Good morning, everyone. With the first round just about completed (there is one game to be played as of this writing), it is time to make an update to our Stanley Cup Playoffs Open Post. You can see the original post here, but let’s dive into the new matchups.

The Schedule: Here is the Second Round Schedule from NHL.com.

The Preview

The Eastern Conference Matchups

Carolina Hurricanes (M1/1) vs. the Philadelphia Flyers (M3/8)

I could not imagine a more lopsided matchup in the playoffs than the one right here, which should have been a first-round series. Despite the Hurricanes coming off a long rest, the Flyers looked lost against them in Game One, generating only 10 shots at five-on-five with 0.81 expected goals, per Natural Stat Trick. If that is a sign of things to come for the Flyers, they are doomed to lose in four or five games. Of course, there were concerns that Nikolaj Ehlers and Alexander Nikishin would miss some time in the series, but they were ready for Carolina’s 3-0 shutout in Game One.

Philadelphia’s only hope this series is getting the performance of a lifetime out of Dan Vladar. He had a surprisingly good regular season with a .906 save percentage (career high) in 52 games (career high by 22 games). Even with his three-goal loss last night, he still has a .928 save percentage in seven games these Playoffs. But I simply do not believe the lineup optimization to beat Rod Brind’Amour’s Hurricanes. They can thank Stuart Skinner for getting them this far, but they’re facing a machine now.

Buffalo Sabres (A1/2) vs. TBD (Lightning or Canadiens)

The Buffalo Sabres continued their long-awaited resurgence by bouncing the Boston Bruins in the First Round. Head Coach Lindy Ruff has continued to get the best out of Buffalo’s offensive stars, with each of Alex Tuch and Tage Thompson sitting at a point-per-game or better through six games, along with Bowen Byram and Peyton Krebs. Alex Lyon has been outstanding in net with a .955 save percentage and 1.14 goals against average in four starts and five games. With Buffalo winning their series over Boston pretty comfortably, Ruff has not even had to change the usual deployment of his players. Rasmus Dahlin leads the team in average ice time at 24:11 per night, which is dead-even with his regular season average. Guys like Thompson and Tuch have only added a minute or two per night, so they should all be pretty fresh for Round Two.

We will see tonight who of the Lightning or Canadiens move on to face them. Either way, it will be tough to beat Buffalo in a Best of Seven.

The Western Conference Matchups

Colorado Avalanche (C1/1) vs. Minnesota Wild (C3/3)

It’s an absolute joke that this is a second round matchup. The Central Division desperately needs to be split up if this is going to keep happening. Send the Avalanche to the Pacific, and give Vegas or Utah to the Central. One of the Vegas Golden Knights or the Anaheim Ducks are destined for the Conference Finals because of this extremely dumb format. In my eyes, this is close to being an informal Western Conference Finals.

The Minnesota Wild are not the deepest team at forward, but they have some excellent wingers in Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy, and Mats Zuccarello. Brock Faber has been excellent on defense, and Quinn Hughes is currently the best defenseman in the league. The big question here is how long they can hold up. Unlike the Buffalo Sabres, these guys basically play the entire game. Faber and Hughes are over 30 minutes per night from Round One. Boldy is at 25:14, Kaprizov at 24:40, and Joel Eriksson Ek at 23:44. Jesper Wallstedt has continued his excellence with a .924 save percentage. As long as none of those guys fall apart this series, they have a chance to upend Colorado, especially if Quinn Hughes has more performances like his Game 7 in Dallas.

The Colorado Avalanche, on the other hand, are one of the deepest teams in the league at forward. They swept the Kings without breaking much of a sweat, and their players should all be very rested. None of their guys have been close to playing as many minutes as the top guys in Minnesota. And why would they? It often feels like anyone on that team can score a big goal. Running Nathan MacKinnon, Brock Nelson, Nazem Kadri, and Jack Drury down the middle, with Gabriel Landeskog and Nicolas Roy also available to take shifts at center, the Avalanche have two teams’ worth of centers on their roster. Add on a great defense led by Cale Makar, with a Hall of Famer in Brent Burns eating his competition alive on the third pairing, it’s not hard to see how former Devil Scott Wedgewood had a .950 save percentage in four games against a team like Los Angeles. They have to turn it up a bit now, but they have an advantage.

