RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Philadelphia Flyers forward Owen Tippett and Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Alexander Nikishin will miss Monday's Game 2 of the second-round series in the NHL playoffs.
Coach Rick Tocchet said before Monday's game that Tippett would be considered a gametime decision for Thursday's Game 3. He's dealing with an undisclosed injury.
Tippett had a team-best 28 goals to go with 23 assists in the regular season, then had one goal and one assist in the six-game series against Pittsburgh that marked Philadelphia’s first postseason appearance since 2020.
Tippett, who brings needed speed to the lineup, skated Sunday. But he spent part of that session working with goalie Aleksei Kolosov at one end of the ice while the rest of the team worked at the other end.
As for the Hurricanes, Nikishin took warmups before being scratched. He's recovering from a concussion on a jarring hit in a Game 4 win at Ottawa on April 25 that clinched a first-round sweep,
Nikishin has been skating in practices but coach Rod Brind'Amour said he didn't play Game 1 after he didn't feel quite right. Veteran Mike Reilly drew in and had two assists in Game 1.
Apr 4, 2026; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Ottawa Senators center Ridly Greig (71) skates with the puck in the third period against the Minnesota Wild at the Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-IMAGN Images
Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images
NEW YORK — The NHL on Monday suspended Ottawa forward Ridly Greig for two regular-season games for roughing during the Senators’ final playoff game against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Greig was banned for sucker punching Carolina defenseman Sean Walker in the second period of Ottawa’s 4-2 loss on April 25.
Walker was engaged with a Senators player during an on-ice melee, and the video replay showed Greig delivering two separate shots to Walker, including a gloved uppercut punch that dropped Walker to his knees. Greig was not penalized on the play.
The victory gave the Hurricanes a sweep in the best-of-seven, first-round series.
Greig will serve the suspension at the start of next season.
Who's your money on now that all NHL semi-final round rivals are set? Here's how The Maven views the field:
FLYERS AT CAROLINA: It's already 1-0 for the Canes and, frankly, there's nothing about Philly that suggests a Flyer win. If top- to-bottom strong Carolina doesn't sweep, I'll be stunned.
DUCKS AT VEGAS: These teams are so evenly-matched it's ridiculous. From coaching on out, it's even. John Tortorella's team has home ice advantage and in this case, I go with Sin City's skaters in seven.
WILD AT AVALANCHE: The Denver skaters may lose one – maximum two – but as much as I respect Minny, the Avs are in a class by themselves.
CANADIENS AT BUFFALO: Let's face it, there's no way Montreal should have won game Seven in Tampa Bay. Luck prevailed but it'll take more than luck to take the Sabres. I go with Buffalo.
NEW YORK (AP) — The NHL on Monday suspended Ottawa forward Ridly Greig for two regular-season games for roughing during the Senators’ final playoff game against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Greig was banned for sucker punching Carolina defenseman Sean Walker in the second period of Ottawa’s 4-2 loss on April 25.
Walker was engaged with a Senators player during an on-ice melee, and the video replay showed Greig delivering two separate shots to Walker, including a gloved uppercut punch that dropped Walker to his knees. Greig was not penalized on the play.
The victory gave the Hurricanes a sweep in the best-of-seven, first-round series.
Greig will serve the suspension at the start of next season.
In Holland's exit interview on Friday, he revealed that he has a list of "five to eight" coaches of multiple degrees of experience, suggesting he's looking at all the options.
Now, here are three coaches who have either been lightly tested in the NHL, or haven't been a head coach in the league yet - in no particular order. In fact, all these listed coaches are currently leading a team in the AHL.
Andrew Lord, Ontario Reign
When a franchise goes through the process of a coaching change, it's fairly standard for the organization to take a look at who is running the affiliate club in the American League.
In this case, for the Kings, that's Andrew Lord, head coach of the Ontario Reign. Lord has been leading the Reign to a great season thus far in the minors.
This is Lord's first season with Ontario, and he currently has his team in the second round of the Calder Cup playoffs. The Reign earned a first-round bye, thanks to finishing first in the Pacific Division.
They also finished the regular season fourth in the AHL with 99 points, the best campaign in franchise history since the Manchester Monarchs became the Ontario Reign.
