The Colorado Avalanche swept three head-to-head matchups with the Los Angeles Kings this season, allowing just five goals along the way.
My Kings vs. Avalanche predictions expect the home team to win in convincing fashion again in the series opener.
Let’s dive into my NHL picks for Sunday, April 19.
Kings vs Avalanche Game 1 prediction
Kings vs Avalanche best bet: Avalanche -1.5 (+105)
The Colorado Avalanche ran over the Los Angeles Kings in the regular season, winning all three meetings by multiple goals while beating them 13-5 in aggregate.
That was par for the course for Los Angeles when facing high-end teams, especially defensively.
Los Angeles lost seven of its last 10 games against Top-10 defensive teams, averaging 1.8 goals and 24.9 shots per game. Generating offense was a massive challenge.
It won’t get any easier for them against the Avalanche, who went 15-3-1 with a net goal differential of +1.79 per game following 2+ days of rest.
Kings vs Avalanche Game 1 same-game parlay
Artturi Lehkonen has a strong track record of playoff success, piling up 17 points over his last 20 games. He has a great nose for the net and will go to the dirty areas to produce. That’s especially important when the ice is more contested at this time of year.
On the other side, I’m zeroing in on defenseman Brandt Clarke. He has blocked an average of 3.8 shots over his past 10 games and is facing an Avalanche squad that ranked first in shot attempt rate at home this season.
Kings vs Avalanche SGP
Avalanche -1.5
Artturi Lehkonen Over 0.5 points
Brandt Clarke Over 2.5 blocked shots
Kings vs Avalanche Game 1 goal scorer pick
Nathan MacKinnon (-125)
Nathan MacKinnon led the NHL in goals, shot attempts, and shots on target during the regular season. He was especially productive when well-rested.
He has scored 10 goals over his last nine games working on two days of rest, and five goals spanning four games after having 3+ days of rest.
MacKinnon also found the net in 64% of Colorado’s home wins, and I expect the Avalanche to win decisively here.
Kings vs Avalanche odds for Game 1
Moneyline: Los Angeles +190 | Colorado -230
Puck line: Los Angeles +1.5 (-130) | Colorado -1.5 (+110)
Over/Under: Over 5.5 (-120) | Under 5.5 (+100)
Kings vs Avalanche trend
The Avalanche have covered the puck line in five of their last eight games (+4.50 Units / 55% ROI). Find more NHL betting trends for Kings vs. Avalanche.
How to watch Kings vs Avalanche Game 1
Location
Ball Arena, Denver, CO
Date
Sunday, April 19, 2026
Puck drop
3:00 p.m. ET
TV
TNT, truTV
Kings vs Avalanche latest injuries
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
We usually do a phase-by-phase preview, but since we had to wait till game 82 to figure out Colorado’s first-round matchup, we decided to do all three phases of this glorious game and matchup in one fell swoop.
For starters, this matchup definitely has David vs. Goliath vibes, but LA looks like a better team (on paper) than its regular-season result suggests.
We’ve seen eight Presidents’ Trophy-winning teams be eliminated in the first round dating all the way back to 1991, but should the Avalanche and their fans be worried this time around?
The Avalanche swept the season series (3-0) with MacKenzie Blackwood securing two of the three victories, with Scott Wedgewood having one.
Let’s take a deeper look and see what may be cause for concern, or ammo for confidence in round one!
Forwards
The Colorado Avalanche might not have “five, six, seven of the best players in the world,” as LA Kings head coach DJ Smith put it, but I’d wager they have three in Nathan MacKinnon, Marty Necas, and Cale Makar.
The first two listed should give the Colorado Avalanche a decided advantage, although the Kings do have some top-end talent to be aware of.
It’s Anze Kopitar’s last ride, so he and his talent represent a bit of a wild card in this series. Artemis Panarin, or “the bread-man,” is also among the more skilled players in the league.
The overall theme of this group is a capable top line, with some grit and pesky vibes from the rest of the group. LA’s second line is decent, but up against Colorado’s, they may be in over their head.
Be prepared to be frustrated by Joel Armia and Scott Laughton’s physicality and tendency to toe the line of what’s allowed in the playoffs.
Scott Laughton first fight as a Toronto Maple Leaf vs Ridly Greig. Slight edge Laughton I think.
Sidenote. Absolutely embarrassing crowd reaction in Toronto for the fight. Par for the course I guess#GoSensGo#LeafsForever
Speaking of, I imagine the approach will be to be as close to that line as possible, all series as an attempt to slow Colorado’s transition and attack.
It’s a strategy that’s worked in the past, but you have to have the horses to pull it off.
Kings Projected Forwards:
Artemi Panarin — Anze Kopitar — Adrian Kempe| Trevor Moore — Quinton Byfield — Alex Laferriere Joel Armia — Scott Laughton — Jared Wright Mathieu Joseph — Samuel Helenius — Taylor Ward
Avalanche Projected Forwards:
Artturi Lehkonen — Nathan MacKinnon — Martin Necas Gabriel Landeskog — Brock Nelson — Valeri Nichushkin Ross Colton — Nazem Kadri — Nicholas Roy Parker Kelly — Jack Drury — Logan O’Connor
When you put the two forward groups up next to each other, a couple of things stand out.
My first takeaway is that this healthy version of the Avalanche is super deep, boasts elite talent, and offers plenty of options.
I have no issue with starting with Landeskog on the second line with Nelson and Nichushkin, as he was a great playoff performer last season, even without a full training camp and with limited confidence. This time around, he’s got the legs of a seasoned player again, and every playoff game is one more than most thought Landy would get.
If you do want to inject more scoring into the top six, you can easily swap Kadri, Roy, or Colton with any of the three ahead of them to mix things up.
I’d imagine we see these lines take a different shape when contextualized by each game’s flow.
Colorado’s bottom six could prove the competitive advantage in this one, as the big guns can’t always go, and the Avalanche have plenty of talent on lines three and four.
In fact, the third line of Kelly, Kadri, and Roy has combined for 45 goals this season.
Defenders
The real question with a defensive comparison is how each side will hold up (match-up-wise) against their opposition’s top forwards?
Can Mikey Anderson and Drew Doughty hold up against one of the fastest and best lines in hockey in Colorado’s top group?
Will Brian Dumoulin and Cody Ceci be sheltered effectively, avoid being matched up against Colorado’s top skill, and hold up against the Avalanche’s bottom six I described earlier?
If they try to play a shutdown style, expect a muddy neutral zone and a lot of chip and chase from both sides.
That approach is a slippery slope against a team like the Avalanche, which can establish an early lead and never look back.
I should also mention that Brandt Clarke is bound to be at the top of the list of players Avs fans grow tired of.
