DENVER, COLORADO - APRIL 19: Scott Wedgewood #41 of the Colorado Avalanche skates in the spotlight ahead of for Game One of the First Round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Los Angeles Kings at Ball Arena on April 19, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Ashley Potts/NHLI)
Colorado Avalanche News
Leaders around the NHL reflect on Gabriel Landeskog’s return to the Avalanche lineup. [NHL]
The Anaheim Ducks are about to embark on a journey into waters uncharted for the better part of a decade for their franchise: the Stanley Cup Playoffs. For their first series in eight years, they didn’t do themselves any favors, backing into third place in the Pacific Division, after holding a five-point lead with ten games to go.
They will now be in the crosshairs of a juggernaut club with Stanley Cup aspirations that represented the Western Conference in each of the last two Stanley Cup Finals. They’ll have to defeat Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and the Edmonton Oilers four times in the next seven games if they’re to continue playing hockey this spring.
For the Ducks to escape this series with four wins, head coach Joel Quenneville will have to be on the winning side of (at least) three specific matchups:
Jackson LaCombe and Jacob Trouba vs Connor McDavid
Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
Quenneville typically doesn’t elect to hard-match a forward line against an opposing top line. When called for, he has instead deployed his top pair (LaCombe-Trouba) against an opposing top line or player.
Shutting down Connor McDavid is a fool’s errand, as one can only hope to contain the greatest offensive player to ever lace up a pair of skates. It will be a five-man effort, over the entire 200-foot sheet, to deny him pucks as much as possible and minimize his ability to gain speed.
By the time McDavid has the puck in LaCombe and/or Trouba’s vicinity, it would benefit their focus to be on, to the best of their abilities, keeping him away from the middle of the ice with clever angles and maintaining steady gaps, not committing too much or allowing too much ice between.
Smart and quick sticks to influence, take lanes away, and disrupt shot or pass attempts will be key when LaCombe or Trouba is engaged with McDavid. In plain terms, they have to be perfect.
“You don’t want to play run-and-gun hockey with this team,” Trouba said. “They got a lot of high talented offensive players. Defending is going to be a key part for us in the series.”
Against the San Jose Sharks on home ice, Quenneville deployed center Ryan Poehling against Macklin Celebrini, notching a rare pointless night for the phenomenal Sharks sophomore. That’s a card Quenneville can play should he see fit, when the series returns to Honda Center for game three.
Then, of course, even if the Ducks successfully contain McDavid, Leon Draisaitl will be waiting in the wings to pick up any slack left behind by #97. One shudders to speculate on what McDavid can accomplish given how motivated and determined he will be heading into these playoffs, following back-to-back Stanley Cup finals losses and losing in the 2026 Olympic gold medal game.
“The regular season has become a little bit monotonous for this group,” McDavid said. “I think you see that through the day-to-day. But this is what we get excited for.”
Lukas Dostal vs An Offensive Onslaught
Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
If there’s an “x-factor” in this series for the Ducks, it will be goaltender Lukas Dostal. Though numbers would suggest his season was unspectacular and his play faltered toward the end of the regular season, the Ducks simply would not be where they are, in the playoffs for the first time since 2018, had it not been for Dostal’s heroics earlier in the season.
With a new coach, a new defensive system was implemented. That new system, compounded with a lack of overall defensive talent and habits on the Ducks’ roster, gave way to one of the worst environments in the NHL for a goaltender.
On a nightly basis, the Ducks were allowing a variety of high-danger chances to their opponents, whether those chances were born from poor pinches in the offensive zone, poor backchecking effort, poor backchecking technique, d-zone coverage lapses, lost net-front battles, etc.
Dostal made more saves and more difficult saves than should have been required, kept the Ducks in more games than they deserved, allowing them to “outscore their problems,” and get needed wins to achieve their goal of making the playoffs.
“It’s a different experience,” Dostal said. “I’ve had a chance to play in big games before, but this is a little different because you get to play the same team on multiple occasions. You’re going to try to expose them. They’re going to try to expose you. It’s going to be a fun experience.”
He’s traditionally performed his best when the lights are brightest, whether that be the Olympics, World Championships, or World Juniors. This will be a completely different challenge for Dostal, playing in the Stanley Cup playoffs against two of the most potent offensive centers in this generation (McDavid and Draisaitl), a Norris-caliber offensive defenseman (Evan Bouchard), and one of the deepest teams the Oilers’ front office has surrounded them with in their cup-contending era.
