The Montreal Canadiens will hope to pick up right where they left off when the puck drops on Game 2 of their best-of-seven series with the Tampa Bay Lightning, but chances are the Bolts will have adjusted. Coach Jon Cooper was far from pleased with his team’s performance after their 4-3 overtime loss. Speaking to the media after the game, he said:

I mean, come on, we took four offensive-zone penalties. Just look at them. That’s not over-aggression. That’s just stupidity, you know, a lot of them. That was on us. That was a game that we just allowed them to win. This is the Stanley Cup playoffs. This isn’t Game 62. So that is extremely disappointing in the way we conducted ourselves and the amount of penalties we took.

- Jon Cooper after Game 1

Canadiens Back To Work After Game 1 Win
Canadiens’ Blueline Had A Big Game
Slafkovsky Steals The Show and The Canadiens Steal Home-Ice Advantage With Win

It shouldn’t have surprised anyone then that on Monday, while the Canadiens held a practice lasting around 15 minutes, Cooper put his men through a much longer one. Tampa has no interest in going down 2-0 in this series, but the fact is that their home record in the playoffs since the spring of 2023 stands at one win and eight losses. In overtime, they are 0-5 in the same time span. Needless to say, the heat is on.

Historically, the Bolts have a 24-15 record in Game 2 overall; at home, they are 13-8. However, when they trail 1-0 in a series, they have a 12-11 record overall and an 8-5 record at home for a .615 winning percentage. As for the Canadiens, they have a record of 82-43 in Game 2 overall but are 24-22 on the road. When they lead 1-0 in a series, they are 64-11 overall and 10-3 on the road for an enviable .769 winning percentage.

Martin St-Louis didn’t discuss his lineup yesterday, which is no surprise, but given Sunday’s result, it would be surprising if he made any changes to his lineup. However, that doesn’t mean there won’t be any in the series. The coach has some good options waiting in the wings, such as Brendan Gallagher and Joe Veleno up front, and David Reinbacher and Adam Engstrom on the back end.

With the Laval Rocket having won their division, they have a bye in the first round of the Calder Cup playoffs, meaning the young defensemen might as well stay with the Canadiens and get a feel for the Stanley Cup playoffs, even if it’s just in practice. The Rocket will either face the Toronto Marlies or the Rochester Americans in the Division Semifinal. Should it be the Marlies, the series will start on April 29; if it’s the Americans, the date is to be determined. Once Laval starts playing, one of the two youngsters will more than likely be sent down to help.

All eyes will be on the Canadiens’ first line tonight. They’ve been the team’s offensive dynamo all season, but in Game 1, they were unable to make an impact. If the Canadiens are to win the series, they will need that line to elevate its play. In the 10 minutes that Nick Suzuki’s line spent on the ice at even strength against the Anthony Cirelli line, the Lightning led 9-2 in attempted shots.

On Tampa’s side, Charles-Edouard D’Astous, who left game one after being simultaneously hit by Josh Anderson and Jake Evans, is doubtful to play on Tuesday night. As for Dominic James, who momentarily exited the game after colliding with Arber Xhekaj in his first shift, it doesn’t seem like there was lasting damage since he did practice yesterday.

One thing to watch on Tuesday night is whether the referees are as strict on penalties as they were in Game 1; if so, players will need to adjust in a hurry. Both teams have proven they have efficient power-play units, and, as evidenced by the Canadiens’ overtime win in Game 1, an ill-timed penalty can be very costly.

Frederick L'Ecuyer and Graham Skilliter will officiate, while Jesse Marquis and Andrew Smith will be the linemen; none of them were on duty in Game 1. The game is set for 7:00 PM at the Benchmark International Arena, and you can catch it on The Spot, ESPN2, SN, TVAS, and CBC.

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At long last, the Anaheim Ducks participated in an NHL Stanley Cup Playoff game. They traveled to the northern-most destination possible to take on the Edmonton Oilers for game 1 of their first-round matchup on Monday.