Vegas Golden Knights (P1/4) vs. Anaheim Ducks (P3/6)

The Vegas Golden Knights handled the Utah Mammoth in six games, largely driven by that top line of Ivan Barbashev, Jack Eichel, and Pavel Dorofeyev and the second line of Mitch Marner, Brett Howden, and Mark Stone. Tomas Hertl, relegated to third-line duty, has not been too impactful so far. But even if Vegas is not as deep as they once were up front, their top scorers and their top two defensive pairings can easily carry them to the Conference Finals. Shea Theodore and Noah Hanifin have brought some production through six, though newcomer Rasmus Andersson has not yet found his offensive stride in Vegas. We’ll see if Carter Hart can hold up his end of the bargain.

The Anaheim Ducks certainly caught Edmonton at a good time. They do have a good young core in Jackson LaCombe, Leo Carlsson, and Cutter Gauthier along with older scorers in Mikael Granlund, Troy Terry, Alex Killorn, and Chris Krieder. They have a decent top end of the roster, but their defense and goaltending has generally been awful. Winning round one with an .876 team save percentage, I have to wonder if Ville Husso starts taking games from Lukas Dostal this series. The Ducks were certainly benefactors of a lot of loser points and overtime wins this regular season, and I think they go the way of the Flyers here by being knocked out by more of a machine in Vegas.

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The Golden Knights and Anaheim Ducks will take their Pacific Division rivalry to a new level, as they'll meet in the postseason for the first time.

Here's a glance inside the numbers and what the Golden Knights are up against with this series:

REGULAR-SEASON SERIES

Nov. 28: Ducks 4-3 OT in Vegas

Nov. 22: Ducks 4-3 OT in Anaheim

Feb. 1: Ducks 4-3 in Anaheim

ALL-TIME SERIES NUMBERS

RECORD: Golden Knights lead 27-8-3

GOALS: Golden Knights 134, Ducks 87

RECORD (in Vegas): Knights lead 15-3-1

GOALS (in Vegas): Golden Knights 65, Ducks 36

RECORD (in Anaheim): Knights lead 12-5-2

GOALS (in Anaheim): Golden Knights 69, Ducks 51

DUCKS STRENGTHS

Elite young core that has finally matured and established itself to play with cohesiveness. From Trevor Zegras' creativity and assertiveness, Mason McTavish's toughness and scoring prowess, Leo Carlsson's eagerness at center and Jamie Drysdale strength at the blue line. Anaheim becomes a dangerous team when the game opens up. We tend to see execution when the Ducks get quick exits from the defensive zone with a strong rush attack through the neutral zone. Their young legs are fluid, and there is a high IQ among this group that plays well together. They've also done a good job at creating odd-man rush opportunities. Compared to recent seasons, the Ducks look much more confident on offense, with more structured zone entries rather than a dump-and-chase strategy. They're getting better puck movement in the offensive zone with more players willing and able to shoot instead of over-passing. This is a team that rarely feels passive anymore, as they take control of games and play with pace and aggression. And if they're down early, they don’t go quietly in games, knowing they have the personnel that can swing momentum quickly with effort and pressure. When they’re rolling, the Ducks can score in bunches.

DUCKS WEAKNESSES

Even with its young talent emerging, Anaheim's scoring could become volatile against the veteran Knights. The Ducks may experience stretches where they look explosive, but could find themselves in long dry spells where production drops hard. It's the same inconsistency that has plagued this team for years and could rear its ugly head in this series. The question is whether or not the Ducks will get consistency with their secondary scoring, beyond their top forwards. If the top line slows down, the offense might stall. And, on defense, this team has been known to struggle against fast transition teams. Anaheim's defensive-zone coverage can break down under pressure, as opponents have been able to generate high-danger chances during sustained shifts. The penalty kill has also been a problem this season, ranking near the bottom of the league at different points this season. The Ducks' over-aggressive pressure can lead to breakdowns, and opponents tend to generate good looks on the power play.

SCHEDULE (all times pacific)

1. Monday, May 4, 6:30 p.m., Las Vegas, NV

2. Wednesday, May 6, 6:30 p.m., Las Vegas, NV

3. Friday, May 8, 6:30 p.m, Anaheim, CA

4. Sunday, May 10, 6:30 p.m., Anaheim, CA

*5. Tuesday, May 12 TBD, Las Vegas, NV

*6. Thursday, May 14 TBD, Anaheim, CA

*7. Saturday, May 16, Las Vegas, NV

* if necessary

PHOTO CAPTION

Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mark Stone (61) controls the puck against Anaheim Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal (1) during the third period at Honda Center. 

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The Colorado Avalanche sent the Kings packing in four games, and Cale Makar is rested ahead of tonight's opening salvo against the Minnesota Wild.