Ducks Power Play vs Oilers Penalty Kill
Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
The instinct would be to fixate on the Oilers’ power play and how to contain, neutralize, or limit it. However, Edmonton’s power play is such a well-oiled (pun intended) machine that seems to be firing on all cylinders every spring. In their last three playoff runs, the Oilers have converted on 31.6% of the power play opportunities, and in the 2025-26 regular season, they were the NHL’s best, converting at 30.6%.
Edmonton’s power play is going to score, and probably score a lot. Their penalty kill, however, is an area the Ducks will need to exploit in order to put goals back on the board. In the 2025-26 regular season, Edmonton’s penalty kill was successful 77.8% of the time, good enough for 20th in the NHL. Their underlying numbers reflect similarly, as their 9.57 expected goals allowed per 60 minutes ranked 24th in the NHL.
Over their last three postseason appearances, the Oilers PK has killed 79.5% of penalties taken. That number is roughly league-average annually. However, how they got to that total could give pause, as in the 2022-23 playoffs, they killed 34 of 45 (75.5%), in the 2024-25 playoffs, they killed 66 of 70 (94.3%), and last year, they killed just 47 of 70 (67.1%). To call their PK “inconsistent” would be an understatement.
Despite having plentiful talent and a potent 5v5 offense, Anaheim’s power play didn’t convert at an encouraging rate this season, despite a quality process at times and generating roughly league-average underlying numbers.
The Ducks 18.6% conversion rate on the power play was good enough to rank 23rd in the NHL and was their best since the 2021-22 season (21.9%). They generated 8.68 expected goals per 60, ranking 18th of the 32 teams in the NHL.
Anaheim has the talent and has shown flashes of deploying a lethal power play, but have inexplicably been unable to put the pieces together. They’ll have to figure it out quickly, as a few extra power play goals could be the difference in a playoff series like this one.
This series will be the last to begin and will see the first puck drop at 7 PM PST in Edmonton, Alberta.
Kyle Dubas' number-one trade he regrets was while he was general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The current Pittsburgh Penguins president of hockey operations and GM joined Spittin' Chiclets last week to chat about the Penguins as they get ready for their playoff run, as well as some interesting tidbits about his time in Toronto.
He also divulged what trade he regrets most in his career as an NHL GM, and it's the move which sent Mason Marchment to the Florida Panthers in exchange for Denis Malgin on Feb. 19, 2020.
"To me, the one that I regret most is — I've said this before openly — Mason Marchment," Dubas told Spittin' Chiclets.
"We traded Mason to Florida. He had come up with us the whole way. We signed him to minor-league deal after his overage season in major junior. He was in Orlando in the ECHL for most of the first year. He didn't play for three months, like, just working with the development team, and that was my responsibility then.
"It was 2016-17 with the Leafs, working for Lou (Lamiorello), and he came so far, helped us win a Calder Cup in 2018, was a huge part of that," Dubas continued. "Made his NHL debut the next year, which was awesome. And then he was 25, I think at the time, or 24, and we moved him to Florida. We needed the skill at that point. We had some guys out of the lineup, and it was a younger, skill guy that came in (Malgin).
"Every time I see Mason play, like no matter where he is, I just kick myself because we really needed that style of player throughout. Just the competitiveness, the ability to score, the ability to get under people's skin, the physicality, the ability to get to the net. I always kick myself about that one."
Marchment truly established his NHL career after being traded away from the Maple Leafs.
After his first season in Florida (where he scored 10 points in 33 games), Marchment began to find his game at the NHL level, finishing the 2021-22 season with 18 goals and 47 points in 54 games.
Following two years with the Panthers, Marchment became an unrestricted free agent and signed a four-year, $18 million contract with the Dallas Stars in July 2022. He played three seasons with the Stars and then was traded to the Seattle Kraken last summer.
Marchment struggled to find his game with Seattle and was eventually moved to the Columbus Blue Jackets in mid-December. After being moved, the 30-year-old found his game again, scoring 15 goals and 32 points in 39 games.
Meanwhile, we all know what occurred once the Maple Leafs acquired Malgin.
He played only eight games with Toronto during the 2019-20 season. Once the year concluded, Malgin returned to his home country of Switzerland and played two seasons in the Swiss League, tallying over a point per game in 93 matches.
In 2022-23, Malgin returned to the Maple Leafs to try and give the NHL another go. He scored two goals and two assists in 23 games with Toronto before the club traded him to the Colorado Avalanche for Dryden Hunt in mid-December 2022.
The Colorado Avalanche picked up a hard-fought 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings in Game 1 of the first round. A former Montreal Canadiens forward played a role in the Avalanche's victory, as Artturi Lehkonen put together a strong performance.
