a lot of chances. (Luukkonen) played great, kept it tight for us, and claw our way back into it, and felt like we had all the momentum, just couldn't score. (I) really thought that was gonna end different.”

 "We were feeling good in here, tons of confidence in this room. I think everyone in here felt like this was going to end different, and probably felt like we deserved a little better outcome, but it's the way it goes sometimes, and we just got to unfortunately take that taste with us into the summer and do something about it." 

The Sabres players will hold locker cleanout media availabilities on Tuesday and Wednesday, with Ruff and GM Jarmo Kekalainen's availabilities later in the week. 

Follow Michael on X, Instagram @MikeInBuffalo

The puzzle pieces of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ 2026 draft capital are finally locking into place.

Following the Buffalo Sabres’ heartbreaking Game 7 overtime loss to the Montreal Canadiens in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the draft order for the non-finalist postseason teams has officially crystallized. For the Maple Leafs, Buffalo’s elimination confirms exactly when they will be making their second selection of the summer: locking them into the 59th overall pick.

If the path to acquiring that selection sounds complicated, that’s because it is.

The Maple Leafs originally acquired the asset from the Los Angeles Kings as part of the return package for forward Scott Laughton back in March. Originally structured as a 2026 third-round pick, the asset included a conditional trigger: if the Kings qualified for the 2026 postseason, the pick would automatically upgrade to the Sabres’ second-rounder. Los Angeles held the Sabres’ natural second-round pick via a previous transaction, that specific selection has now been diverted to Toronto.

When determining the NHL Draft order, the league operates backwards from the postseason results. The Stanley Cup champion picks 32nd, the runner-up picks 31st, and the conference finalists fill out spots 29 and 30 based on regular-season records. From there, the remaining 12 playoff teams are ordered by their regular-season point totals. With Buffalo bowed out in the second round, their regular-season finish officially locks their slot at No. 59.

For a Maple Leafs front office trying to restock an incredibly bare prospect cupboard, securing a concrete second-round asset can help.

Going into this season, Toronto’s draft pick outlook was bleak, to say the least. Trade deadline deals in 2025 saw management ship away their own consecutive first-round picks to the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers in desperate pushes for a deep playoff run. 

But fortunes change quickly in the National Hockey League. Thanks to a monumental stroke of luck at the NHL Draft Lottery earlier this month, where the Leafs defied the odds and jumped from the No. 5 spot to the No. 1 overall position, Toronto is suddenly anchored by a potential franchise-altering first-round prize.

Now, with Buffalo’s finalized 58th pick safely in their back pocket, the Leafs possess two swings in the top 60. It may not completely fix a depleted prospect pipeline overnight, but it gives management some much-needed flexibility when the draft floor opens in June.

Montreal Canadiens’ coach Martin St-Louis is normally pretty even-keeled, but on Monday night, after his young Habs eliminated the Buffalo Sabres in overtime, the former NHLer was visibly emotive. When Alex Newhook scored the game-winning goal, the coach, after shaking hands with his assistants and the rest of the Canadiens’ staff behind the bench, headed on the ice and walked over towards the opponent’s net slowly. Looking to the heavens, the coach looked like he was soaking in the moment.

After shaking hands with the Sabres at center ice and celebrating the win with his players in the room, the man in charge headed to the podium to speak to the media. After a few routine questions, RDS Francois Gagnon asked St-Louis what that moment was about, and the coach said with watery eyes and a voice that was cracking:

I spoke to my mother a lot during overtime…That’s really what it was.

Newhook’s Big Goal Sends Canadiens Through To Third Round
Canadiens: The Pressure Is On St-Louis
Canadiens: A Fairytale Worthy Experience Despite The Nightmarish Ending

The coach lost his mother during the 2013-14 playoffs, to a heart attack, a sudden death that nobody saw coming at the age of 63. Back then, he was still a player and his team, the New York Rangers, was playing against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round of the playoffs.