This impressive season is all in the hands of coach Lord.
Manny Malhotra is the head coach of the Abbotsford Canucks, the AHL affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks. He's led the team for two seasons now and has really impressed in his first campaign.
In 2024-25, he guided Abbotsford to a Calder Cup championship, which is the first time Vancouver's American League affiliate won a championship since the Springfield Indians in 1991.
This year hasn't gone nearly as well for Abbotsford, which finished fourth-last in the AHL, but that's largely because the NHL club brought up some of the key players who helped the Calder Cup-winning team last season.
Malhotra has been a name that has floated around the NHL community as a coach who could soon get an opportunity behind an NHL bench, but as the leader of the coaching staff.
He's been behind an NHL bench before, as an assistant coach for the Canucks and Toronto Maple Leafs from 2017-18 to 2023-24.
Pascal Vincent (James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports)
Pascal Vincent, Laval Rocket
Unlike the other two names on this list, Pascal Vincent has experience as a head coach in the NHL.
The Columbus Blue Jackets were forced to pivot from their original hire for the 2023-24 season, Mike Babcock, and Vincent was tapped to fill in after serving as an associate coach for the organization.
He finished that season with a 27-43-12 record with a weak Blue Jackets team. Since then, he's moved on to be a head coach again in the AHL, a role he's spent multiple seasons in with the Manitoba Moose from 2016-17 to 2020-21.
In the past two seasons, he's been the coach of the Laval Rocket, the AHL affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens. Vincent guided the Rocket to win the North Division this season, and they are in the second round of the playoffs.
Last season was even more impressive for Vincent and the Rocket as they topped the AHL for the 2024-25 regular season and made it to the Eastern Conference finals.
It could be time for Vincent to get a real chance at being a head coach in the NHL.
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The incident happened in the second period of Game 4 when Senators forward Warren Foegele was engaged with Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Sean Walker. Greig first hit Walker with an overhand punch.
Then when Foegele had Walker in a headlock. Greig hit him in the head with a "forceful gloved upper cut," NHL Player Safety said in its suspension video.
The suspension will be served next season because the Senators were eliminated from the playoffs after the 4-2 loss on Saturday, April 25.
The Montreal Canadiens picked up a 2-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 7. With this, the Canadiens have moved on to the second round and will be facing off against the surging Buffalo Sabres.
Game 7 was certainly far from a perfect win for the Canadiens, as the Habs finished the contest with only nine shots. Yet, despite not generating many chances, the Canadiens still pulled away with the victory.
The Canadiens can thank Jakub Dobes for that.
Dobes was excellent for the Canadiens in Game 7, as he stopped 28 out of 29 Lightning shots he faced. With this, Dobes finished Game 7 with a .966 save percentage.
Dobes' heroics ended up making him the recipient of a funny prank by fellow Canadiens goaltender Samuel Montembeault.
Following an interview on TNT, Dobes received a shaving cream pie to the face from Montembeault. TNT was able to capture the aftermath of the prank, which was great.
Jakub Dobeš talked to the panel after his AMAZING Game 7 performance 👏🔥
"I feel like every game I played this year was kind of like a Game 7... I was playing for my life" 😤
Montembeault has not played this postseason, but he has been a great teammate. For example, during Game 6, Montembeault was seen waving his towel like the Habs fans.
Sam Montembeault with the towel wave while watching the Habs playoff game
Now, Dobes will be looking to lead the Canadiens past the Sabres in the second round. If he does, Montembeault may have no choice but to prank him again.
LAS VEGAS — Vegas Golden Knights center William Karlsson will return for Game 1 of the team’s second-round playoff series against the Anaheim Ducks after missing nearly six months with a lower-body injury.
Coach John Tortorella confirmed the news before the game.
Karlsson was hurt in the first period of Vegas’ 4-3 overtime loss against the Ducks on Nov. 8.
Karlsson had four goals and three assists early in the season before the injury. He had back-to-back 50-point seasons, but finished with only 29 in 53 games last season, when he was sidelined twice because of injuries.