My Wild vs. Avalanche predictionsexpect Makar to pick up where he left off as an elite shot-maker.

Let’s break it all down with my NHL picks for Sunday, May 3.

Wild vs Avalanche Game 1 prediction

Who will win Wild vs Avalanche Game 1?

Colorado: The Colorado Avalanche led the NHL with a 64% goal share at 5-on-5 when playing on home ice. Their speed and skill are almost impossible for teams to slow down at altitude, and they’re very well rested after making quick work of Los Angeles in the first round.

Wild vs Avalanche best bet: Cale Makar Over 3.5 shots (+130)

Cale Makar generated a ton of volume against the Minnesota Wild during the regular season, piling up 45 attempts over four meetings. 

That's no coincidence. The Wild allowed the second-most shots to defensemen over the course of the year, and that's held true in the playoffs. 

Top defenseman Miro Heiskanen had a field day, averaging 3.5 shots on goal and leading the Stars in shot attempts — and he’s not nearly as strong a shot-generator as Makar.

Makar has also done his best work at home come playoff time, producing 3.8 shots and 9.3 attempts over his last 10 in Colorado.

Wild vs Avalanche Game 1 same-game parlay

Makar led the Avalanche in time on ice during the opening round. Given his elite talents, it should be no surprise he was also on for more scoring chances and expected goals than any player on the roster. 

He has his hand in everything offensively, and his chances of hitting the scoresheet only grow if the shot volume is there.

For Minnesota, it’s hard not to get excited about Matt Boldy’s shooting. He averaged 5.5 shots on goal in the first round, and the Avalanche have allowed the third-most shots to wingers in these playoffs.

Wild vs Avalanche SGP

• Cale Makar Over 3.5 shots
• Cale Makar Over 0.5 points
• Matt Boldy Over 3.5 shots

Wild vs Avalanche Game 1 goal scorer pick

Nathan MacKinnon (-115)

Sometimes the boring pick is the right one, and I think that’s the case here. 

Nathan MacKinnon averaged 0.80 goals per game following two days of rest this year and scored five goals over five games when having at least three days off in between games. 

He is lethal at any point, but his goal scoring ramps up even further when the tank is full.

Wild vs Avalanche odds for Game 1

• Moneyline: Wild +150 | Avalanche -175
• Puck Line: Wild +1.5| Avalanche -1.5
• Over/Under: Over 5.5 | Under 5.5

Wild vs Avalanche trend

Nathan MacKinnon has scored in seven of his past 10 games against Minnesota.Find more NHL betting trends for Wild vs. Avalanche.

How to watch Wild vs Avalanche Game 1

Wild vs Avalanche latest injuries

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The Hurricanes and the Colorado Avalanche swept their first round opponents and Carolina made it five wins in a row with a victory against the Philadelphia Flyers in the teams' second round opener.

The Avalanche might have a tougher time in their second round series because the Minnesota Wild are among the best teams in the league.

The Vegas Golden Knights are taking on the upstart Anaheim Ducks and the Buffalo Sabres are still waiting to find out their opponent as the Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens are playing in Game 7 on Sunday, May 3.

Here are USA TODAY Sports' predictions for who advances to the conference finals (the Sabres series prediction will be provided once their opponent is known):

For the seventh and final time in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs first-round, fans of the Montreal Canadiens and the Tampa Bay Lightning are waking up with one thought on their minds: can their team prevail in what has been an incredible series? There can only be one winner, and there’s never been a better example that the NHL’s playoff system is flawed. These two teams should never have met in the first round.

Tonight’s tilt will be the 202nd Game 7 in NHL history, and 118 times the home team has claimed the win, while the visitors have been victorious only 83 times, which doesn’t necessarily bode well for the Canadiens. However, Martin St-Louis’ men have been the third-best road team in the league this season, claiming 24 of their 48 wins away from the Bell Centre and two of their three wins in this series away from home.

Former Canadiens Player Says St-Louis Was Always Going To Be A Coach
Canadiens Made Impressive Progress In A Season
Canadiens Lose Game 6 In Heartbreaking Fashion

75% of the time, the team that scored first in a Game 7 has won the game: 151 wins and only 50 losses for the team that took the lead. In this current series between the Habs and the Bolts, five times out of six, the team that scored first won the game. It has never been more important to be ready right from puck drop.