At the 15:29 mark of the second period, Lehkonen scored the game-opening goal to give the Avalanche a 1-0 lead. It was a nice goal from the former Canadiens forward, too, as he picked up Nathan MacKinnon's rebound in front before beating Kings goaltender Anton Forsberg with a wrist shot in front of the net.
With this game being a low-scoring one, there is no question that Lehkonen's goal ended up being an incredibly important one. It was just the latest strong game from the former Canadiens forward this year, as he had another good season for the Avalanche in 2025-26. In 70 games this season with the Central Division club, he had 21 goals, 287 assists, 48 points, and a plus-32 rating.
Lehkonen was selected by the Canadiens with the 55th overall pick of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. In 396 games over six seasons with the Habs from 2016-17 to 2021-22, he had 74 goals, 75 assists, and 149 points.
Cal and friends will skate for Bridgeport. | NHLI via Getty Images
The playoffs kicked off with some good ones over the weekend. The only series yet to begin is Ducks-Oilers, which is the late game among four tonight.
No playoff news for the big Islanders, of course, but Bridgeport begins their final playoff on Tuesday.
Islanders News
Here’s a roundup of several breakup day interviews and quotes, with video. [Isles]
…and a special one just dedicated to Matthew Schaefer’s reflections. [Isles]
The Bridgeport Islanders wrapped up their regular season with a win over Hershey, who is also their first-round (best-of-three) playoff opponent. (Danill Prokhorov made his debut and returned after a tough shot block.) [B-Isles | AHL recap/highlights | GameCenter]
The lottery will be held May 5. What are the odds…
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 18: Nick Seeler #24 of the Philadelphia Flyers exchanges punches with Rickard Rakell #67 of the Pittsburgh Penguins in the third period of Game One of the First Round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PPG PAINTS Arena on April 18, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Here are your Pens Points for this Monday morning…
Anthony Mantha’s strong regular season has made him a very intriguing free agent target this summer, but other teams are now watching to see whether he can produce in the playoffs. His past postseason struggles and Game 1 performance, which included some physicality but also two offensive zone penalties, mean this playoff run could impact how much interest and money he gets if he hits the market. [PensBurgh]
The Penguins will try to stay more disciplined and composed in Game 2 after letting the Flyers’ physical, scrappy style frustrate them in Game 1’s loss. [Trib Live]
Rookie forward Ben Kindel, who just turned 19, is impressing the Penguins not just with his skill, but with unusual maturity and a willingness to play physically despite his stature. [Trib Live]
News and notes from around the NHL…
The Anaheim Ducks have signed forward prospect Roger McQueen, the 10th overall selection in the 2025 NHL draft, to a three-year, entry-level contract beginning in the 2026-27 season. [TSN]
San Jose Sharks breakout star Macklin Celebrini made it clear he wants to stay with the team long term, saying he plans to commit after a breakout season. [TSN]
After firing Patrik Allvin, Vancouver Canucks president Jim Rutherford said the Canucks’ next general manager will have much more authority over the franchise, including in all hockey and coaching matters, signaling that Rutherford himself may be ready to hand over the reins. [Sportsnet]
The Buffalo Sabres have provided yet another tangible example of how magical playoff hockey can be. In front of their home fans, playing postseason hockey for the first time since Barack Obama was president, the Sabres rallied from a 2-0 third-period deficit to defeat the Boston Bruins 4-3, earning the franchise’s first playoff victory in 15 years. [ESPN]
Utah Mammoth (43-33-6, in the Central Division) vs. Vegas Golden Knights (39-26-17, in the Pacific Division)
Paradise, Nevada; Tuesday, 9:30 p.m. EDT
LINE: Golden Knights -161, Mammoth +135; over/under is 6
NHL PLAYOFFS FIRST ROUND: Golden Knights lead series 1-0
BOTTOM LINE: The Vegas Golden Knights host the Utah Mammoth in the first round of the NHL Playoffs with a 1-0 lead in the series. The teams meet Sunday for the fifth time this season. The Golden Knights won the previous matchup 4-2.
Vegas has a 39-26-17 record overall and a 21-12-9 record on its home ice. The Golden Knights have a 38-6-11 record when scoring three or more goals.
Utah is 43-33-6 overall and 21-18-3 on the road. The Mammoth have allowed 240 goals while scoring 268 for a +28 scoring differential.
TOP PERFORMERS: Mitchell Marner has 24 goals and 56 assists for the Golden Knights. Mark Stone has six goals and four assists over the last 10 games.