The Blueshirts moved on to the third round, where they faced the Habs. That allowed him and his team to attend the funeral, just like the Canadiens also did back then. The Rangers then eliminated the Sainte-Flanelle to move on to the Stanley Cup Final, but in Game 4 of that series against the Habs, the man who would later coach them scored an overtime game-winner. If his late mother had a hand in the Habs’ elimination back in 2014, she made up for it on Monday night when she helped her son through a stressful overtime win.

---

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The Montreal Canadiens are moving on, but they shouldn't expect the entirety of Canadian hockey fans to be joining them.

Following a thrilling, emotional Game 7 overtime victory against the Buffalo Sabres, the Canadiens have officially punched their ticket to the Eastern Conference Final. Standing in their way are the rested and ruthless Carolina Hurricanes, with Game 1 set to puck-drop in Raleigh this Thursday.

But before the players even hit the ice, the off-ice psychological warfare has already begun.

The Hurricanes, who have built a notorious reputation for their sharp-witted and snarky social media presence, wasted no time taking to X (formerly Twitter) to roll out the welcome mat for a specific demographic: Toronto Maple Leafs fans. Knowing full well the deep-seated, historic animosity between the Leafs and Habs, Carolina openly invited displaced Toronto fans to jump on the Hurricanes’ bandwagon for the upcoming round.

welcoming all Leafs fans with open arms

— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) May 19, 2026

It touches on a fierce, annual debate across the hockey landscape. As the lone Canadian franchise remaining in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Montreal technically carries the torch for a country that hasn't seen the Cup cross its border since the Canadiens last won it in 1993. Yet, the concept of "Canada's Team" remains highly polarized; asking a die-hard Leafs fan to cheer for Montreal is a bridge too far for most.

If Montreal wants to keep defying the odds, they certainly have history on their side. The Habs are the first NHL team to win their first two playoff series in Game 7s on the road during a single postseason since the 2014 Los Angeles Kings—a squad that famously dispatched the San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks en route to a Stanley Cup championship. Furthermore, this current Montreal group is the youngest team to advance to a conference final since that legendary 1993 Canadiens roster. In an eerie statistical coincidence, both squads featured an identical average age of just 25.8.

The Montreal Canadiens are the youngest NHL team to advance to the conference final since the 1993 #habs, per @NHLPR.

Both teams with an average age of 25.8.

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) May 19, 2026

But the Hurricanes are their own statistical juggernaut. Carolina has been sitting on their latest social media post for ten days, waiting out the break after a dominant sweep of the Philadelphia Flyers. They are the first team to skate to a perfect 8-0 start in the playoffs since the 1985 Edmonton Oilers, another historic powerhouse that went on to hoist Lord Stanley’s mug.

Something has to give in this series. But whether you are wearing Bleu, Blanc, et Rouge, or begrudgingly donning Hurricanes red, one thing is guaranteed: the battle on social media will be just as entertaining as the war on the ice.

We’ve looked at the forwards and the defense; now, we’ll examine the final and, as some may argue, the most critical position for both the Colorado Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights: goaltending.

The tandem effort of Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood powered the Avalanche to the top of the NHL for the near entirety of the NHL regular season. Still, it’s been Scott Wedgewood who has emerged as Jared Bednar’s go-to netminder for the Avs’ 2026 playoff run. Wedgewood, who’s had a storybook year as one-half of the Jennings Trophy-winning duo for Colorado, has put together an impressive, albeit small, body of work. On the eve of his first Western Conference Final as a starter, Wedgewood’s 2.21 goals against average and .914 save percentage rank seventh and sixth, respectively, among playoff goaltenders. His only blemish was the 5-1 loss in Game Three to Minnesota, which snapped a six-game consecutive win streak that stretched over a first-round sweep of the Los Angeles Kings and halfway through the second round against the Minnesota Wild.