Projected Kings Defenders:
Mikey Anderson — Drew Doughty Joel Edmundson — Brandt Clarke Brian Dumoulin — Cody Ceci
Projected Avalanche Defenders:
Brett Kulak — Cale Makar Devon Toews — Sam Malinski Josh Manson — Brent Burns
The Avalanche have mixed and matched this D core over the last month or so, and while Cale Makar was on the mend, we saw the re-emergence of Devon Toews offensive touch, and the arrival of Sam Malinski’s as well.
Malinski has as many goals since March 24, 2026, as he had in all of his 2024-25 campaign with the Avalanche.
Brent Burns is looking at his best chance to hoist since his time in San Jose with this Avalanche team, so expect his best and brightest.
Josh Manson didn’t play to end the season, so let’s keep an eye on how he looks early in this series.
Brett Kulak will face the Kings in the first round for the third consecutive postseason, and pairing him up with Cale seems smart considering how calm and cool Kulak is.
He can stay home while Cale struts his stuff.
Goaltenders
Interestingly enough, both LA and Colorado will start goalies who have been regarded as back-ups for most of their careers.
There’s no doubt who the fans want between the pipes for Colorado: Scott Wedgewood, who leads the league in SV% (.921) and GAA (2.02) and ranks 4th in wins this season.
Colorado can go with a tandem approach and potentially start Blackwood in game two, but if Wedgewood shows out and bails his team out with a game one win, largely in part to his performance, the Avalanche will ride the hot hand.
It looks like Anton Forsberg will get the net to start things for LA.
Forsberg coincidentally was one of Jared Bednar’s netminders during his time as a head coach and Calder Cup winner with the Lake Erie Monsters (now Cleveland Monsters).
If things don’t go well for Anton, Darcy Kuemper is waiting in the wings.
I don’t think I need to talk Avalanche fans into respecting Darcy Kuemper.
We know more than most how good Darcy can be when he’s really on his game.
It’s 1A/1A vs. 1A/1B as I see it.
Shocker: Advantage Avalanche
I’m not exactly going out on a limb here, but the Colorado Avalanche have an advantage on all three fronts of this first-round matchup with the LA Kings.
Rocket Richard, Hart Stanley Cup winning pedigree, the likes of Nathan MacKinnon don’t exactly grow on trees, and it also hardly goes unnoticed. Advantage Avalanche in the forward group because they have the best forward in the world, and he likely wants to get right after the Olympics.
NATHAN MACKINNON IS A ROCKET RICHARD TROPHY WINNER! 🚨
OTTAWA AT CAROLINA: That's easy. Free and Easy Travis Green leads his underdog Sens over uptight and annoying Rod Brind'Amour's Canes. Write this down, please. Carolina will never win a Cup as long as annoying Brindy is coaching! SENS IN 6.
BOSTON AT BUFFALO: The Sabres – from Lucky Lindy down to the stickboy – are possessed. Beantowners are okay and I love Jewish goalie Jeremy Swayman out of Alaska as a Huge plus but Buffalo's Alex, is a Tuch better. How can you beat Tuchy from the fairy tale town of Syracuse, Arizona? BUFF IN 6.
CANADIENS AT TAMPA BAY: Montreal's Martin St. Louis is the sixth best coach in the NHL. Trouble is for the Habs is that The Lightning's Jon Cooper is the best. Period! Maven is a big Jake Guentzel fan, not to mention Braden – you get the POINT. Also, that ex-Rangers who the Blueshirts unloaded, Ryan McDonagh is playing ace hockey. BOLTS IN 6.
PITTSBURGH AT PHILADELPHIA: Now that Pitt's brass has unloaded bum coach Mike Sullivan to the Loserville-On-The-Hudson Rangers, Crosby-Malkin-Letang-Karlsson will put the Swiss Cheese sandwiched Flyers out of their misery, faster than you can say "Philly rhymes with SIlly which is the Broad Street goaltending! PITT IN 4.
The NHL has official announced the date, time and odds for the 2026 Draft Lottery.
This is relevant for the Florida Panthers due to them finishing as the eighth-worst team in the league this season thanks to an injury-filled campaign unlike any the franchise had seen before.
According to the league, the Draft Lottery is set for Tuesday, May 5. A start time has not been announced, but these are generally broadcast prior to the start of that evening’s Stanley Cup Playoff slate.
Once things get going, fans watching the broadcast will see the lottery balls drawn in real time.
There will be two draws held, one for the first overall pick and one for the second overall pick.
Teams can only move up 10 spots in the lottery, so only the eleven-worst teams in the standings have a chance at picking first.
Officially, the Panthers have a 6.0% chance at obtaining the first overall pick.
Depending how the ping pong balls land, Florida will either move up for the first or second overall pick, keep the eighth pick, or get bumped back to ninth or tenth overall.
The consensus number one prospect this year is forward Gavin McKenna, and whoever wins the lottery will be landing a dynamic, NHL-ready star in the making.
For Florida, simply having a first-round pick, let alone one in the top 10, is a massive asset to work with.
Whether they use the pick to select a high-end prospect or entertain trade offers for players who can help at the NHL level immediately, it’s an unexpectedly positive potential boost for a team already expected to be among those competing for a Stanley Cup next season.
Remember, Florida initially traded this pick to the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2025 Trade Deadline deal that brought Seth Jones to the Panthers, but the pick came with a provision of being protected if it ended up being in the top 10.
The 2026 NHL Draft is set for June 26 and 27 from KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York.
In the days leading up to Game 1 of their first-round series against the Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins' head coach Dan Muse remained pretty coy about who would get the nod between the pipes to open the Stanley Cup Playoffs for his team.
And that finally became clear on gameday.
After Saturday's optional morning skate ahead of Game 1, Muse announced that Stuart Skinner would be the Penguins' starting goaltender for series opener in Pittsburgh at 8:00 p.m. ET later that evening. Skinner - like many others - did not take the ice for the optional skate, which was the initial indication that he would get the nod Saturday night.
"As I said [Friday], we have the benefit of two guys that have played great for us all year," Muse said. "So, we went through our process, and Skinner is starting."
There was a bit of uncertainty as to who would get the first nod between Skinner and Arturs Silovs, as both have fairly even in terms of sheer numbers. Skinner has an .888 save percentage on the season in comparison to Silovs's exact same .888, but since the Olympic break, Silovs owns an .871 save percentage in 13 appearances - well below his season percentage - while Skinner had a slightly better number at .884 over 14 appearances.
The Penguins have operated with a goaltender rotation all season long, and it surely isn't common practice to continue that into the postseason. However, Muse reiterated that they are taking things one day at a time when it comes to goaltending, lineups, and everything else in between.
"I've said it all year, [we] take things a game at a time. I think I'm not going to go anywhere past Game 1 on anything. That's not just in regards to [goaltending], that's into everything. We are focused solely on Game 1. That has been our focused as we've prepared. So, that's what I'll speak on here today."
In his career against the Flyers, Skinner is 5-1-2 with a 2.45 goals-against average to go along with a .913 save percentage, while Silovs - with more limited experience, as he is still a rookie - has posted a 1-0-1 record with a 1.92 goals-against average and a .944 save percentage versus Philadelphia.