Nick Schmaltz has 33 goals and 40 assists for the Mammoth. Clayton Keller has four goals and 13 assists over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Golden Knights: 8-0-2, averaging 4.1 goals, 6.7 assists, 3.1 penalties and 6.5 penalty minutes while giving up 2.1 goals per game.
Mammoth: 6-4-0, averaging 4.1 goals, 7.1 assists, 3.4 penalties and 7.1 penalty minutes while giving up 3.1 goals per game.
INJURIES: Golden Knights: William Karlsson: out (lower body).
Mammoth: Barrett Hayton: out (upper-body), Sean Durzi: day to day (upper-body), Jack McBain: out (lower-body).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Los Angeles Kings (35-27-20, in the Pacific Division) vs. Colorado Avalanche (55-16-11, in the Central Division)
Denver; Tuesday, 10 p.m. EDT
LINE: Avalanche -275, Kings +224; over/under is 5.5
NHL PLAYOFFS FIRST ROUND: Avalanche lead series 1-0
BOTTOM LINE: The Colorado Avalanche host the Los Angeles Kings in the first round of the NHL Playoffs with a 1-0 lead in the series. The teams meet Sunday for the fifth time this season. The Avalanche won the previous meeting 2-1.
Colorado has a 27-9-6 record at home and a 55-16-11 record overall. The Avalanche have a +101 scoring differential, with 298 total goals scored and 197 allowed.
Los Angeles has gone 20-11-11 on the road and 35-27-20 overall. The Kings have given up 238 goals while scoring 220 for a -18 scoring differential.
TOP PERFORMERS: Nathan MacKinnon has scored 53 goals with 74 assists for the Avalanche. Martin Necas has three goals and five assists over the past 10 games.
Artemi Panarin has 28 goals and 56 assists for the Kings. Adrian Kempe has scored nine goals and added two assists over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Avalanche: 7-2-1, averaging 2.6 goals, 4.3 assists, 3.2 penalties and 6.4 penalty minutes while giving up 1.8 goals per game.
Kings: 6-2-2, averaging three goals, 4.5 assists, 3.3 penalties and 7.5 penalty minutes while giving up 2.5 goals per game.
INJURIES: Avalanche: None listed.
Kings: Kevin Fiala: out for season (leg).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Boston Bruins (45-27-10, in the Atlantic Division) vs. Buffalo Sabres (50-23-9, in the Atlantic Division)
Buffalo, New York; Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. EDT
LINE: Sabres -170, Bruins +142; over/under is 6
NHL PLAYOFFS FIRST ROUND: Sabres lead series 1-0
BOTTOM LINE: The Buffalo Sabres host the Boston Bruins in the first round of the NHL Playoffs with a 1-0 lead in the series. The teams meet Sunday for the sixth time this season. The Sabres won the last matchup 4-3. Tage Thompson scored two goals in the win.
Buffalo is 50-23-9 overall and 17-6-4 against the Atlantic Division. The Sabres are fifth in the league with 283 total goals (averaging 3.4 per game).
Boston has gone 45-27-10 overall with an 11-13-3 record in Atlantic Division play. The Bruins have a 38-10-7 record when scoring at least three goals.
TOP PERFORMERS: Rasmus Dahlin has 19 goals and 55 assists for the Sabres. Alex Tuch has five goals and four assists over the past 10 games.
Pavel Zacha has 30 goals and 35 assists for the Bruins. Morgan Geekie has six goals and three assists over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Sabres: 7-2-1, averaging 3.5 goals, 5.7 assists, 4.4 penalties and 11.3 penalty minutes while giving up 2.5 goals per game.
Bruins: 4-4-2, averaging 2.8 goals, five assists, 3.2 penalties and seven penalty minutes while giving up 2.5 goals per game.
INJURIES: Sabres: Jiri Kulich: out for season (ear), Sam Carrick: out (arm), Justin Danforth: day to day (lower body), Noah Ostlund: day to day (upper-body).
Bruins: None listed.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Montreal Canadiens (48-24-10, in the Atlantic Division) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (50-26-6, in the Atlantic Division)
Tampa, Florida; Tuesday, 7 p.m. EDT
LINE: Lightning -191, Canadiens +158; over/under is 6
NHL PLAYOFFS FIRST ROUND: Canadiens lead series 1-0
BOTTOM LINE: The Montreal Canadiens visit the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the NHL Playoffs with a 1-0 lead in the series. The teams meet Sunday for the sixth time this season. The Canadiens won 4-3 in overtime in the last meeting. Juraj Slafkovsky led the Canadiens with three goals.