If you had been told at the start of the playoffs that the Montreal Canadiens would beat the Tampa Bay Lightning in seven games without Cole Caufield scoring a single even-strength goal, you more than likely would have choked on your coffee. Fast forward two weeks, though, and that’s exactly what happened to pretty much everyone’s amazement. There were a few reasons why that came to be: the Habs got timely depth scoring, the defense corps played admirably in Noah Dobson’s absence, and, first and foremost, Jakub Dobes.
The Czech netminder had a solid start to the season, while Samuel Montembeault struggled out of the gate. Since the Quebecer was the established first-choice goalie, he was given every opportunity to bounce back, despite Dobes playing some stellar games. Eventually, the youngster started to struggle as well. By Christmas, the organization was forced to call up Jacob Fowler while they sent Montembeault on a conditioning stint with the Laval Rocket in the AHL.
While it seemed to have had its impact at first, Montembeault faltered again. Eventually, the organization had to call Fowler up for good, finishing the season with two rookie goaltenders. From March 6, the two rookies shared the workload, but eventually Dobes made the net his own. That battle for winning the starter job was a great preparation for a winner-takes-all Game 7. Speaking on NHL Game Break after the Habs’ win on Sunday night, he explained how he stayed so calm with stakes so high:
I feel like every game that I played this year was kind of like a Game 7 for me. To be honest, I was playing for my life the whole season, so it’s not new to me to try to prove myself and play with passion, emotion, and a 100% effort, and it worked, so I’m really happy.
- Dobes on his season
Throughout the first-round series, the masked man posted a 2.04 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage while facing 196 shots. Meanwhile, at the other end of the ice, Vezina Trophy finalist Andrei Vasilevskiy, had a 2.18 GAA and a .897 SV while only having to face 156 shots. Dobes had 4.4 goals saved above expected according to Moneypuck, while Vasilevskiy had only 2.9, and in the end, that was the difference maker.
On Sunday, Montreal was outshot by 20 shots and still came out on top. It was the first time a team won a Game 7 after being so heavily outshot since the Canadiens did it against the Washington Capitals back in 2010 with Jaroslav Halak in net. That’s fitting, since Dobes’ performance was quite similar to what Halak did back in 2010.
Throughout the series, Dobes didn’t look like a rookie; he looked like an experienced goaltender who was used to handling the kind of pressure that comes with being the Canadiens’ goaltender. He became just the third rookie Canadiens’ netminder to win a Game 7 on the road after Jacques Plante and Ken Dryden.
When Montembeault struggled, Dobes saw an opportunity and grabbed it with both hands. The fifth-round pick at the 2020 draft doesn’t seem like he has any intention of letting go either, even if Fowler is considered by most to be the goaltender of the future. Dobes is enjoying the present, and if he has anything to say about it, Fowler and the future will have to wait their turn.
"People sometimes say that I get too emotional. But every game I play is like a Game 7."
Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville speaks to the media after their morning skate at T-Mobile Arena.
In Game 3 of the Ducks’ first round matchup against the Edmonton Oilers, Jeff Viel took a cross checking penalty 200 feet from his own net, sending the Oilers to the power play. Connor McDavid would score on the ensuing power play, cutting the Ducks’ lead to one.
“Bad penalty,” Viel said after the game. “Cant take a penalty in the o-zone. I kind of felt bad, especially since they score on (the power play). Huge goal they get back after.”
But Viel would atone for his error, depositing a backhand past Connor Ingram—after some terrific work from Jackson LaCombe—to give Anaheim a much-needed insurance goal with just over three minutes left to play in the third period.
Apr 24, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Edmonton Oilers goaltender Connor Ingram (39) defends the goal against Anaheim Ducks left wing Jeffrey Viel (28) during the second period of game three of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
In Game 4, Mason McTavish also took an offensive zone penalty, with the Oilers scoring just four seconds into that power play. Viel would score in his second consecutive game 10 minutes later, setting the series up for its first overtime game. Again, a Ducks player would atone for his earlier error, with McTavish proving vital on Ryan Poehling’s overtime winner.