This was the Ducks’ first playoff game in 2924 days, since game 4 of their first round matchup against the San Jose Sharks in 2018, where they were unceremoniously swept by San Jose.

This was the second time these two franchises met in the playoffs; the first was in the 2006 Western Conference Final, where the Chris Pronger’s Oilers won in a 4-1 “gentleman’s sweep,” and the second was in 2017, a seven-game second-round series that the Ducks pulled out in the very first playoff series loss for this same Oilers core, consisting of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Darnell Nurse, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.

2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Round 1, Game 1 - Ducks vs. Oilers Gameday Preview (04/20/26)

Three Key Matchups for the Ducks Heading into First Round Against the Oilers

This iteration of the Oilers has won back-to-back Western Conference titles, hungry to get over the hump and hoist the Stanley Cup. The Ducks roster featured a litany of players making their postseason debuts in this game, including the entirety of THEIR young core: Leo Carlsson, Jackson LaCombe, Cutter Gauthier, Beckett Sennecke, etc.

The Oilers would see the returns of Leon Draisaitl, who missed Edmonton’s last 14 games of the regular season with a lower-body injury, and Jason Dickinson, who missed the last three with a lower-body injury as well.

The Ducks were as healthy as they’d been all season, with every roster player participating in morning skate except for Troy Terry, who took a maintenance morning, but was confirmed to play after skate.

Here’s how the Ducks lined up in this game:

Kreider-Carlsson-Terry

Killorn-Granlund-Sennecke

McTavish-Poehling-Gauthier

Viel-Washe-Moore

LaCombe-Trouba

Mintyukov-Carlson

Hinds-Gudas

Lukas Dostal got the start for the Ducks, his first career playoff game, and saved 30 of 34 shots. Edmonton went with Connor Ingram as their starter in game 1, and he stopped 25 of 28.

Game Notes

Through most of the first period, the Ducks were intent on playing as mistake-free as possible. They made simple plays with the puck, kept a third forward back in every zone, and tried to keep Edmonton to the outside as much as possible.

Despite playing more responsibly, the Ducks still allowed the first two goals to Edmonton, putting themselves in a hole at first intermission. The Ducks answered, dictating game flow and possessing more pucks, which led to three straight goals in the second period.

The third period was tighter on both sides, as the middle of the ice was protected at both ends. Edmonton potted one halfway through the period and took a late lead to complete the comeback and seal the game.

“I think we lost a little bit of our momentum there when we gave up the third one,” Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville said. “I thought we were playing a perfect third period, and just the way we wanted to play. We had a good start to the game, (but) we gave up a couple in the first. Not happy at all about those plays. They were preventable, and they’re dangerous.

“They can make some plays off the rush, with their speed, alone. You think you’re in a good spot, but they still got to make sure you exaggerate a little bit to help.

“That was a tough loss. We did a lot of good things right, and we’re happy about certain things. Disappointed, but it creates a more desperate appetite going forward.”

Jackson LaCombe-Edmonton seemed to make it a point to finish every check on LaCombe, and finish hard, after every puck advancement he made. In the first, that may have led him to be a step slower than usual up ice, potentially preventing him from involving himself on rush attacks.

He quickly adjusted and used a crashing F1 to his advantage in the second and third, as he realized he could draw forecheckers out of position and beat them up ice, as displayed on the Ducks’ first goal.

Sennecke/Poehling/Viel-Troy Terry and Leo Carlsson were driving the Ducks’ offensive production in this game and were dangerous whenever they touched the puck. Moving forward, the Ducks will need to rely on their forward depth a touch more if they want to pull out some wins.

That starts with maintaining possession, but only after gaining it. Beckett Sennecke, Ryan Poehling, and Jeffrey Viel gave impressive efforts to disrupt attacks in the neutral and defensive zones, negating a significant aspect of how Edmonton generates their looks. Poehling was a puck hound on backchecks, angling rushes off at the defensive blueline. Sennecke utilized outstanding anticipation skills to knock down outlets and get sticks on passing attempts. Viel was impactful on the forecheck and forced point men into bad decisions at the Ducks’ blueline.