Tampa Bay is 16-9-2 against the Atlantic Division and 50-26-6 overall. The Lightning have scored 286 total goals (3.5 per game) to rank fourth in league play.
Montreal has gone 48-24-10 overall with a 17-9-1 record in Atlantic Division play. The Canadiens have a 44-8-9 record in games they score at least three goals.
TOP PERFORMERS: Jake Guentzel has 38 goals and 50 assists for the Lightning. Nikita Kucherov has four goals and seven assists over the past 10 games.
Cole Caufield has 51 goals and 37 assists for the Canadiens. Slafkovsky has five goals and seven assists over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Lightning: 4-5-1, averaging 2.6 goals, 4.5 assists, 6.8 penalties and 17.3 penalty minutes while giving up 2.8 goals per game.
Canadiens: 7-3-0, averaging 2.7 goals, 4.6 assists, 5.6 penalties and 14.6 penalty minutes while giving up 2.5 goals per game.
INJURIES: Lightning: Victor Hedman: out (personal), Pontus Holmberg: out (upper-body).
Canadiens: Patrik Laine: out (abdomen), Noah Dobson: out (thumb).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
The Utah Mammoth’s first taste of playoff hockey delivered everything it promised—speed, chaos, physicality—and then ended in a gut punch.
The Vegas Golden Knights rallied from multiple deficits to defeat Utah 4–2 on Sunday night in Game 1 of their first-round series, flipping what felt like a tightly controlled debut into a third-period collapse for the visitors.
Vegas, now unbeaten in regulation in its recent stretch under head coach John Tortorella (8-0-1), once again leaned on relentless pressure and depth scoring to overwhelm Utah late. Colton Sissons led the charge with a goal and an assist, while Mark Stone and Ivan Barbashev also found the back of the net. Carter Hart turned aside 32 shots, and Noah Hanifin chipped in two assists from the blue line.
For Utah, Logan Cooley and Kevin Stenlund provided the offense, and Karel Vejmelka stopped 27 shots in a game that featured momentum swings, heavy contact, and a simmering edge that boiled over several times—including a post-buzzer altercation.
A Playoff Introduction Built On Emotion And Momentum
Utah didn’t just show up—they struck first, and nearly carried that energy into intermission.
Former Golden Knight Nate Schmidt threaded a perfect cross-ice feed to Logan Cooley, who buried a one-timer from the right circle with just 11 seconds left in the opening period. It was the kind of moment that briefly quieted the building and hinted at a dream start for the league’s newest postseason entrant.
The second period, however, belonged to chaos.
Sissons tied the game at 3:44, jamming home a rebound off a Cole Smith feed. Utah responded quickly, reclaiming the lead when a strange sequence near the crease ended with the puck deflecting into the net off a Vegas miscue, officially credited to Kevin Stenlund.
But that edge was fragile.
Vegas Turns The Screw In The Third
The Golden Knights’ response came in waves—and with force.
Mark Stone evened things up on the power play, hammering home a rebound at 5:33 of the third period. From there, the tone of the game shifted entirely. Vegas tilted the ice, leaned on Utah’s defensive zone mistakes, and eventually broke through again when a turnover by MacKenzie Weegar led to a decisive go-ahead goal off a Noah Hanifin shot, finished by Sissons’ presence around the puck.
Ivan Barbashev sealed it with an empty-net goal, putting a punctuation mark on a night where Vegas simply refused to fade.
Utah, meanwhile, was left to absorb the reality of playoff margins—small mistakes, magnified instantly.
The series continues Tuesday night back in Las Vegas, where Utah will try to reset before the moment starts feeling even heavier.
LAS VEGAS -- Like it or not, Carter Hart is deservedly a playoff goaltender in the NHL for the Golden Knights.
The 27-year-old has been the league's best goaltender since the start of the month, and just turned in his first playoff win since Sept. 3, 2020, when he was with the Philadelphia Flyers, in Vegas' 4-2 win over the Utah Mammoth on Sunday.
"We found a way to win a game, and I thought Carter Hart really gave us a chance," Vegas coach John Tortorella said.
Carter Hart in his first NHL playoff game since the 2020 COVID-19 bubble:
After opening his tenure with the Knights by going 5-3-3 with a .871 save percentage and allowing 36 goals in 12 appearances, he returned to the net on April 2 after an injury, went 6-0-0 with a .930 save percentage, and allowed 10 goals in six games.
There was no better goaltender in the NHL during the same stretch.