As Oilers forward Trent Frederic attempted to skate the puck out of the defensive zone, McTavish stripped him and sent the puck up to Poehling all in one motion. Poehling’s centering pass to Chris Kreider caromed off Darnell Nurse’s skate and slipped through goaltender Tristan Jarry, barely crossing the goal line. That play gave the Ducks a 3-1 series lead, a momentum swing that put them in the driver’s seat.
“I think that we have ways of whether you get scored on or you make mistakes, we expect it,” head coach Joel Quenneville said. “I think sometimes, you might miss a little of time, you might miss a shift here or there, but you're gonna be out there. You're gonna be right back out there. Sometimes, (there) might be some longer absences in that, whether it’s missing a part of a period and after that, you might not play games. But, for the most part, (they should) expect to be out there.
“The guys know that we're going to make mistakes, especially defensively. We’ve been trying to improve that area because we know that we battle back and we have fine ways of putting ourselves back in the game. It’s basically been the way the season has gone all year long. That’s been proven that, hey, we're not out of anything.”
Apr 30, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Anaheim Ducks players celebrate after game six of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Edmonton Oilers at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
“It was pretty stressful in the penalty box,” Viel said. “The confidence from Q for putting me back out there after a tough penalty was a good vote of confidence. Awesome to get rewarded.”
“We’re just gonna make mistakes,” defenseman Jacob Trouba said. “We’re still gonna continue to make mistakes. We’re learning on the fly here, but there’s no quit in the group. There’s no letdown. We believe we can score goals, we believe we can defend well enough, we believe we can win hockey games. I think that’s what it’s all about right now.”
The words ‘believe’ and ‘belief’ have been used heavily by the Ducks throughout this playoff run. Troy Terry stated how proud he was of the team after Game 1 of their series against the Oilers.
“It’s unfortunate, the result of that game, and it's going to be tough to swallow, but we got to put it behind us.” Terry said. “But I I we kind of got our feet under us. We’re into this thing now.”
“We believe in ourselves,” Captain Radko Gudas said. “We’ve been down so many times this year and we keep coming back, so there's a big belief in this group.”
“We just believe in ourselves,” Poehling echoed after his overtime winner in Game 4. “I thought we played great, honestly. The whole game just got off to a start where they got a few bounces, but that's the thing about our team. We've done it all year and I think it just teaches you throughout a season that, hey, you're never out of it. And the belief on the bench is something that you truly feel and you go out there with confidence and play. It’s a great way to play hockey.”
Apr 30, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Anaheim Ducks center Ryan Poehling (25) and Edmonton Oilers center Colton Dach (34) battle for the puck in the first period of game six of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The Ducks’ self-belief, coupled with a short memory, will aid them well in a matchup against another team with plenty of playoff experience in Vegas. While the Ducks may have swept the season series, a new face is behind the bench for Vegas after Bruce Cassidy was fired with eight games remaining in the regular season. John Tortorella has the reins for the rest of the season and holds a record of 11-2-1 since becoming the new bench boss.
“Short memory, forget about it,” Cutter Gauthier said of the team’s reaction to their Game 5 loss in Edmonton.” The longer we let it linger, the longer it's going to affect our game. It’s a new day. We have a 3-2 series lead right now, and we have an opportunity to win the series tonight. So we're going to do everything we can to try and get that done.”
The best players at keeping a short memory are the goaltenders. Lukáš Dostál’s performances in the first round were quite up to standard, but he saved his best performance for the closeout game, stopping 25 of 27 shots and making plenty of key saves to prevent the Oilers from sending the series to seven games.
“He’s a special goalie,” defenseman Jackson LaCombe said. “He's been huge for us all year, and I think, honestly, that (the goals against) starts on us as players. I think we’ve got to be better. We knew they were gonna have a push when their backs against the wall. He’s been great for us all year, and I think those goals are on us.”
“I can turn the page right away because I don't wanna really dig too much into the past,” Dostál said. “I'm trying to take the positives, trying to take the negatives, always, from the game and just move on.”
The idea of self-belief being the driving factor for top-notch playoff performances may feel a bit whimsical, but the Ducks have shown that they can turn up another gear. Their 2-6-2 stretch to close out the regular season was nowhere to be found in the playoffs as they dispatched the Oilers in six games. They’ll need some of the same self-belief and short memory if they hope to beat the Golden Knights.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Vegas Golden Knights center William Karlsson will return for Game 1 of the team's second-round playoff series against the Anaheim Ducks after missing nearly six months with a lower-body injury.