Maybe someday we’ll have some meaningful time together. | Getty Images
Whenever the Islanders miss the postseason (which is a lot), on one level I’m able to enjoy the spectacle and intensity of the Stanley Cup playoffs in a different way, free of the exhausting emotional investment and baggage that comes with talking yourself into how they might go far while watching them ultimately get eliminated. Watching the playoffs without a rooting interest is like getting to watch the melodrama of Real Housewives of Whatever Shithole Plastic Surgery County instead of actually living it because you married poorly.
However, a postseason without the Islanders is not completely free of emotional investment. I’m never truly free until every team I hate is safely eliminated. This year, that’s a little easier since several franchises I loathe did not qualify.
But there are still teams to pull for, or root against. This post is mostly an excuse to ask the readership: Who are you pulling for in these playoffs? — so please let us know in comments, and feel free to skip the Player Haters Ball listing that follows, knowing that I just have to get it off my chest.
The Teams That Must Not Win (and won’t anyway)
Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers made the playoffs?!? This really is humiliating. True, the Flyers’ Cup drought is even longer than…every other non-Leafs team that has ever won the Cup, but still…no.
Pittsburgh Penguins
They’ll never admit it, but the 1980s Penguins with Mario Lemieux were essentially seen the same way the 2009-12 Islanders with John Tavares were: “Oh, man, it’s such a shame that they’re so terrible and wasting his career for six seasons and counting.” In order to win a couple of Cups — but only two, because Al Arbour > Scotty Bowman, teehee — the Penguins needed to miss the playoffs for seven out of eight years, luck into Jaromir Jagr instead of Scott Scissons, and inadvertently fleece the Whalers in a John Cullen-for-Ron Francis swap because they sought Ulf Samuelsson’s dirtiness toughness.
So they have done virtually nothing brilliant as a franchise, other than luck into a shit-ton of great players in between lengthy tanks.
They did it all again a decade later when they tanked-and-bankrupted into Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby (lockout lottery fix), Marc-Andre Fleury and Kris Letang. (Sorry Ryan Whitney, you insufferable windbag, you didn’t, and still do not, count.) There is nothing honorable about this franchise nor what it has “earned*” and no one outside of a very specific Pittsburgh-area subset should root for them.
*I use that term loosely, in the Chris Pronger AI book sense.
There appears to be some attempt at rallying behind the Penguins as Crosby’s Last Ride or something, but there is nothing feel-good in that. Crosby has had plenty of rides. Let someone else have something.
Los Angeles Kings
This team has 22 regulation wins. That’s seven fewer than the Islanders, who also were 10-0 in OT and do not deserve a postseason berth.
Simply, the Kings have zero business being here. The only possible reason they should win the Cup would be so the league finally trashes this stupid three-points-or-maybe-two-points, every-game-needs-a-winner, 3-on-3/shootout stupidity. But the Kings won’t, and even then the league surely wouldn’t.
MontrealCanadiens
The other tragedy of the Nordiques-Avalanche relocation is that French Canada lost its only potential check on Canadiens’ arrogance. After the Islanders dynasty unseated the final Canadiens one in 1980, this once-storied franchise somehow lucked into two more Cups by the grace of Patrick Roy. But as karmic penance, they are now cursed to never ever win a Cup since the Nordiques left Quebec.
Amusingly, their annoying fans probably think they would’ve won the pandemic Cup if only the Islanders had slipped by the Lightning, but they are wrong.
Also, remember when Martin St. Louis was so wounded by his Lightning GM not picking him for the Olympic team that he demanded a trade to the Rangers? Yeah, f- that guy.
Edmonton Oilers
Well well well, if it isn’t dynasty interruptus! It’s not our problem that the Oilers could never string more than two Cups in a row, keeping them from entering the Habs/Islanders dynasty echelon without an asterisk. I’m not sorry that Steve Smith scored an essential own goal off Grant Fuhr’s leg. And I’m not sorry that this franchise has yet to win another Cup despite Connor McDavid and their trio of first-overall picks in the Taylor Hall sequence.
Most of all, it’s important that McDavid not win a Cup in Edmonton so he can play in a 4 Nations or Olympics or World Cup or whatever with Matthew Schaefer in a couple years and decide he needs to join that kid on Long Island.
Vegas Golden Knights
No, just no.
Teams That Could Win and It’d Be…Okay
Dallas Stars
I’ve no feelings for this franchise or most of its players, but GM Jim Nill is a longtime hockey good guy who’s done everything right since taking over the Stars. Untimely injuries, self-inflicted coaching implosions — he’s navigated them all but each year there’s something that keeps them from the top.
They are starting to remind me of the 1980s Washington Capitals, a quietly really good team for several years that was always right up there yet always running into a stronger force like the Islanders, Flyers or Bruins.
The Stars seem to keep encountering that like the…
Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche have Brock Nelson, and that’s not nothing. He made an understandable decision that any of us would’ve made pre-Matthew Schaefer: Pretty sure my best Cup chance for the rest of my 30s is not on Long Island. If he’s able to lift the Cup it will be a spiritual boon for all of the Snow-era Islanders, except for any that he might’ve agitated to insanity=, which is not likely but definitely possible.
That said…the Avalanche is a spoiled franchise born of absolute privilege and timing. Before every college grad wanted to move there for the weed, Denver was a sleepy enough town that complaining about transplants wasn’t a daily topic. Sports-wise, before they built a giant airport that is basically as far as the Moon from downtown, they had the Broncos, a laughingstock basketball team, and a baseball team that stole its name from the defunct NHL team because when would they be big enough to get hockey again?
Alas, the mid-’90s Canadian small markets were a rocky place, where hockey revenue’s seed could find no purchase. So just as the Nordiques and their league-best uniforms finally got good after years of last-place finishes, their team became unaffordable, and Denver swooped in. They were almost named the Rocky Mountain Express.
The Avalanche have had plenty of fortune and deserve no sympathy nor rooting interest. But they have Brock Nelson, so if they win and he lifts the Cup, I will smile.
Carolina Hurricanes
Kinda like the Stars, the Hurricanes are always banging on the door, but rather than running into a juggernaut, they usually shoot themselves in the foot. Whatever, I’m indifferent.
Tampa Bay Lightning
I don’t think it would be okay if they won, but I’m resigned to them being perennially good in their John Cooper, Kuherov and Vasilevskiy era, so it’s not a big deal if they add another Cup, I guess.
Minnesota Wild
The Wild probably can’t get through the tough draw they have with the Central stalwarts of Dallas and Colorado, but if they did Bill Guerin would be hailed as the new face of NHL genius and all that.
They are exciting, and the franchise has never won, and the North Stars never won, so it wouldn’t be terrible if they somehow did it.