The Lightning has played 10 Game 7s in its history and has won seven times, for a .700 winning percentage. When the ultimate game has been played at home, their record is 4-1. Meanwhile, the Canadiens have featured in 24 Game 7s and have a 15-9 record, for a .625 winning percentage. On the road, their record stands at 7-6 for a .538 winning percentage. With a win, the Canadiens would tie the Boston Bruins for most Game 7 wins in league history with 16.

23 of the players involved in this series have played in at least one Game 7 before; 13 play for Tampa Bay and 10 for Montreal. Only two Canadiens’ players have featured in more than one Game 7: Brendan Gallagher and Phillip Danault.

Six Canadiens players featured in the team’s last Game 7 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2021: Josh Anderson, Cole Caufield, Danault, Gallagher, Nick Suzuki, and Jake Evans. However, the player who scored the game-winning goal then, Corey Perry, now plays for the opponent.

Jakub Dobes will become the sixth Habs rookie goaltender to play a Game 7, joining an elite group formed of Carey Price, Patrick Roy, Steve Penney, Ken Dryden and Jacques Plante.

Meanwhile, Andrei Vasilevskiy, who completely shut the door on the Canadiens in Game 6, has played four Game 7s in his career and has a 2-2 record and could become just the third active goaltender, after Sergei Bobrovsky and Jake Oettinger, to record at least three wins in this kind of winner-take-all game.

Behind the bench, Jon Cooper could become the first bench boss in league history to win five Game 7s with the same franchise. The Bolts’ coach has a 4-2 record in these circumstances and could therefore break the tie he’s in with Bob Hartley, Tommy Ivan, Claude Julien and Darryl Sutter. As for Martin St-Louis, he has never been at the helm of a team in a Game 7, but he has a 6-2 record as a player and therefore knows what they are like.

According to multiple sources, Noah Dobson will play his first game in this series tonight, which brings the question of who will come out of the lineup for the Canadiens. Although Arber Xhekaj has made a couple of mistakes in Game 6, the physicality he brings to the game might give him the edge over Jayden Struble, especially since the Lightning’s players are starting to feel the pain of the physical toll of this series.

Montreal will not hold a morning skate today, but will hold a media availability around 11:00 AM. The chances of getting any lineup updates then are slim to none. Wes McCauley and Chris Rooney are set to officiate, while Scott Cherrey and Matt MacPherson will be the linemen. The game is set for 6:00 PM, and you can catch it on The Spot, HBO MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS, and CBC. Should the Canadiens come out on top, they would take on the Buffalo Sabres in the second round, with the series kicking off on Wednesday at 7:00 PM at the KeyBank Center.

Buckle up, Habs fans, you should be in for quite a ride.

Incomparable #GoHabsGopic.twitter.com/aG9Wj2847K

— Karine Hains (@KarineHains) April 24, 2026

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The Toronto Maple Leafs could unveil their new management as soon as Monday.

According to Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun, the Maple Leafs are expected to have a press conference on Monday to announce the hiring of Mats Sundin and John Chayka to run the organization.

Expect the Maple Leafs to have a press conference Monday to announce the executive team of Mats Sundin and John Chayka to run the hockey club.

— Steve Simmons (@simmonssteve) May 2, 2026

If this does occur, it will end weeks of speculation about Sundin and Chayka being the team's top options. Sundin would reportedly come into the fold as the vice president of hockey operations, while Chayka would act as general manager.

Sundin hasn't worked in a management role with an NHL club since retiring in 2009, but has reportedly followed the Maple Leafs closely as of late.

The Hall of Famer and former Toronto captain has been around the team, though, as a guest at training camp in the fall of 2024, and he returned to the city in January when Auston Matthews broke his franchise goals record.

Chayka hasn't had an NHL gig since he was GM of the Arizona Coyotes, from 2016 to 2020.

According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, the Maple Leafs also requested to speak with Tampa Bay Lightning GM Julien BriseBois, but were not granted permission. The Lightning are still in the playoffs, with a do-or-die Game 7 against the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday night.

If the Maple Leafs do end up holding a press conference on Monday, it'll be one day before the NHL's Draft Lottery. Toronto has the fifth-best odds at landing the first overall pick at 8.5 percent.

The John Chayka Calculus: Is The Former ‘Boy Wonder’ The Right Fit For The Maple Leafs? If John Chayka ends up being the Maple Leafs' choice to lead hockey operations, he must be able to articulate his past mistakes and demonstrate growth.

However, if their pick falls outside the top five, the Boston Bruins will be awarded the selection due to the conditions on the pick when Toronto acquired Brandon Carlo at the trade deadline in March 2025.