Sunday, he was the better netminder, as the Golden Knights continued their winning ways under coach John Tortorella, who took over the team March 29, after Bruce Cassidy was fired.
Ironically, in Cassidy's first season with the Knights, he led them to a Stanley Cup after keeping once-starter goalie Logan Thompson in the press box as a healthy scratch during the playoffs and needed to turn to Adin Hill after Laurent Brossoit got injured.
Now, Tortorella has given Hill's net to Hart. And not because Vegas' $6 million goaltender is hurt, but because Hart has outplayed him - and deserves the starting role.
Tortorella was the coach of the Flyers when Hart was stopping pucks in Philly, so there is familiarity. Perhaps that's provided added confidence for both of them.
One, the incoming coach who took over a very talented team that needed a swift kick in the hockey pads with eight games in the regular season.
And two, the young netminder who's been through a lot off the ice, and simply needed to know there is someone who believes in him genuinely.
Aside from Vegas' offense coming around, there's no doubt the goaltending has been the biggest difference.
In Hill's lone start under Tortorella, he took the L in a 4-3 shootout loss at Seattle.
Tortorella has acknowledged he has two quality goaltenders in the locker room, but it's Hart's growth and maturity that have given him the pipes at this point.
"I had him there for a couple of years in Philly, and I watched him grow from the first time I stepped into Philly, and then he had to step out of the league, but I watched how he was growing," Tortorella said. "The greatest compliment I can give to Carter is preparation. That goaltending position, the coaches stay out of it. He has a position coach in (Sean) Burkey, so we stay out of it.
"But I do watch how he prepares. He's one of the guys who leaves no stone unturned. He gets focused. And I think he's mature. I think he's matured mentally. Sometimes we always look at these young kids and you talk about their physical growth, it's more mental. And I think he's really matured that way, and has certainly ... after his injury, found his way to get some good minutes under his belt as we enter the series."
After turning in good minutes in Game 1, it's quite clear who deserves the net at this point.
Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Carter Hart (79) makes a save as Utah Mammoth right wing Dylan Guenther (11) falls in the crease during the second period of game one of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena.
The Stanley Cup Playoffs are a different animal. Players can go an entire 82-game regular season without throwing a single hit; in the postseason, that’s downright unthinkable. Playoff hockey is known for tight checking, high emotion, and intense physicality. The Vegas Golden Knights are no strangers to that atmosphere, and it showed in their 4-2 victory over the Utah Mammoth.
Despite having a roster with little playoff experience, the Mammoth got to their game quickly and outshot the Golden Knights 11-9 in the first period. However, the Golden Knights boasted the lion’s share of scoring chances, generating 11 while holding Utah to 5.
The Mammoth broke the ice with just 11 seconds remaining in the first. Nate Schmidt found Logan Cooley all alone at the left dot, and Cooley one-timed it home.
Pittsburgh’s own Logan Cooley with a ROCKET of a one-timer from the right circle. Old friend Nate Schmidt with the beautiful pass.
In the second period, the Mammoth continued their solid play. They outshot the Golden Knights 11-10 and generated four high-danger scoring chances while holding Vegas to three.
The Golden Knights found the equalizer at 3:44 in the second. Brayden McNabb’s shot didn’t reach the net, but Cole Smith ended up with the puck. He fed a backhand pass to Colton Sissons, who crashed the net and banged it in.
Nice little backhand feed from Cole Smith, and Colton Sissons crashes the net and stuffs it home.
The Mammoth regained the lead just 1:23 later. Carter Hart slid to the top of the crease to try to break up Kevin Stenlund’s pass for JJ Peterka in front. Instead, the puck took a hop into Kaedan Korczak, who mistakenly put it into his own net.
I’m not sure how to put into words what just happened there, but let’s give it a go:
Carter Hart gets aggressive and tries to break up a pass from Kevin Stenlund to JJ Peterka. Somehow, Kaedan Korczak put it into the net.
During the regular season, the Mammoth boasted a record of 29-2-2 when leading after two periods. But despite their regular-season record of 39-26-17, the Golden Knights were among the top teams in the league in time spent trailing, and tonight, that paid off. They played with composure and didn’t let the nature of Utah’s go-ahead goal rattle them.
“We didn't really pay attention to it,”said Ivan Barbashev postgame. “It's a tough bounce for our team and, of course, for our group. Our guys did a really good job of getting one back, on the power play, and especially the third goal by our fourth line. They've been outstanding today.”
Ivan Barbashev drew a penalty less than four minutes into the third period, and the Golden Knights scored on the ensuing power play.