Penalty Kill-Anaheim allowed just two shots and six shot attempts on two attempts to the best power play in the NHL. Though Edmonton appeared dangerous when they got set up, the Ducks did as well as they could have to disrupt entries and deny at their blueline with clever poke checks and angles on the walls.

When entries were denied and dump-ins were forced, Dostal did well to knock them down, acting like a fifth penalty killer, and moved them to safety. Puck-retrieving defensemen were smart with their routes to loose pucks and efficient with their clears.

The Ducks will look to even the series on Wednesday, again in Edmonton at 7 PM PST for game 2.

Can Ducks Beat Oilers? Yes, If They Keep Things Simple

Five Storylines for the Anaheim Ducks' First Round Series vs the Edmonton Oilers

Ducks to Face Oilers in Round One of 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs

After generating just 18 shots on goal (and only one goal before resorting from pulling their goalie in desperation time to find a second goal) in Game 1, the Pittsburgh Penguins were unable to get much of anything going as a counter to that slow start in Game 2. In fact, the opposite happened for the Pens, they only registered two shots on goal in the first period. It was a telling sign that they didn’t not figure out how to break through the Flyers’ defense in the short time between Games 1 and 2 and went on to get shutout in a game where they were looking for a big response.

As a result, the Penguins leave Pittsburgh having lost the first two games of the series. They’re in a big hole now.

How was the game lost? Surely the Pens are wondering the same thing, desperately searching for an answer before it becomes too late. Philadelphia made Rick Tocchet one of the league’s highest paid coaches and he’s proving to be worth every penny by instilling a physical mindset and restrictive defensive strategy that has confounded the star power of the Penguins, making them look old and ineffective.

Tocchet’s finger prints are all over the series, and a big reason Philadelphia took Game 2. The Penguins can run from starting Sidney Crosby against Sean Couturier at the beginnings of periods, but they can’t stop the Flyers from putting Couturier and Travis Sanheim on the ice for defensive zone faceoffs. Couturier won 13 of his 18 overall faceoffs last night, many against Crosby who won just 39% of his 31 faceoffs. That alone isn’t a big reason that Pittsburgh lost, but it starts to explain the story of how the matchups are going all over the ice, in ways big and small.

Couturier besting Crosby knocks areas like the power play out of whack before it can even get on track. Then the Flyers’ defensive posturing, physicality and the Pens’ lack of urgency take over. It did last night when Tommy Novak took an indirect, slow route to a puck up for grabs (not even starting to skate towards the wall for a full beat after Stuart Skinner played the puck), threw a halfhearted bump and then slid all the way out of the picture in what started the sequence for Philadelphia’s second goal, which then really turned into something when Tippett went by Kris Letang like he wasn’t even there. It served as a backbreaker before the end of the second period to extend the lead to 2-0. It might as well have been 20-0 at that point.

The difference in the Pens and Flyers is the difference between Novak and Letang and Owen Tippett on that play, how much effort and energy is on display. One side is busting their ass to make something happen, the other is just kinda there. It should be needless to say but it can’t be like that in the NHL playoffs.

FLYERS WITH A SHORTY, THIS PITT CROWD IS STUNNED!!! 😱🚨 pic.twitter.com/Lwzs91j57b

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 21, 2026

The above play was the only goal scored during a full 8:00 of game play where the Penguins had a power play. That, in a nutshell, is the simplest answer and explanation for how Pittsburgh lost Game 2. They have almost nothing going right so far and their opponent looks more hungry, smarter, faster, better-coached, better in net (not that Stuart Skinner could do too much about winning with zero goal support), you name it and it’s been an uphill climb.