Love this view of Scott Wedgewood after the Avalanche’s epic comeback and OT win. He didn’t allow a goal for his 44 minutes on the ice. pic.twitter.com/GcYjYAYb4S

— Will Petersen (@PetersenWill) May 16, 2026

Not bad for a goaltender who never started in a playoff game before.

The solid play of Wedgewood has limited Blackwood to relief duties to this point in the Avs playoff run. To his credit, Blackwood provided stability in a critical Game Four, stopping 19 of 22 shots to put the Avs in position to eliminate Minnesota two nights later. Unfortunately, a flaccid first period by the Avs in Game Five spelled an early exit for Blackwood. Still, a vastly improved effort by the Avs—and seven saves by the returning Wedgewood—led to the eventual knockout blow in overtime. Without Blackwood’s solid play in Minnesota, things could have played out much differently. Even though he got the hook in Game Five, his efforts in Game Four played a pivotal role in the Avs’ success in the second round.

Thanks to the Avs making quick work of their opponents, Wedgewood’s 435 minutes of game time puts him at ninth overall among playoff goaltenders. However, two other active goaltenders, Montréal’s Jakub Dobeš and Vegas’ Carter Hart (more on him later) have played more postseason minutes. Despite playing fewer games than Hart through two rounds, the reduced workload could favor Wedgewood and the Avs if this series goes the distance.

Scott Wedgewood takes the net to start the second after Mackenzie Blackwood allowed 3 goals on 13 shots 👀 pic.twitter.com/fC8qFv0wTV

— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) May 14, 2026

With only one postseason loss and an incredible comeback win to close out Minnesota, Wedgewood certainly shouldn’t be lacking in confidence heading into this series against Vegas. Wedgewood is undefeated on Ball Arena in postseason play, and both of his regular-season victories over Vegas—including another remarkable 6-5 comeback win—took place at T-Mobile Arena. Should he stumble, the Avs have the option to go to Blackwood for that opportunity to reset.

Just don’t expect the reset to last for very long.

When Vegas succeeded Colorado as Stanley Cup champions in 2023, they did so off an incredible run by Adin Hill. Three years later, injuries limited Hill to twenty-seven regular-season games, and controversial free-agent signee Carter Hart has since guided Vegas into the playoffs. Hart’s signing back in October certainly raised eyebrows, but his postseason play has paid dividends for a franchise that leans into controversy rather than shying away from it.

ADIN HILL WITH A MASSIVE LEATHER FLASH pic.twitter.com/cc0njHqim6

— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) January 24, 2026

Hart has started all twelve playoff games for Vegas and is tied with Dobeš and Carolina’s Frederik Anderson for the lead in playoff wins (8). Having defeated both Utah and Anaheim in consecutive six-game series, Hart has compiled an 8-4 record as he makes his first appearance in a Western Conference Final. His 2.37 goals against average and .917 save percentage are eighth and fifth, respectively, among playoff goaltenders. Going head-to-head by these numbers, Hart fares slightly worse than Wedgewood when it comes to GAA, but owns a slightly better save percentage.

Hart’s 322 total saves also rank second to Dobeš (363) among playoff goaltenders. While this certainly is an impressively high number, the problem is that it is an impressively high number: while Wedgewood’s 171 total saves—eighth among playoff goaltenders—can be attributed to playing fewer games through two rounds, Hart’s total also points to seeing an average of just over 29 shots per game. With Colorado averaging over 31 shots on goal per game in these playoffs, Hart will continue to stay busy in this series. Staying busy hasn’t been an issue for Hart (yet), as his 758 minutes of playing time trails only Dobeš among playoff goaltenders (858).

Carter Hart just made a save with NO BUCKET 😳 pic.twitter.com/nYXm4xC3EI

— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) May 15, 2026

Despite the high save volume, Hart didn’t get off to the best start in the first round. He gave up nineteen goals against Utah—including four goals in three consecutive games—compared to the six goals allowed by Wedgewood in Colorado’s first-round sweep of Los Angeles. He improved through the second round, however, limiting Anaheim to two goals or less in each of his wins. Despite allowing twelve total goals in the series against Anaheim, this figure bests both Wedgewood and Blackwood’s seventeen allowed goals against Minnesota.