Tomáš Hertl got a piece of Mitch Marner’s blast from the point, but Karel Vejmelka made the save. The puck kicked out to Mark Stone, who slammed the puck into the empty net.
Marner with the shot and Mark Stone scores the rebound.
The Golden Knights took their first lead of the night just 1:47 later. Nic Dowd picked off MacKenzie Weegar’s pass and played it to Colton Sissons, who cut around Nick Schmaltz and passed back to Noah Hanifin at the point. Dowd presented his stick as he cut down the middle of the ice, and Hanifin hit him with a shot-pass for the go-ahead goal.
Wardo! Nic Dowd presented his stick for the tip, and Noah Hanifin made it happen.
The Mammoth pushed back and outshot Vegas 10-6 in the remaining 12:40 of regulation. However, despite getting very little practice in the regular season, the Golden Knights knew how to play with a lead and limited them to just one high-danger chance.
The Mammoth tried to pull Karel Vejmelka for the extra attacker, but timed it poorly, and Ivan Barbashev hit the empty net with 1:39 remaining in regulation to give his team the 4-2 lead.
“I think our team is best when we play physical, and I think we showed that today,” said Ivan Barbashev following the 4-2 win. “It’s hard to play like that for 82 games. But when playoffs come, I think it matters, and I think it matters for our group.”
Three Takeaways of the Knight
1. Mark Stone’s franchise-leading 39th postseason goal changed everything for the Golden Knights. At the start of the third period, it looked like the Golden Knights were just trying to hold on for dear life. After Stone’s goal, however, it was all Vegas. They came in waves, and rode that momentum-high all the way to Nic Dowd’s game-winning goal.
2. Physicality ramps up in the playoffs, and very few players feed off of it quite like Ivan Barbashev. He was a wrecking ball tonight, recording eight hits and drawing the penalty that led to the game-tying goal.
“I think [Barbashev] is a good, honest player,” said Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella following the 4-2 win. “That’s what I like about him. He’ll run you over, he’ll take a hit, he’ll make a play, he’ll score a goal… I think he’s an incredible pro.”
3. It doesn’t matter how many games this series goes— it’s going to be physically taxing on whoever emerges victorious. The Golden Knights won that war tonight, recording 52 hits against Utah’s 30. There were post-whistle scrums all game, but it all culminated in one big extracurricular after Ivan Barbashev’s empty net goal, and again after the final horn.
And just think— this was only Game 1. Typically, tempers grow as the series progresses. This is going to be a very nasty series.
LAS VEGAS -- The Golden Knights successfully carried their regular-season ending momentum into the postseason by overcoming a two-goal deficit with three third-period goals for a 4-2 win over the Utah Mammoth in Game 1 of their opening round series.
Captain Mark Stone scored the equalizer with a power-play goal 5:33 into the third period, Nic Dowd fired the even-strength game-winner in at the 7:20 mark, and Ivan Barbashev put the game away with an empty-net goal with 1:39 remaining.
— y - Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) April 20, 2026
Vegas, which closed the regular season 7-0-1 after coach John Tortorella took over for fired Bruce Cassidy, also got a goal from Colton Sissons in the second period.
Goaltender Carter Hart continued his own personal hot streak by stopping 31 shots, including the only two Utah could manage during its lone power-play opportunity.
🎥 Hear from Head Coach John Tortorella, Cole Smith, Ivan Barbashev, Nic Dowd, and Colton Sissons following Sunday’s Round 1 Game 1 win against the Mammoth.
— y - Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) April 20, 2026
KEY MOMENT
The Mammoth could've seized momentum early in the game when Dylan Guenther had time and space in the low slot, but was stymied by Hart, whose pad save kept the game scoreless. While he had a handful of key stops throughout the game, especially down the stretch, it was the early save that likely instilled confidence for Hart and kept Utah from taking control just four minutes into the game.
KEY STAT
52-30 ... The Golden Knights held a major advantage with hits, almost doubling up the Mammoth in what was an extremely physical game. Utah came in with a bully-like mentality, hoping to make the first punch count, but Vegas responded, led by Keegan Kolesar (9) and Ivan Barbashev (8).
WHAT A KNIGHT
In a game where Vegas' big guns of Stone, Jack Eichel and Mitch Marner turned in a combined goal and assist, a supporting cast that included Sissons (1 goal, 1 assist) and Noah Hanifin (2 assists) contributed on the stat sheet. Sissons' play stood out most, with his first multi-point game since Feb. 25, when he had a goal and an assist during a 6-4 win in Los Angeles. Fun fact with Sissons: the Knights were 8-2 when he registered at least one point during the regular season and are now 1-0 in the postseason when he hits the stat sheet.