Karlsson had four goals and three assists early in the season before the injury. He had back-to-back 50-point seasons, but finished with only 29 in 53 games last season, when he was sidelined twice because of injuries.
Viva Las Vegas, baby. The Ducks have made it to the second round, winning their first playoff series in nine years in their first playoff berth in eight years against the defending Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers.
They find themselves against the Vegas Golden Knights, the first time that these two teams are facing each other in the playoffs. It’s the first time since the Golden Knights’ inaugural season that both teams are in the playoffs.
“They're a good hockey team,” Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville said. “They’ve got balance, they skate, they're big, they go to the net, they defend pretty well, they play as a group of five in all zones, they seem to be connected. Not a lot of holes. I think that we’ve got to be at our best. We're gonna have to make sure that we start the series (hard). Every game's going to be important that we play consistently, we can't give up leads. When I say leads, we can't give up basically chasing a game—like we saw most of the year and in that last round as well—to have success. So, let's make sure our starts are going to be better.”
Feb 1, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Anaheim Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal (1) defends the goal as Vegas Golden Knights right wing Keegan Kolesar (55) screens him during the third period at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
“Everybody’s really excited,” Mason McTavish said. “We’ve got a great Vegas team we’re gonna be playing, so I'm just excited for that challenge. They’ve got a lot of great players and so do we, so it should be a great series and we're looking forward to it.”
Troy Terry has regularly missed morning skates over the past month or so, but will play in Game 1, per Quenneville. Radko Gudas (lower-body) participated in Monday’s morning skate and could be an option going forward. He has not played since Game 1 of the Oilers series.
Former Duck William Karlsson will return to the lineup for the Golden Knights in Game 1. He had been out since November with a lower-body injury. His re-insertion into the lineup gives the Golden Knights four steady cogs down the middle in Jack Eichel, Mitch Marner, Karlsson and Nic Dowd.
Ducks defenseman Jacob Trouba speaks to the media after their morning skate at T-Mobile Arena.
The first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs is complete, and although the Florida Panthers did not participate, several former Panthers players have moved on.
The first round featured several thrilling series, as well as sweeps.
Today, we’ll look at how each former Panthers player fared in the first round and what comes next for them in the second round.
Owen Tippett and Noah Juulsen, Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers pulled off a slight upset over the Pittsburgh Penguins, winning the series in six games. The Flyers made a late run into the playoffs and carried that momentum into the playoffs.
Former first-round pick of the Panthers, Owen Tippett, was a force for the Flyers. The 27-year-old only scored one goal and two points, but his speed was a handful for the Penguins to deal with. Unfortunately, he picked up an injury against the Penguins and was held out of the lineup for Game 1 against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Noah Juulsen played just four games with the Panthers, but he’s become a serviceable third-pairing defender. Juulsen played in four games against the Penguins, failing to record a point and averaging 10:51 of ice time.
Brandon Bussi and Mike Reilly, Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes are rolling. They swept the Ottawa Senators in the first round and started their series against the Flyers with a dominant 3-0 win.
While Brandon Bussi hasn’t played, Frederik Andersen has been the starting netminder for the Hurricanes. He was great for the Hurricanes during the regular season. Bussi was signed to a two-way deal by the Panthers in the off-season, but was claimed off waivers by the Hurricanes in pre-season.
As for Mike Reilly, he played just two games with the Panthers, but he has been an effective defenseman throughout his career. Reilly did not play in the first round, but the 32-year-old notched two assists in Game 1 against the Flyers.
Samuel Montembeault and Mike Matheson, Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round in Game 7 just last night. Montembeault didn’t dress for any game, as he has been demoted to the third-string netminder.
The 29-year-old was a third-round pick of the Panthers in 2015, but played just 25 games with the organization.
Mike Matheson played 299 games with the Panthers, the most of any team in his career, although it will be the Canadiens with whom he’s played the most soon. The 32-year-old has posted some strong offensive seasons in his career, but now he’s used more as a solid second-pairing two-way defender.