It remains unknown what other changes could occur within the Maple Leafs organization beyond the hirings of Sundin and Chayka.

Unknowingly or not, the Philadelphia Flyers walked into an ambush in Game 1 against the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night.

Reaching Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs is no small feat for the little-engine-that-could Flyers, but things only get harder with each round.

The group looked spent by the end of the first round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins and were perhaps fortunate to leave Xfinity Mobile Arena as victors via Cam York's hail-mary goal from long range.

All three Hurricanes goals in Saturday night's 3-0 Game 1 loss were more than preventable, but as head coach Rick Tocchet told traveling media after the game, the Flyers looked "mentally unprepared" for the vicious Hurricanes.

On Logan Stankoven's first goal, Matvei Michkov tried to beat the Hurricanes' pressure with a backhand pass to Travis Sanheim in his own zone. That got intercepted with ease, and the ensuing shot from the point was tipped for the goal.

The second goal was equally silly, as Michkov lunged at Jackson Blake in the neutral zone, despite having a 2-on-1 numbers advantage defending with Sanheim.

Both Flyers were caught flat-footed, and Blake skated onwards to backhand past Dan Vladar, who should have made a comfortable save but failed to do so.

Lastly, for the dagger, Stankoven converted on a steal by Seth Jarvis, who hounded Noah Juulsen down in his own zone to force a turnover.

Injured Key Flyers Forward Out Game 1 vs. HurricanesThe Philadelphia Flyers have lost Owen Tippett for Game 1 against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Juulsen has never been known for his prowess with the puck, but it has become a glaring issue in recent games. The Flyers may be better suited giving those minutes to Emil Andrae or David Jiricek, especially if the Hurricanes keep winning.

A late flurry from the Flyers helped make things look manageable, but the game was lost inside the first 40 minutes, when they recorded just nine shots on goal to Carolina's 21.

They were out-classed from start to finish, and all Rod Brind'Amour's crew needed to do was play on cruise control for the final frame.

Looking at the Flyers, the main concern that everyone saw coming was how they would deal with the Hurricanes' pressure game and aggressive forecheck setup.

The Flyers are a team comprised of young players and vets, many of whom are playing in the postseason for the first time in a long time, if they ever had at all.

This Hurricanes team makes the playoffs every year, and while they obviously have not won when it mattered to reach the Stanley Cup Final, they are objectively a contender. The Flyers are not.

Right now, we're seeing a winded Flyers team that has already squandered one of the four losses they can take before being bounced from the postseason.

Owen Tippett didn't play, and Michkov, Porter Martone, and Tyson Foerster are all going through growing pains in their dry spells.

It would be good for this group to steal at least one or two games from the Hurricanes, but they haven't shown signs of being capable of that just yet.

Sidney Crosby is under contract next season in 2026-27 to play for the Penguins. What comes after that will have to be determined at a later date.

“Just wait and see,” Crosby said on Friday about his future status during exit interviews. “I haven’t thought that far ahead, but we’ll just wait and see.”

That matches his approach from recently, Crosby waited two and a half months in the summer of 2024 to sign a two-year contract extension with the Penguins that covered 2025-26 and 2026-27. He will be turning 40 years old shortly after this deal ends.

Whether or not we see a 40+ year old Crosby playing in the NHL in 2027-28 is a bridge that the forward hasn’t come close to crossing yet this soon after a season comes to an end. Crosby finished his 21st season in Pittsburgh, 22 is coming up next year. Year 23 isn’t assured, though it isn’t ruled out at this point either.

Crosby would be eligible to officially sign another extension for 2027-28 starting in just a couple of months on July 1st of this year. It doesn’t sound like the long-time Pittsburgh captain is in any hurry to make that decision one year ahead of time.

One positive for this off-season is there won’t be any rumors or wishful thinking out of Canada to stir up trade rumors, being as the Penguins made the playoffs and at least held out enough promise to making coming back to Pittsburgh a foregone conclusion in 2026-27 to potentially finish out his illustrious career wearing the only NHL jersey he’s ever known.

Despite suffering two injuries to each leg since February, Crosby proclaimed himself to be in good shape and dismissed questions about the possibility of undergoing surgery this summer.

“I’m going to have discussions [Friday] and talk to doctors and things like that,” Crosby said. “I feel pretty good.”

At this point, he likely doesn’t have a firm answer about long long he will continue playing in the NHL. For anything beyond next season, we’ll likely have a long time to “wait” before we “see”.