Teams That Are Also There
Utah Mammoth
It’s Utah, they have amazing national parks and nice skiing when there’s snow. They did us the favor of getting themselves a name (and not “Utah HC”) before they entered the postseason. There’s not much else to say about this team, but they did rescue the Coyotes and they somehow went the entire season without a shootout, so they are doing Bossy’s work here.
It would be funny if they went all the way, but of course they won’t.
Anaheim (Mighty) Ducks (of)
They overdid it on the orange, they have the dirty Little Ball of Hate as their GM and a “rehabilitated” Joel Quenneville as coach. But they have some fun young talent who Q might someday teach to play defense, too. There could be some high-octane offensive fun in their series with the Oilers before they’re eliminated.
Boston Bruins
Credit to them for not being terrible when everyone figured they’d be plummeting and tanking. But in addition to being inherently unlikeable, they’re also playing the Buffalo Sabres, who are a feel-good story. So if Boston knocks off the Sabres, everyone will hate them even more.
Ottawa Senators
The Senators have become really irritating as they’ve taken on Brady Tkachuk’s “Master of Hockey Cliches and Pantomime” personality. Not much to like in that way, but they’re coached by our beloved ol’ Gutless Puke Travis Green, whose middle name is Vernon according to Wikipedia.
Don’t want them to go far, and they shouldn’t with Carolina as their first-round draw. But anytime the Senators do well it’s fun for its effect on Leafs fans.
Universal Bandwagon Favorite
Buffalo Sabres
You have to really hate Buffalo or someone involved with them to not pull for the Sabres or their fans. They suffered so, so SO long. We’ve been waiting for years for their rebuild to finally turn a corner, and just when it looked like it was never going to happen, they flipped the switch midseason, coinciding with a change at GM a little after their turnaround began.
What a miraculous legend it would be if this team rode their turnaround all the way to the Cup.
Ah, but they will fall short, of course — Buffalo can’t have nice things — so it’s just a matter of learning if they get to have some fun first, or if the end will be particularly and classically cruel in the fashion of so many Buffalo sports stories.
But while they’re still alive, they have my full support.
Elsewhere
New Jersey boy-turned-analytics-guru Sunny Mehta gets the Devils GM job. [NHL]
In Vancouver, Jim Rutherford (or ownership, or whoever) fired his puppet, but he says the new GM will make all the hockey decisions. [Sportsnet]
32 Thoughts: On Connor Hellebuyck and the Jets, and also candidates for the Leafs job (Ryan Bowness of the Islanders is one of many mentioned). [Sportsnet]
With the franchise at six years of tanking and counting, Connor Bedard says the Blackhawks need to finally start playing for something. [NHL]
The anticipation is building as the Philadelphia Flyers gear up to face the Pittsburgh Penguins in Round 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs, and the nature of the rivalry makes it a unique matchup around the NHL this year.
The Flyers were 43-27-12 this season, and the Penguins 41-25-16, but despite the very similar overall record and identical total of 98 points, the Penguins appear to be slight favorites in the matchup.
After all, they do still have the star power of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Erik Karlsson, complemented by the likes of Kris Letang, Egor Chinakhov, Rickard Rakell, Anthony Mantha, and Bryan Rust.
The Flyers' star power is a bit younger and far less experienced; players like Trevor Zegras, Matvei Michkov, Porter Martone, Jamie Drysdale, Cam York, and even Rasmus Ristolainen will all be seeing playoff hockey for what it is for the first time in their careers.
Four of 11 experts polled by the NHL Network picked the Flyers to win the series against the Penguins.
I'll insert myself into the conversation here and make it five of 12; I predict the Flyers will survive and eliminate the aging Penguins in seven games.
Starting goalies Dan Vladar and Stuart Skinner can both be a bit boom-or-bust, and while Skinner has been here before with Edmonton, he wasn't particularly conducive to their success.
Vladar, meanwhile, went into this season preparing solely to be a No. 1 goalie to take advantage of opportunities like this one. We already know Skinner can and will come up short when needed.
Michkov and Martone ended the season for the Flyers on a tear, so as long as they can maintain that play to some degree, they can score against the Penguins' weaker matchups with no issue.
Sean Couturier's line will likely see the bulk of the defensive matchups, with Christian Dvorak, Martone, and Travis Konecny mixing in along the way.
Additionally, the Flyers have a stronger defense overall.
Jamie Drysdale has improved by leaps and bounds, and Emil Andrae has quietly been excellent this season.
Travis Sanheim can account for Karlsson, and Letang is out of his depth now at his advanced age.
This series between the Flyers and Penguins will ultimately be decided by the special teams, where the Flyers have struggled the most all season.
Philadelphia's penalty kill was ice-cold to finish the season, and the power play was its usual dreadful self aside from some promising moments sprinkled in here and there.
If the Flyers can simply stay out of the box, they won't have that issue, and the rest is up to them playing mistake-free hockey against vets who know very well how to punish them for errors.
Therefore, the Kings will need their best and key players to step up in a big way and perform even better than they did in the regular season.
Multiple players on the Kings' roster will be deemed important players for the playoffs. But in terms of those that could really turn the series in Los Angeles' favor, here are three playoff X-factors for the Kings in this first round, and the entirety of the post-season.
Artemi Panarin, LW
The Kings acquiring Artemi Panarin in February was likely the headline of the franchise in terms of one of the biggest moments of the season. And now that Los Angeles was able to squeeze into the playoffs, Panarin can prove why he's regarded as highly as he is.
Based on his skill level and the offensive production he's provided throughout his NHL career, he should be looked at as a leader on this team for his on-ice performance. In the playoffs, that's exactly what the Kings will need from their leading scorer: scoring.
Since joining the Kings, Panarin has featured in 26 regular-season games, scoring nine goals and 27 points.
Panarin last made a playoff appearance in 2023-24 when the New York Rangers advanced to the Eastern Conference final. He tallied 15 points in 16 games, made up of five goals and 10 assists.
The 34-year-old left winger has had good and bad playoff campaigns, but coming up against the league's best team, the Kings will need Panarin at his best and leading the way.
Los Angeles Kings (Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images)
Quinton Byfield, C
While Quinton Byfield didn't have the campaign many were hoping for - especially being the assumed successor for Anze Kopitar as the No. 1 center - he certainly cranked it up to finish off the regular season.
He ended 2025-26 with a three-game goal streak, scoring four in that span. Furthermore, in his last 15 games, Byfield tied the league lead in goals with 11 since March 19. In total, he posted 14 points along the way.
He was arguably one of the hottest Kings down the stretch and has really seemed to blossom following the coaching change that made D.J. Smith the bench boss.
The Kings seriously need Byfield to be a pivotal player against the Avalanche, especially if he's called on to match up against Nathan MacKinnon's line to meet his blistering speed. His streak to end the campaign was a great sign of a young player still growing, but he'll need to sustain his play in the post-season.