— y - Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) April 20, 2026
UP NEXT
The Golden Knights continue their best-of-seven playoff series with the Mammoth in Game 2 on Tuesday.
PHOTO CAPTION
Vegas Golden Knights center Colton Sissons (10) awaits a face off against the Utah Mammoth during the second period of game one of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena.
There's a reason they say that Lord Stanley's Cup is the hardest trophy to win in all of sports.
And the Pittsburgh Penguins were given a bit of a harsh reminder about that on Saturday in their first-round series opener against the Philadelphia Flyers.
In their regular-season head-to-head matchups against Philadelphia, Pittsburgh went 2-0-2 and outscored the Flyers, 17-8. That's not to say that they were in cruise control against them prior to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but they did not struggle much in terms of establishing their game and forcing the Flyers into mistakes.
Well, none of that happened on Saturday. Instead, the Flyers - a much different team from when the Penguins last faced them on Mar. 7 in a 4-3 shootout loss - controlled play throughout Game 1 and took it, 3-2, in a clinical defensive effort that frustrated the boys in black and gold.
Emotions were high within the game. Many Flyers' players were partaking in their first-ever postseason game, and while that was true for some on the Penguins' side, most of Pittsburgh's roster is comprised of players who have been here before. Nonetheless, it was the Penguins' first playoff game in four years, and tensions were high.
But, even after a high-emotion game like Saturday's - especially in a must-win setting - the Penguins understand that being able to manage and regulate emotion between games in a best of seven series is key to turning the page.
"We obviously have a really good leadership group that will, kind of, set the tempo and set the mood," said rookie Ben Kindel, who is playing in his first-ever NHL playoff series. "I don't think anybody's panicking here."
In fact, the Penguins were able to show that "turn the page" mindset during and after their practice at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry, Pa. on Sunday.
"Came to the rink, [and] it was a very good day today," Kindel said. "Looking to get the job done tomorrow and execute tomorrow, and that's about it. Tomorrow's a new day, new game. It's a long series."
And by "tomorrow," Kindel means Monday, when the Penguins and Flyers face off for Game 2 with Philly leading the series, 1-0. One of the things that worked against the Penguins in Game 1 is that they didn't come out of the gate with speed and forechecking pressure - a strength of theirs all season long - which allowed the Flyers to establish their game, especially once they took the lead midway through the second period.
Once that happened, they clogged up the neutral zone. Stacked the blue line. Made it difficult for the Penguins to generate much of anything offensively, which frustrated them. Pittsburgh knows the key is getting to Philadelphia early and establishing their game so that the Flyers aren't able to fully commit to that neutral zone trap and could be forced to try to cheat for offense.
Regardless of the mechanics of it all, however, the key is that they can't let a frustrating Game 1 carry over into Game 2. And, if the Flyers begin to execute their game again successfuly, the Penguins need to lock in and be prepared to counter that while keeping their emotions in check.
"It's been a big part of their game for a long stretch now," head coach Dan Muse said. "I mean, especially since the Olympic break, they've been a top defensive team in the league, so it didn't come as any surprise. I think there's some things that we could have done better in terms of just working through that.
“And we saw it there last night, we saw it with other teams throughout the league. When their numbers are back that much, too, sometimes, you've got to play a little bit more of a patient game. And, by ‘patient game,’ I don’t mean a slower game, it's just you just can’t frustrated or surprised that they have those numbers back. They've been doing this for a while now."
Hockey is a game of adjustments, and adjustments have been a strength of this team all season long. They've excelled at letting less-than-ideal efforts such as Saturday's simply roll off their back, and they've done well to respond in ensuing games with great efforts.
They did it with a 7-3 stomping of the Chicago Blackhawks after the holiday break, which followed a measly 6-3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs right before the holidays and began a six-game win streak. They did it after a stretch of four losses in five games in mid-January by responding with a perfect four-game Western road swing and another six-game win streak. They did it after a tough 6-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Apr. 2 by beating the Florida Panthers back-to-back and clinching the playoffs with a 5-2 win over the New Jersey Devils right after.
This team knows how to respond to adversity. They've done it all season long, making sure to not let themselves get too high or too low on emotion between games. Even if the playoffs are a different animal, that approach has to be the same game-to-game.
"Obviously, we would have liked a different outcome in last night's game," forward Rickard Rakell said. "But, at the same time, we've got to move on. We've got to learn from that game and make sure that we put a better game on the ice tomorrow."