Hill, who last played on April 9 (a 4-3 shootout decision over Seattle), could be pressed into service should Hart struggle against the potent Colorado offense. If Vegas is forced to roll the dice on Hill, it wouldn’t be the worst gamble to turn back to the goaltender who backstopped them to their first championship. Hill has met the pressure of the moment before, and already knows the expectations to meet that moment again.

Stepping into that moment, especially against the playoff juggernaut that is the Colorado Avalanche, isn’t for the faint-hearted.

The Montreal Canadiens have made it to the Eastern Conference Final after defeating the Buffalo Sabres in Game 7. Alex Newhook scored the overtime winner for the Habs, and they will be facing off against the Carolina Hurricanes because of it.

Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes is a major reason for the Original Six club advancing to the Eastern Conference Final. This is because the 24-year-old goaltender had an excellent Game 7 for Montreal. 

Dobes stepped up in a major way against Buffalo in Game 7, as he stopped 37 out of 39 Sabres shots he faced. The Sabres may have generated more chances than the Canadiens in Game 7, but Dobes shut the door for Montreal. 

Dobes putting together a great Game 7 like this came after he struggled in Game 6. The 2020 fifth-round pick allowed six goals on 33 shots against the Sabres in Game 6 before being pulled. With this, the Canadiens needed a bounce-back game from Dobes, and he provided them with just that.

Dobes ability to bounce back after a loss has been a constant theme this post-season, and he is becoming a clutch goaltender because of it. In 14 games now this post-season, he has an 8-6 record, a 2.52 goals-against average, and a .910 save percentage. 

Dobes will now be looking to keep this kind of play up against a very good Hurricanes team. While the undefeated Hurricanes will be a tough challenge for the Canadiens, the Habs have already beaten two very good teams in the Tampa Bay Lightning and Sabres this post-season. 

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Top 100 NHL Players: 32-36 - Apr. 17 2026 - Vol. 79 Issue 10

32 TAGE THOMPSON

POS: C | AGE: 28 | LY: 65

Thompson might be one of the NHL’s skinniest players, but he has one of the heaviest shots. He’s not Alex Ovechkin, but his snipe from the left circle on the power play is just as feared as Ovi’s. His long reach is an asset in both defending and protecting the puck, and his quick release makes him dangerous in the scoring areas.

33 MATTHEW SCHAEFER

POS: D | AGE: 18 | LY: N/A

Every superlative has already been used on the rookie defenseman, who is a lock for the Calder thanks to an exceptional two-way game and incredible skating. So how about this? With eight games in hand, Schaefer passed fellow Islanders No. 1 pick John Tavares – a center – on New York’s rookie-points leaderboard.

34 JOSH MORRISSEY

POS: D | AGE: 31 | LY: 23

Morrissey doesn’t have next-level flash or dominant physical attributes, but his smarts separate him from the pack. His presence is metronomic in Winnipeg; he makes the entire Jets on-ice operation truly tick. He passed Dustin Byfuglien to become the highest-scoring D-man in franchise history with an OT-winner in March.

35 COLE CAUFIELD

POS: LW | AGE: 25 | LY: 66

Some guys feast on empty calories. Caufield is not one of those guys. His 29 go-ahead goals led the league, as did his five overtime goals. The NHL is a better place when the Canadiens have a 50-goal scorer in their lineup, and Caufield did just that when he scored in a winning effort against Tampa Bay on April 9.

36 FILIP GUSTAVSSON

POS: G | AGE: 27 | LY: 74

Outside of Minnesota, Gustavsson is underrated. Aside from 2023-24, a rare blemish on his record, he has shown he has a rare attribute among keepers: consistency. Among goalies to play 100 games over the past two seasons, only Andrei Vasilevskiy and Connor Hellebuyck have better save percentages than Gustavsson

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