Anton Forsberg, G
Similar to Byfield, goaltender Anton Forsberg had an incredible surge late in the season that propelled him into the top tier of netminders by year's end. His play down the stretch has really given the Kings a new dimension going into the playoffs.
Ahead of the final week of the regular season, Forsberg was named the NHL's first star of the week, and beyond that, he's arguably been the best goalie in the league in April. This month, he posted a .943 save percentage and a 1.48 goals-against average, while winning five of his last six games.
Goaltending is the most important position in hockey, and could be the reason a team wins a game, a series, or even the Stanley Cup.
In the short window to close out the season, Forsberg was one of Los Angeles' best players, and will need to remain that caliber of goaltender when facing MacKinnon, Martin Necas, Cale Makar, Brock Nelson, Nazem Kadri, and other elite stars.
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With the Columbus Blue Jackets not in the playoffs, many fans find themselves rooting for other teams to win the cup. They root for the teams for various reasons, but most of those center around players who used to play for Columbus.
There are 22 different players on the playoff teams this season. All teams except the Ottawa Senators, Anaheim Ducks, and Philadelphia Flyers have ex-Jackets on their rosters. Many others work in the various front offices, but we'll stick to players today.
Colorado Avalanche - Nick Blankenburg
Los Angeles Kings - Artemi Panarin, Anton Forsberg
Dallas Stars - Matt Duchene
Minnesota Wild - Nick Foligno, Daemon Hunt
Vegas Golden Knights - William Karlsson, Brandon Saad
Utah Mammoth - Kevin Stenlund, Ian Cole
Edmonton Oilers - Jack Roslovic
Buffalo Sabres - Justin Danforth
Boston Bruins - Sean Kuraly, Jordan Harris, Andrew Peeke, Joonas Korpisalo
Tampa Bay Lightning - Oliver Bjorkstrand
Montreal Canadiens - Josh Anderson, Patrik Laine, Alexandre Texier
Carolina Hurricanes - Eric Robinson
Pittsburgh Penguins - Egor Chinakhov
So, who will you be rooting for?
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There won't be any more 3-on-3 play. It's 5-on-5 instead. There won't be any more shootouts after five minutes of scoreless overtime play. There is sudden death, and it could last a very long time.
If the score is tied after three periods, the teams go to the dressing rooms for 15 minutes while the ice is resurfaced. Overtime periods last 20 minutes or until someone scores. It's 5-on-5 play (barring penalties). If no one scores in the first overtime, the process repeats and continues until someone scores. The teams change sides for each overtime period. The first overtime is the long change to get back to the bench.
The NHL Situation Room reviews all goals to make sure they are legally scored.
What are the longest NHL playoff overtime games?
1 - Six overtimes (116 minutes, 30 seconds of overtime) in the 1936 semifinals. March 24, 1935. Detroit 1, Montreal Maroons 0. Mud Bruneteau scored the winner.
2 - Six overtimes (104 minutes, 46 seconds of overtime) in the 1933 semifinals. April 3, 1933. Toronto 1, Boston 0. Ken Doraty scored the winner.
3 - Five overtimes (92 minutes, 1 second of overtime) in the 2000 conference semifinals. May 4, 2000. Philadelphia 2, Pittsburgh 1. Keith Primeau scored the winner.
4 - Five overtimes (90 minutes, 27 seconds of overtime) in the 2020 first round. Aug. 11, 2020. Tampa Bay 3, Columbus 2. Brayden Point scored the winner.
5 - Five overtimes (80 minutes, 48 seconds of overtime) in the 2003 conference semifinals. April 24, 2003. Anaheim 4, Dallas 3. Petr Sykora scored the winner.
6 - Four overtimes (79 minutes, 47 seconds of overtime) in the 2023 conference finals. May 18, 2023. Florida 3, Carolina 2. Matthew Tkachuk scored the winner.
Longest Stanley Cup Final games
Eight Stanley Cup Final games have gone to the third overtime. The Edmonton Oilers were part of the longest game when Petr Klima scored at 15:13 of the third overtime for a 3-2 win against the Boston Bruins in the 1990 Final.
Which players in 2026 postseason have the most playoff overtime goals?
5 - Corey Perry, Lightning
4 - Leon Draisaitl, Oilers (all in 2025 playoffs, an NHL record for one postseason)
3 - Brayden Point, Lightning; Jordan Staal, Hurricanes; Anze Kopitar, Kings; Artemi Panarin, Kings; Matt Duchene, Stars
After a long season with a condensed schedule, the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs are finally upon us. The Vegas Golden Knights kick off the postseason on Sunday at home against the Utah Mammoth.
Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. PST.
This won’t be by any means a slam-dunk matchup. Both teams are hungry and have something to prove. However, the Golden Knights have the edge in three specific areas.
Face-offs
Never let anyone tell you that face-offs don’t matter. Simply put, it’s easier to start with the puck than to have to spend time and effort working to get it back. In the offensive zone, winning a face-off allows players to get right to their attack instead of having to forecheck. And in the defensive zone, winning a face-off allows players to attack off the rush rather than being forced to defend.
The Golden Knights aren’t the best team in the face-off dot, but their 51.0 face-off win percentage ties them for 10th in the league. The Mammoth have players who are strong in the dot, but they’re collectively 23rd in the league with a 49.2 face-off win percentage.
“On their power play, [Nick Schmaltz] has taken a lot of draws over the years, especially on the right side. He’s a capable face-off guy for sure,” said Golden Knights center Colton Sissons. “But I think I like our lineup better, and I’d imagine our numbers would reflect that… It’s such a big part of the game, and I’ll be looking to take advantage of it.”
Veteran Presence
The Stanley Cup Playoffs are a different animal. Every player is giving 110%, physicality is ramped up, and scoring goals is significantly harder. At this time of year, experience matters.
In their starting lineup, the Golden Knights have nine players who have won it all. They also have two Stanley Cup Champion extras in Ben Hutton and Brandon Saad. Conversely, the Mammoth have just four players in their starting lineup who have hoisted the Stanley Cup (Ian Cole, Mikhail Sergachev, Kevin Stenlund, and Vitek Vaněček.
It’s also worth noting that this will be the first postseason appearance in quite some time for several of Utah’s stars. This will be the first taste of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for Logan Cooley, Dylan Guenther, and JJ Peterka. Clayton Keller and Lawson Crouse have both played only nine playoff games and haven’t been to the dance since 2020. And Nick Schmaltz hasn’t been to the postseason since 2017, when he played just four games.
Star Power
While the Mammoth certainly have their fair share of stars, none of them are on the same level as Jack Eichel and Mitch Marner.
In 2023, Eichel proved that he can find a new gear when the lights are brightest and helped lead Vegas to its first Stanley Cup in franchise history. He has 43 points in 40 postseason games, and he’s still hungry. Marner has 70 playoff games under his belt and recorded 63 points in them.