Montreal Canadiens (48-24-10, in the Atlantic Division) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (50-26-6, in the Atlantic Division)

Tampa, Florida; Sunday, 6 p.m. EDT

LINE: Lightning -159, Canadiens +134; over/under is 5.5

NHL PLAYOFFS FIRST ROUND: Series tied 3-3

BOTTOM LINE: The Montreal Canadiens visit the Tampa Bay Lightning in game seven of the first round of the NHL Playoffs. The teams meet Friday for the 11th time this season. The Lightning won 1-0 in overtime in the previous matchup.

Tampa Bay has a 19-10-3 record in Atlantic Division games and a 50-26-6 record overall. The Lightning have a +57 scoring differential, with 286 total goals scored and 229 allowed.

Montreal is 48-24-10 overall and 19-10-3 against the Atlantic Division. The Canadiens are seventh in league play with 279 total goals (averaging 3.4 per game).

TOP PERFORMERS: Nikita Kucherov has scored 44 goals with 86 assists for the Lightning. Jake Guentzel has three goals and seven assists over the past 10 games.

Cole Caufield has 51 goals and 37 assists for the Canadiens. Nicholas Suzuki has one goal and nine assists over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Lightning: 5-3-2, averaging 2.3 goals, 3.9 assists, 6.7 penalties and 17.6 penalty minutes while giving up 2.4 goals per game.

Canadiens: 5-3-2, averaging 2.4 goals, 4.5 assists, 6.7 penalties and 16.6 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).

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Even if the Pittsburgh Penguins' 2025-26 season came to a close after a disappointing first-round Stanley Cup Playoff loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, things down on the farm are alive and well as far as the post-season is concerned.

And one of their affiliates punched their ticket to the second round on Saturday.

In a double-overtime thriller, the Wheeling Nailers - ECHL affiliate of the Penguins - beat the Reading Royals, 1-0, in Game 5, and advanced to the second round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs. Forward Nolan Renwick scored the OT winner, which came a little more than seven minutes into the second overtime period, to put away the ECHL affiliate of the Flyers.

🚨NOLAN RENWICK SENDS US TO ROUND 2🚨

🚨Nolan Renwick
🍎Zach Urdahl
🍏Daniel Laatsch #ForTheWheelpic.twitter.com/Z7pJIGRhBZ

— xy-Wheeling Nailers (@WheelingNailers) May 3, 2026

Goaltender Taylor Gauthier - who served as the Penguins' emergency backup goalie during home games in the first round of the NHL playoffs - made 41 saves and earned his third shutout of the series. He is up to a .974 save percentage in these playoffs.

With the shutout, he tied an ECHL record for the fewest number of goals given up in a five-game series, and his three playoff shutouts are the most in franchise history. 

Wheeling will meet the winner of the Maine Mariner and Adirondack Thunder series in the North Division Final, which will start on May 8 in Wheeling. 

'There's A Lot To Build On': Penguins Confident 2025-26 Season Is Just The Starting Point For ContentionAfter being eliminated from the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs by the Philadelphia Flyers, the Pittsburgh Penguins are confident that they'll be back in the post-season in the years to come.

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

It might have dropped during the National Anthem in Game 1, but the NHL has at last finally dropped the schedule for the second round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Carolina Hurricanes opened up the second round slate at home on Saturday against the Philadelphia Flyers and they'll play Game 2 again at Lenovo Center on Monday, May 4 at 7 p.m.

Here's the full schedule breakdown:

Game 1 - 8 p.m., Saturday, May 2 (@ Lenovo Center)
Game 2 - 7 p.m., Monday, May 4 (@ Lenovo Center)
Game 3 - 8 p.m., Thursday, May 7 (@ Xfinity Mobile Arena)
Game 4 - 6 p.m., Saturday, May 9 (@ Xfinity Mobile Arena)
Game 5 - Monday, May 11 (@ Lenovo Center)
Game 6 - Wednesday, May 13 (@ Xfinity Mobile Arena)
Game 7 - Saturday, May 16 (@ Lenovo Center)

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RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Philadelphia Flyers forward Owen Tippett sat out Saturday night against the Carolina Hurricanes to open that second-round playoff series.

The Flyers ruled out their regular-season goals leader about a half-hour before the start of the game due to an undisclosed injury.

Tippett had 28 goals and 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.

The Flyers said Tippett is considered day to day.

The Hurricanes took the ice a week after closing out a sweep of Ottawa. But defenseman Alexander Nikishin was out of the lineup Saturday as he continues to recover from a concussion suffered on a jarring hit by Tyler Kleven in Game 4. Nikishin had returned to skating in a yellow no-contact jersey by Wednesday, then shed that practice Friday.