Erik Karlsson summed it up, in what could have been the entirety of this article and been correct. (A 34-word quote isn’t good for the search engines, though). But Karlsson pretty much nails it here.

“We don’t really get in sync, and you would think that we would dictate what we want to do out there,” Karlsson said. “But they’re doing a good job, and we’re not. That’s the bottom line.”

Wrap it up, that’s all there is to say. Despite what elements of coaching or goaltending or any other variable that factors into the overall big picture, playoff hockey often comes down to which side is simply playing better or worse than the competition on the ice. So far the results have been very clear in that regard, with Game 2 serving as a terrible indictment of the Pens’ ability to find any answers on how to solve what their opponent has been throwing at them.

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The Los Angeles Kings and Colorado Avalanche will hit Ball Arena for Game 2 of their Round 1 series on Tuesday, April 21.

My top Kings vs. Avalanche predictions and NHL picks call for Colorado to pull away with a convincing win to take a 2-0 lead tonight.

Kings vs Avalanche Game 2 prediction

Who will win Kings vs Avalanche Game 2?

Avalanche: The Avs went 26-9-6 at home during the regular season while averaging 3.8 goals per game, allowing just 2.54 and ranking second in both Corsi For percentage and expected goals percentage at 5-on-5. With Kings starter Anton Forsberg eyeing a statistical correction to his unsustainable .940 save percentage across his past nine games, look for Colorado to pull away tonight at Ball Arena.

Kings vs Avalanche best bet: Avalanche -1.5 (-105)

The Los Angeles Kings have received unsustainable goaltending from Anton Forsberg over the past month, with the veteran posting a godly .940 save percentage and 9.1 goals saved above expected across his past nine games.

Forsberg’s body of work to this point in his career doesn’t line up with those numbers. He posted a .900 SV% with 13.52 GSAx across his first 28 games of this season.

The Colorado Avalanche went26-9-6 at home while averaging 3.8 goals per game, allowing just 2.54 and ranking second in both Corsi For percentage and expected goals percentage at 5-on-5.

Kings vs Avalanche Game 2 same-game parlay

Colorado's top line of Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas, and Artturi Lehkonen was on the ice for a high-end 5.39 goals per 60 minutes during the regular season, and Necas has gone four games without a goal despite recording a solid 2.33 expected goals.

With Forsberg expected to regress, I’m anticipating the MacKinnon-Necas-Lehkonen line to leave their mark tonight.

Kings vs Avalanche SGP

• Avalanche -1.5
• Martin Necas anytime goal
• Artturi Lehkonen Over 0.5 points

Kings vs Avalanche Game 2 goal scorer pick

Martin Necas (+155)

Another big draw for Necas to find the back of the net is Los Angeles' 30th-ranked penalty kill. Colorado went 0-for-4 on the power play in the series opener, and this dam will break in Game 2. 

Necas has scored 65 goals over the past two seasons, and playing so much ice time with MacKinnon at both even strength and on the PP increases his chances of finding the back of the net.

Kings vs Avalanche odds for Game 2

• Moneyline: Kings +230 | Avalanche -285
• Puck Line: Kings +1.5 (-115) | Avalanche -1.5 (-105)
• Over/Under: Over 5.5 (-125) | Under 5.5 (+105)

Kings vs Avalanche trend

The Colorado Avalanche have won six of their last seven games (+4.70 Units / 34% ROI). Find more NHL betting trends for Kings vs. Avalanche.

How to watch Kings vs Avalanche Game 2

Kings vs Avalanche latest injuries

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

The Edmonton Oilers defeated the Anaheim Ducks by a 4-3 final score in their Game 1 matchup. Former Pittsburgh Penguins forward Kasperi Kapanen was a significant reason behind the Oilers' win. 

Kapanen had an excellent game for the Oilers against the Ducks, as he scored two goals. His first goal was at the 18:21 mark of the first period and gave the Oilers a 2-0 lead. However, his second goal was the bigger of the two, as the former Penguins forward scored the game-winner at the 18:06 mark of the third period for Edmonton. With this, there is no question that Kapanen had a huge game for the Oilers in this one. 