Now, both Eichel and Marner are better at making plays than they are at simply putting the puck in the back of the net. While Marner’s playoff woes have certainly been over-exaggerated, he does have only 13 goals in 70 postseason games. And Eichel is over a point-per-game in the playoffs, but has just ten goals in 40 postseason games. In last year’s run, when the Golden Knights fizzled out because of their inability to score goals, Eichel only scored once in 11 games.
The Minnesota Wild (46-24-12) is set to open the 2026 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs on Saturday against the Dallas Stars (50-20-12) in Dallas.
One huge question coming into this series is who is starting in net for the Wild? Well, head coach John Hynes has announced the Game 1 starter.
There is no doubt that Filip Gustavsson's game in the last stretch of the regular season went into Hynes' decision.
“We never take lineup decisions lightly,” Hynes said. “Some of it is looking at both guys and where are they at? Where are their games at right now? Where’s the overall picture of their season? How have they done against top teams? How have they played on the road, at home? What’s the psyche of each goalie? There’s a lot of things you take into account before you just make the decision."
Wallstedt, 23, went 4-1-0 with a 1.82 goals-against average and .936 save percentage in the last five starts of the season. He was 9-3-4 this season against playoff teams and led the NHL with a .931 save percentage.
Not only that, Wallstedt went 9-4-4 with a 2.44 goals-against average, .920 save percentage and two shutouts in 17 road starts this season.
“Personality is one. The current performance is one. The past performance is another. Those are all things you take into consideration ultimately when you make the decision, but I will reiterate this is our decision (for) Game 1.”
Hynes made it clear that this was a decision for Game 1. They can turn to Gustavsson at any point. And with Gustavsson's 2.53 goals-against average and .914 save percentage in his playoff career, it is likely that he will come into play.
Despite Gustavsson's playoff career stats, the Wild are going with the rookie. He has played the Stars once in his NHL career. Wallstedt let up seven goals in that game, which was his NHL career.
Hynes believes that does not matter, especially considering Minnesota was without Jared Spurgeon, Jonas Brodin and Kirill Kaprizov in that game.
“Our team was decimated, and it was his first NHL game,” Hynes said. “Here we are in the playoffs. He’s a different human being, different experiences, different level of player playing for a different team with vast time in between those starts.”
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Things were never quite right between Philadelphia Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet and phenom forward Matvei Michkov for much of the season, but Michkov's strong finish to the season has all but erased that now.
From the Olympic break on, Michkov, 21, led the Flyers in scoring, even while plodding along in his limited third-line role alongside Noah Cates.
His hard work has, however, spurred the Flyers on to a playoff berth--their first since 2020--and even Tocchet had to recognize that.
In a recent interview with NBC Sports Philadelphia on John Clark's "Takeoff with John Clark", Tocchet gave his take on what went down with Michkov and where he's at now.
"Mich, he had a tough first half. We know the reasons why, or whatever. I'm not going to bring up the out of shape stuff, I got killed for that. I want people to understand you can't just let a guy do what he wants and play free and go for breakaways. That just can't happen if you want to win," Tocchet said.
"But there is a happy medium. I have to let him have his wings, but he also has to conform to the team play. And I think we've bridged that gap closer and closer. I think that's why he's starting to play better."
On Jan. 31, Michkov played a season-low 10:21 in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Kings, and Tocchet then went on the PHLY Flyers show the following day offering the explanation that Michkov was out of shape.
That saga is what it is at this point in the year, but it prompted Flyers GM Danny Briere to give an impromptu press conference to lower the temperature. The Olympic break was on the horizon at that point, and the rest, as they say, is history.
"I blame myself, too. Around February, I was very frustrated and I shouldn't have lashed out. I learned as a coach you can't do that, but I'm not wavering in the way we play the game," Tocchet admitted to Clark. "You have to conform to the team game, and he's starting to understand that."
With his impressive late-season surge, Michkov finished the season with 20 goals for the second time in as many seasons, as well as 51 points, in 81 games.
The 2023 No. 7 overall pick closed his sophomore campaign with goals in three straight, when the lights were at their brightest, scoring six points in the final three games of the year.
And now that Michkov appears to be back to his old self, he maybe just be Tocchet's trump card against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Round 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Apr 9, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Minnesota Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes (43) skates against the Dallas Stars during the first period at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Good morning. The New Jersey Devils have failed again to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs, marking three out of the last five years that they have been on the outside looking in. After the 2022-23 season, though, I had really thought the Devils would be on a four-year playoff berth streak.
But before we look too deeply into how Sunny Mehta is going to run the team, there is still hockey around the league to watch. The road to the Stanley Cup is not only difficult, but it is one of the longest playoffs in professional sports. This is the time for unlikely heroes, or likely ones, but also the time for survivalists. When the intensity ramps up and the players seem like they are past the point of hatred, it turn into a matter of who will outlast the other. Let’s dive into it.
Buffalo Sabres (A1/2) vs. the Boston Bruins (WC1/5)
The Buffalo Sabres, guided behind the bench by Lindy Ruff, have had an excellent season, finishing just four points back of the Conference lead with a 50-23-9 record. With a top-5 ranked offense and top-10 defense, the Buffalo Sabres have a deep scoring attack with 14 players scoring 25 or more points this season and 13 of those players having 10 or more goals. Led on the ice by Tage Thompson (40G, 41A, Gold Medal in February), Rasmus Dahlin (19G, 55A), and Alex Tuch (33G, 33A), the Sabres also have the top-end players to keep up with the best in the league. We will see how they split the goaltending between Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (22-9-3, .909 SV%) and Colten Ellis (8-4-2, .903 SV%), but they did not have a clear number one in goal when Alex Lyon (20-10-4, .906 SV%) was healthy.
The Boston Bruins are a more traditional hockey group. Backed by first-year head coach Marco Sturm, the 45-27-10 Bruins are driven by David Pastrnak (29G, 71A), Morgan Geekie (39G, 29 A), Pavel Zacha (30G, 35A), and Charlie McAvoy (11G, 50A). In net, they have a true number one in Jeremy Swayman, who went 31-18-4 with a .907 save percentage this season. The depth of Boston is still strong, but not quite as high-scoring as the Sabres. Only 10 Bruins hit the 10-goal mark this season, but they are a rather tough team. Between the solid defense of Nikita Zadorov and the forechecking of Tanner Jeannot and Mark Kastelic, the Bruins have that secondary element backing their more skilled players that makes them tough to play against.