Coach Rod Brind’Amour said Saturday morning that Nikishin needed to complete another test as he works to clear the concussion protocol.

Carolina forward Nikolaj Ehlers was back after a lower-body injury made him a late scratch for Game 4.

___

AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Coming out of the lockout for the 2005-2006 season, the Senators seemed to have it all.

They had an excellent young team whose playoff kryptonite for four of the previous five seasons had been the Toronto Maple Leafs. But with Toronto missing the playoffs that year, as they would for 10 of the next 11 years, they were no longer a concern.

Meanwhile, the Sens had the league's best offence, the second-best defence, and entered the playoffs as the top seed in the East and the Stanley Cup favourite.

They had acquired Dany Heatley and Dominik Hasek for that season, and Zdeno Chara and Martin Havlat were both still here. For my money, it was the greatest team in Senators history.

Back in February, my colleague, Graeme Nichols, produced the best story ever written about the 2005-06 Senators. It's an incredible, long-form piece, filled with interviews and anecdotes with just about everyone from that team, and I highly encourage you to check it out here.

20 Years Later: The Rise And Fall Of One Of The Greatest Teams In Senators History20 years after Dominik Hasek's Olympic injury, THN's Graeme Nichols caught up with Hasek, Dany Heatley, Jason Spezza and many of the stars of the 2005-06 Ottawa Senators for a deeper look at arguably the greatest team in franchise history.

But as we hit The Hockey News Archive, it's time for a little time-travel, a chance to dip back into the moment to see what people were saying about the 2006 Senators. Mike Brophy wrote in our Apr 25, 2006, issue about the Senators' chances as they entered the Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

A New Sensation

From The Hockey News
Apr 25, 2006
Vol. 59, Issue 31

It’s Stanley Cup or bust for the Ottawa Senators as they try to reverse their failed playoff history and win Canada’s first NHL title since 1993.

BY MIKE BROPHY

A few years ago, Daniel Alfredsson boldly announced his Ottawa Senators would win the Stanley Cup.

Then, a few days later, he backed off his ambitious statement by saying something to the affect of, “I didn’t say this year.”

The Senators, of course, have not won a Stanley Cup; at least not since 1927. The current incarnation of the Ottawa Senators has yet to even make it to the final since joining the league in 1992-93.

So, any predictions for us this year, Daniel?

“No,” Alfredsson says with a chuckle.

You’re out of the prediction-making business?

“Not exactly,” he continues. “I think it will be a great playoffs. There will be some upsets, as always, and it’s going to be really fun playing in the playoffs and watching the other games as well.”

OK, if you won’t say your team is going to win the Stanley Cup, Daniel, we’ll say it for you. With all due respect to a number of contenders in the new NHL, the Senators have what it takes to win the Cup, particularly since their nemesis, the Toronto Maple Leafs, aren’t going to the dance. And to think, not long ago Ottawa’s Stanley Cup was simply to get past the Leafs, who sent them golfing in four of the past five seasons.

Now, before you say the Senators don’t have a chance if No. 1 goalie Dominik Hasek doesn’t return from his groin injury, it must be said that rookie Ray Emery has proven himself to be good enough to carry the load. When a team is as good as the Senators, it doesn’t necessarily need great goaltending to win it all; it just needs its goalie not to lose games. The Senators will be fine.

“You need at least good goaltending and in the past that may have been one of the shortcomings I experienced,” says Ottawa coach Bryan Murray. “The other team’s goalies played just a tad better than my goalies. We’re hoping that just good goaltending this time will be adequate.”

Alfredsson says his team is quietly confident about its chances in the post-season.

“The biggest thing entering the playoffs is, we know we have a team that can win it all,” Alfredsson says. “But you need a lot of things to go right for you. You need to be healthy and you need to have a little good luck. More than anything, you need to play well in big games.

“We feel this is a good opportunity for this group and we’re going to try to make the most it and see what happens.”

This group, as Alfredsson puts it, contains some the NHL’s most dangerous scorers.

Dany Heatley, who has revived his career in Ottawa, ranked fourth in league scoring, having set the team record for goals in a season with 48 and totalling 97 points in 78 games. Alfredsson, himself, who had established single-season highs in goals (41) and points (95) with four games remaining, was seventh in league scoring. Super playmaker Jason Spezza, despite missing 14 games with a chest injury, had 68 assists and 86 points in 64 games.