The Canadiens are set for a challenging second-round matchup against the Buffalo Sabres.
Alex Lyon has posted a .955 save percentage and 1.14 goals-against average in the playoffs so far. (Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images)
Alex Lyon, Buffalo Sabres
Alex Lyon is a Panthers hero, and now he’s becoming a Sabres icon. Lyon helped the Panthers make a late push to the playoffs in 2023, and now he’s stepped into the crease in place of Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and has dominated.
The 33-year-old guided the Sabres to three wins, allowing just one goal in each win. He allowed just two goals in his only loss in the playoffs so far.
Frank Vatrano and Radko Gudas, Anaheim Ducks
Radko Gudas and Frank Vatrano haven’t been a factor in the Anaheim Ducks’ success. If anything, Gudas did the opposite.
In Game 1 against the Edmonton Oilers, Gudas fell over his feet while Mattias Ekholm skated towards him, allowing a clean shot on goal before the Oilers scored on the rebound. Gudas then exited the lineup with an injury and has not returned. The Ducks went on to win four of the next five games.
As for Vatrano, he’s been a healthy scratch for the Ducks. He played five seasons in Florida, but the same issues that plagued him before continue: inconsistency.
The Minnesota Wild may have been handed the toughest hand in the first round, but they didn’t complain. Rather, they defeated the Dallas Stars in six games and looked more in control than the Stars did.
Vladimir Tarasenko was a bit quiet, but he remains a solid offensive player now in his mid-thirties. Tarasenko wasn’t an incredible producer for the Panthers when they won the Stanley Cup in 2024, but he pitched in when needed.
As for Petry, he was an off-season signing whom the Panthers traded away at the deadline. The veteran has skated in just one playoff game for the Wild so far.
The Wild will be in tough against the Colorado Avalanche in the second round, as Game 1 finished 9-6 in a loss for the Wild.
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The Montreal Canadiens will be facing off against the Buffalo Sabres in the second round after their impressive Game 7 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Now, the Sabres have already gotten some promising news that has the potential to make things a bit more difficult for the Canadiens.
Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff shared that forward Sam Carrick has been progressing well and could practice with Buffalo on Tuesday. This is after Carrick was initially expected to miss all of the second round. Yet, with Carrick making progress and potentially being ready to practice with the team, there is a real chance that he could end up playing for Buffalo this series after all.
If Carrick ends up being good to go for the Sabres, it would not be the best news for the Canadiens. While he is not a big-time star, he is a hard-nosed forward who plays a smart defensive game, kills penalties, and has success at the dot. Because of this, he would have the potential to make things more difficult for the Canadiens if he ends up being given the green light to return for Buffalo.
In 73 games this season split between the New York Rangers and Sabres, Carrick had nine goals, seven assists, 16 points, 65 penalty minutes, and 105 hits. He notably heated up after being traded to the Sabres, though, posting five goals and an assist in 13 games.
Sam Carrick, who was initially expected to miss Round 2, has progressed well and could practice tomorrow, per coach Lindy Ruff.
Everything changed for the New York Islanders when they won the 2025 NHL Draft Lottery, selecting then 17-year-old defenseman Matthew Schaefer with the first overall pick.
From living with Matt Martin and his family to breaking so many records, Schaefer has gone quickly from draft prospect to prodigy.
Schaefer has been tremendous on the ice, and when the cameras are rolling, so it's not a shock that he was back on camera ahead of Tuesday's 2026 NHL Draft Lottery.
On Monday, the NHL released a video of Schaefer Face-Timing the Martin girls, a skit to explain the draft lottery in a way that everyone can understand:
The Islanders, who won the 2025 NHL Draft Lottery with just 3.5 percent odds, ended the 2025-26 season with a 2.0% chance of winning the lottery for a second straight season.
However, per the rules, teams can only move up 10 spots in the lottery, so, while the Islanders technically could win the lottery for a second straight year, winning would just mean they select third overall in Buffalo on June 26 and June 27.
You can watch the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery, which takes place live from NHL Network's studio in Secaucus, New Jersey, at 7 PM ET on ESPN, Sportnets and TVA.