Tampa Bay Canadiens (A2/3) vs. the Montreal Canadiens (A3/4)
Jon Cooper might never oversee a bad team. The 50-26-6 Lightning are as good a bet for the Stanley Cup as any this season despite difficult seasons for veteran defensemen Ryan McDonagh (21 points in 48 games) and Victor Hedman (17 points in 33 games). Filling the void has been 30-year old Darren Raddysh, who had 70 points in 73 games, which is remarkable for a guy who only played his first full NHL season at age 27 in the 2023-24 season. The usual suspects are still up to their scoring up front, though, with Nikita Kucherov reaching 130 points for the second time in his career. Jake Guentzel (38G, 50A), Brandon Hagel (36G, 38A), and Anthony Cirelli (52 points, Selke-level defense) have been outstanding. However, Brayden Point (50 points in 63 games) seems to have slowed down a bit with a career-low shooting percentage of 14.0. The Lightning are not a very deep team beyond their seocnd and third lines, though, and they will need to continue relying on their scorers and Andrei Vasilevskiy, who went 39-15-4 with a .911 save percentage this season.
The Montreal Canadiens have taken their first leap. Attention will surely be on Nick Suzuki, who had a 101-point season for them, though he was certainly boosted along the way by a ridiculous season by Cole Caufield, who had 51 goals. Those two took a lot of pressure off of the even-younger trio of Lane Hutson (12G, 66A), Juraj Slafkovsky (30G, 43A), and Ivan Demidov (19G, 43A), allowing them to have excellent seasons as well. Thanks to some malpractice on Long Island by Mathieu Darche, the Canadiens have also been stabilized by Noah Dobson (12G, 35A), who eats a ton of minutes (22:29) alongside Hutson (23:46) and Mike Matheson (7G, 30A, 24:10). Like the Lightning, this is a team driven by the top players. I would hope that the 21-year old Jacob Fowler gets the nod in net, given his .908 save percentage down the stretch after replacing Sam Montembeault (.873 SV%), but it is certainly possible that the Canadiens lean on the somewhat Jakub Dobes and his .901 save percentage in this series.
Carolina Hurricanes (M1/1) vs. the Ottawa Senators (WC2/6)
The Devils’ bane will look for a different victim this playoff series, and this time they have to deal with an Atlantic Division opponent. In five of the last seven years, the Hurricanes have been eliminated by Atlantic opponents, beating only the Bruins in the 2022 First Round during that time. But the Hurricanes are good. With the 2nd-ranked offense and 5th-ranked defense in the league by total goals, their 53-22-7 record was no accident. Their weakness, though, is goaltending. Despite few goals against, their team save percentage was .886 this season. The forwards are very solid, though. Seven players hit the 20-goal mark, and Taylor Hall was just behind at 18. On the blueline, Shayne Gostisbehere is a monster (13G, 37A in 55 games) when he is actually ion the ice, and rookie Alexander Nikishin has fit in well in Rod Brind’amour’s system alongside fellow Carolina newcomer K’Andre Miller, who reached 35 points (37) for the first time since the 2022-23 season.
The Ottawa Senators have had a roller coaster season. From wild, slanderous rumors about the locker room to borderline slanderous AI use after Brady Tkachuk won a Gold Medal with Team USA, they should be applauded for staying together this long. But they are a talented team with a mix of young stars and still-productive veterans. Tim Stutzle led them with 83 points, while Drake Batherson hit the 70-mark for the first time in his career. With Gold Medal winners Brady Tkachuk (59P in 60GP) and Jake Sanderson (54P in 67GP), alongside veteran scorers Claude Giroux (14G, 35A) and David Perron (25P in 49GP), the Senators have a rather interesting mix. As long as they can get some vintage Linus Ullmark (.891 SV%, 28-12-8), they will be a threat to Carolina.
Pittsburgh Penguins (M2/7) vs. the Philadelphia Flyers (M3/8)
After years of coaching malpractice, first-year Head Coach Dan Muse has turned the Pittsburgh Penguins around. And, yes, some will complain that the Penguins got in with a lot of loser points at 41-25-16. However, they are dangerous. They went 34-25-23 in regulation this season, going just 7-16 in three-on-three and shootouts. However, the playoffs should be expected to reward better regulation teams, and the Penguins would have finished even better had Sidney Crosby not been hit in the knee in the Olympics Semi-Final game, which caused him to miss a couple weeks. But Crosby (29G, 45A in 68GP), along with Erik Karlsson (15G, 51A), Bryan Rust (29G, 36A in 72GP), and Evgeni Malkin (19G, 42A in 59GP) are all still excellent players. Even Kris Letang, with 34 points in 74 games while playing nearly 22 minutes a game, is still a player to watch. But now, the Penguins have reinforcements. Anthony Mantha, a buy-low shot by Kyle Dubas, scored 33 goals and 64 points for them. Ben Kindel, the 10th overall pick in 2025, had 35 points in his rookie season. Egor Chinakhov, who fell out of favor in Columbus, was traded for relative peanuts and put up 36 points in 43 games with the team. The big mistake for them was likely trading Tristan Jarry for Stuart Skinner, as Skinner put up an .885 save percentage in 27 games with the team, meaning that Arturs Silovs (.887 SV% in 39 games) might get more play.
The Philadelphia Flyers, I would argue, deserve much less to be in the Playoffs than Pittsburgh. With the 21st-ranked offense and a 27-27-28 regulation record, the Flyers are the only Eastern Conference playoff team to go to overtime more often than they won in regulation. The roster, too, is much weaker. With only two 60-point scorers in Travis Konecny and Trevor Zegras, the Flyers hope for more from Matvei Michkov, Christian Dvorak, and Owen Tippett on the big stage, as they all finished with 51 points. With solid defense from former Brad Shaw and John Tortorella protegees Travis Sanheim and Rasmus Ristolainen, though, they can slow the game down and make scoring difficult. Dan Vladar, who had a good season in his first year as an NHL starter at 29-14-7 with a .906 save percentage, will play a big part in whether they can hold up to Pittsburgh without three-on-three available.
The Western Conference Matchups
Colorado Avalanche (C1/1) vs. Los Angeles Kings (WC2/8)
The Colorado Avalanche look like they just need to show up for the series this time around. They went 55-16-11. They had two 100-point scorers in Nathan MacKinnon (127) and Martin Necas (100). Cale Makar went over a point-per-game again. Brock Nelson proved foolish Islanders fans wrong with a 33-goal, 65-point season (and a Gold Medal). Veleri Nichushkin and Artturi Lehkonen provide great two-way play and can turn it up in the playoffs. Brent Burns proved foolish Hurricanes fans wrong with a 35-point, solid two-way season at now 41 years old. Gabriel Landeskog is back, and he is still pretty good. And perhaps most importantly, Scott Wedgewood led the NHL in save percentage at .921 this season, backed by Mackenzie Blackwood’s .904 mark. The Avalanche should be Cup favorites.