And that is just the tip of the iceberg. No team comes close to matching the Senators’ scoring depth up front with the likes of Peter Schaefer, Bryan Smolinski, newly acquired Tyler Arnason, Antoine Vermette, Patrick Eaves, Mike Fisher and even tough guy Chris Neil capable of lightning it up on any given night.

What is even more astounding is the fact the Senators also have one of the best and deepest bluelines in the NHL.

Wade Redden and Zdeno Chara are bona fide stars, solid at both ends of the rink, while Chris Phillips, Brian Pothier, Anton Volchenkov and rookie Andrej Meszaros, who is among the NHL leaders at plus-35, are all rock-solid.

Bryan Murray has coached and managed great teams in the past, most recently taking the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim to the final as GM in 2003. But this year, he says, is different.

“No. 1, I think our defensive corps is as good as I’ve ever had…the depth of it,” Murray says. “I’ve had some good individual players on the blueline like (Rod) Langway and (Scott) Stevens, but to have the depth that we have is a little more than I’ve had in the past. If we get everybody back, we have a lot of depth up front, too, with a lot of scoring ability.”

The Senators, like all teams, will face some distractions, such as if and when will Hasek be back; and, can the team afford to sign both Chara and Redden, who will be unrestricted free agents in the summer. But Murray says it should not affect the way the team plays on the ice.

“We just try to focus now on the team,” Murray says. “Obviously we’re affected somewhat by what people say, but mostly we just play. As a coach, all you can do is prepare and play.”

Before the season began, we chose the Philadelphia Flyers as our Cup favorite. And why not? They added superstar Peter Forsberg, along with monster defensemen Derian Hatcher and Mike Rathje and big, scoring winger Mike Knuble, as well as a handful of blue chip prospects. That had us convinced the season would be nothing more than a formality. Just hand them the Cup.

The Flyers, though, have been woefully inconsistent. Injuries have taken a toll and there was never really a point during the season where it looked like they would ultimately live up to expectations. The thing about the Flyers is, you can’t dismiss them completely because they have so much talent they are entirely capable of kicking it into gear and winning every game they play. In that regard, coach Ken Hitchcock may face his greatest challenge ever.

Other teams capable of upsetting the Senators include the Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes. People waiting for the Prague Rangers to fold their tents in the playoffs may be disappointed. If goalie Henrik Lundqvist and superstar Jaromir Jagr, the NHL’s most valuable player, live up to their potential, they’ll be a tough opponent for anybody. And don’t discount the work their grunt players do, either.

While the Hurricanes have only played .500 hockey down the stretch, they, too, will not be a desirable opponent for anyone in the opening round.

As for the 2004 Stanley Cup-champion Lightning, unless goalie John Grahame goes to bed one night and wakes up the next morning as Bernie Parent, Tampa Bay doesn’t stand a chance of repeating. The other finalist from two years ago, the Calgary Flames, have put a lot of trust in goalie Miikka Kiprusoff and may rue the day they failed to find an offense-minded center to play with Jarome Iginla.

While we think the Stanley Cup champion will come from the Eastern Conference, the most interesting and competitive hockey is in the West, where the team that finishes eighth – the San Jose Sharks, in all likelihood – could be a threat to make it all the way to the final.

Detroit and Dallas, the cream of the Western crop, both look like potential conference champions, but it won’t be an easy trail to the final.

“What people don’t understand when a team from the East wins the Cup is, the Western Conference teams kick the crap out of each other just trying to make it to the final,” says Edmonton defenseman Chris Pronger.

Looking for a dark horse? Try Pronger’s Oilers – if they made the playoffs, that is. With three games remaining in the regular season, the Oilers were sitting in eighth place in the Western Conference. The additions of defenseman Jaroslav Spacek and left winger Sergei Samsonov have added experience and skill at both ends. If Dwayne Roloson offers up solid goaltending, the Oilers certainly could pull off a first round upset.

And if that happens, they could go on a roll similar to the one the Flames went on two years ago.

Will being the Cup favorite make life tough for the Senators?

“It can’t matter that much, if we let outside factors be that big of a deal,” Murray says.

“But I think, from a confidence point of view, we talk about what we have to do and to have other people recognize a certain ability level doesn’t hurt.”

STAT SHOT

Here’s how teams that were still in the playoff picture through April 10 compare in goals scored per game, goals against per game, overall record in overtime and shootouts, and odds of winning the Cup.

By Mike Brophy
The Hockey News Archive
Apr 25, 2006/vol. 59, issue 31