The Los Angeles Kings do not deserve to be here, but I will forgive it on the point of giving Anze Kopitar one last show in the playoffs. Even worse than the Flyers, the Kings went 22-27-33 in regulation for a disgusting playoff-bound record of 35-27-20. They have the 29th-ranked offense. They had one 50-point scorer in Adrian Kempe, who put up 73 points. Kevin Fiala is out for the season after an awful Olympics injury. But they do have Anze Kopitar, who is still a great two-way center. They have added Artemi Panarin, who seemed to fit in well after being traded from New York. Drew Doughty is still eating minutes and getting good results despite not being a producer anymore. And, of course, the Kings have the playoff legend, Corey Perry. It will be interesting to see whether Darcy Kuemper (19-14-15, .891 SV%) or Anton Forsberg (16-12-5, .909 SV%) gets the net, but I really do not think the combined magic of Kopitar, Perry, and whatever else they can conjure up will be enough to fell Colorado.
Dallas Stars (C2/2) vs. the Minnesota Wild (C3/3)
The Dallas Stars are dealing with untimely injuries. Miro Heiskanen is questionable, but expected to play Game 1. Roope Hintz will miss the first two games. Tyler Seguin has been out with an ACL tear. And worst of all, Nathan Bastian has been out but may return early in the playoffs. It is a testament to the team that, even without Hintz, they are still massively threatening. Jason Robertson (45G, 51A), Wyatt Johnston (45G, 41A), and Mikko Rantanen (22G, 55A in 64GP) can terrorize any opponent. And with depth in Matt Duchene (45P in 57GP), Mavrik Bourque (20G, 21A), and Jamie Benn (36P in 60GP), they should be able to survive a short time without Hintz. The Stars have one of the most defensively sound top group of defensemen in the league in Heiskanen, Thomas Harley, and Esa Lindell, with all three eating over 23 minutes a night. The big hope in Dallas should be that Jake Oettinger (35-12-6, .899 SV%) amps it up in the playoffs.
The Minnesota Wild are now headlined by Quinn Hughes. Despite only playing 48 games with the club, Quinn was fourth on the team in scoring with 53 points. He was bested only by Mats Zuccarello, who apparently gets better with age at 54 points in 59 games in his age-38 season, alongside fellow Gold Medalist Matt Boldy (42G, 43A) and Kirill Kaprizov (45G, 44A). The Wild have a solid middle group of Brock Faber (15G, 36A), Joel Eriksson Ek (19G, 32A in the 1C role), Marcus Johansson (49P in 75GP), Vladimir Tarasenko (47P in 75 GP), and Ryan Hartman (23G, 20A in the 2C role). But after that, well, just hope that they play good defense. The Foligno brothers should be tough to deal with, and Jared Spurgeon will play good defense, but it is an offensively thin depth group. They are backed, though, by Jesper Wallstedt (18-9-6, .915 SV%) and Filip Gustavsson (28-15-6, .903 SV%), so they should have the advantage in goal.
Vegas Golden Knights (P1/4) vs. the Utah Mammoth (WC1/7)
The Vegas Golden Knights are an odd group. They have five 60-point scorers (and Tomas Hertl at 58). They have great defensemen in Shea Theodore and Noah Hanifin, now alongside Rasmus Andersson. But unlike the early-years Golden Knights, this is not a deep team, and the addition of Mitch Marner did not do as much to boost their top six scoring as they should have hoped. Their only depth scorers are Reilly Smith (16G, 10A in 69GP) and Brett Howden (12G, 10A in 58GP). That is largely why they failed to reach 40 wins, going 39-26-17, in addition to shaky goaltending. Akira Schmid is the most reliable choice in net with his .893 save percentage in 34 games played, while Adin Hill went 10-9-6 with an .870 save percentage. Carter Hart is also an option with his .891 save percentage, but he only played 18 games this season. He has the edge now with a six-game winning streak on a .930 save percentage, though new head coach John Tortorella should take caution in his prior 12 games at an .871 save percentage.
The Utah Mammoth are easier to read. With three 70-point scorers in Clayton Keller (88), Nick Schmaltz (74), and Dylan Guenther (73) and a middle six that should feature Logan Cooley (24G, 19A in 54GP) and JJ Peterka (25G, 22A), with two-way specialists Barrett Hayton and Jack McBain, the Mammoth are solid. A former Devil, John Marino, has a lot to do with it. I do not like using plus/minus as a stat in general, but when numbers get as high as Marino’s +43, well, it looks nice, and his 36 points showed some offensive growth for him from a personal standpoint. Marino, Nate Schmidt, and Mikhail Sergachev (10G, 49A) form a solid top end of the defense that can keep up in both ends, and they are backed by Karel Vejmelka, who played a league-leading 64 games in net (38-20-3, .896 SV%) for the Mammoth.
Edmonton Oilers (P2/5) vs. the Anaheim Ducks (P3/6)
The Edmonton Oilers need to get it together. At 41-30-11, there were times their playoff spot did not even look guaranteed. And this is ridiculous! Connor McDavid scored 138 points after committing to two more years at no raise. Leon Draisailt had 97 points in 65 games. Evan Bouchard turned himself around with 95 points, including an insane 58 pointsin the second half of the season. But the bottom six is a mess. The third pairing is a mess. And worst of all for Edmonton, their attempt to improve from Stuart Skinner with Tristan Jarry backfired, as Jarry imploded with an .857 save percentage after posting .907 with the Penguins. Connor Ingram, with a 16-10-3 record and .899 save percentage, now looks like their only choice in goal.
The Anaheim Ducks are the only team other than the Kings in these Playoffs to have a losing regulation record at 26-33-23, winning 17 games in overtime or shootouts. The Ducks do have good players. Cutter Gauthier had 41 goals and 69 points in his second season, while Leo Carlsson (67P in 70GP) and Bennett Sennecke (60) also posted 60-point seasons. Troy Terry, as long as he is on the ice, cna be a threat with his 57 points in 61 games, while Chris Kreider broke 20 goals again for his new club. Led on defense by Jackson LaCombe (10G, 48A), Jacob Trouba (10G, 25A), and now John Carlson (4G, 10A in 16GP), this can be a tough team to read. They have skill. But as long as Lukas Dostal is only putting up an .888 save percentage while the defense gives up over 30 shots a game, they may struggle against a team like Edmonton.
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With that, thank you for reading! I hope to see you all around here commenting on these games.
The Philadelphia Flyers kick off their first-round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night. The Flyers will be aiming to secure a victory in Game 1.
The Flyers are entering the playoffs hot, as they won five out of their last six regular-season games. Flyers top prospect Porter Martone was certainly a reason behind this, as he was excellent for the Metropolitan Division after signing his entry-level deal.
In nine career NHL games for the Flyers, Martone had four goals, six assists, 10 points, and 16 hits. This included him ending the regular-season on a six-game point streak, where he scored all four of his goals and recorded five assists.
With how well Martone kicked off his NHL career this regular-season, it is hard not to feel optimistic about him heading into the playoffs. His hard-nosed style of play should make him a great fit for playoff hockey, and he should give the Flyers a major boost during the postseason because of it.
If Martone can continue to provide strong offense and physicality during the playoffs, it would be huge for a Flyers team that is looking to go on a run as big underdogs. Let's see how the Flyers' top prospect performs from here.