Kapanen was the unlikely hero for the Oilers in this contest and helped them pick up a much-needed Game 1 victory because of it. The Oilers will now be hoping that the former Penguins forward can continue to stay hot this postseason from here. 

Kapanen was selected by the Penguins with the 22nd overall pick of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. While the Penguins traded him before he started his NHL career to the Toronto Maple Leafs during the 2015 offseason to land Phil Kessel, Kapanen was traded back to Pittsburgh during the 2020 NHL offseason. 

In three seasons with the Penguins from 2020-21 to 2022-23, Kapanen had 29 goals, 53 assists, and 82 points. 

KASPERI KAPANEN SCORES HIS SECOND OF THE NIGHT AND THE GAME WINNER! 🔵🟠 #StanleyCup

🇺🇸: @espn 2
🇨🇦: @Sportsnet & @TVASportspic.twitter.com/4e8KKkQd3H

— NHL (@NHL) April 21, 2026

The Edmonton Oilers defeated the Anaheim Ducks by a 4-3 final score in Game 1 of the first round on Monday. Former Chicago Blackhawks forward Jason Dickinson played a significant role in the Oilers' win, as he had a big game for the Pacific Division club.

Dickinson made a serious impact offensively for the Oilers in this one, as he scored two goals. His first goal was at the 17:21 mark of the first period, which gave the Oilers a 1-0 lead. However, his second goal was the more significant one, as it tied the game up at 3-3 at the 11:30 mark of the third period. From there, Kasperi Kapanen would score the game-winner for the Oilers at the 18:06 mark of the third. 

With a multi-goal performance like this, it is clear that Dickinson came up clutch for the Oilers in Game 1. It was a great way for the former Blackhawks forward to kick off his postseason this year, and he will now be looking to stay hot for Edmonton from here. 

The Blackhawks traded Dickinson and forward Colton Dach to the Oilers ahead of the 2026 NHL trade deadline in exchange for Andrew Mangiapane and a 2027 first-round pick. In 266 games over four seasons with the Blackhawks, Dickinson had 44 goals, 50 assists, 94 points, and 408 hits. This included him setting career-highs with 22 goals and 35 points in 82 games during the 2023-24 season with Chicago. 

JASON DICKINSON!!!! THE DEADLINE ACQUISITION!!!! TIE GAME IN EDMONTON!!! 🚨 pic.twitter.com/puVs7R96nY

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 21, 2026

The Penguins are in trouble.

They’re heading to Philadelphia this week down two games in their first-round series and, barring some immediate changes, could be staring down a 3-0 hole by Wednesday night.

Dan Muse and the Penguins have a few changes available to them before Wednesday, including some potential personnel changes. Here’s some possibilities:

1.Shake up the power play units.

The Penguins got five power play opportunities on Monday night. On those five tries they recorded a total of two shots and allowed a shorthanded goal.

 “There were just a few adjustments,” coach Rick Tocchet said about his team’s penalty kill after the game (h/t OnPattison.com’s Anthony SanFilippo). “We’re a little more aggressive. A little more pressure.”

That pressure showed. The Penguins couldn’t connect on passes, keep the puck in at the blue line or prevent breakaways. Shuffling personnel, maybe including bumping someone like Anthony Mantha up to the first unit, could help the Pens find a more shot-happy combination.

2. Swap the Chinakhov and Rakelllines.

The Penguins went into both of these first two games of the series with Egor Chinakhov on Sidney Crosby’s line, while Rickard Rakell centered Evgeni Malkin.

They haven’t had a lot of success at even strength with that top six, and Muse ended up swapping Chinakhov and Rakell back to Malkin and Crosby’s lines, respectively, during Monday’s second period.

Muse declined to make any conclusions about that mid-game swap after the loss, saying the Penguins didn’t get enough sustained looks at even strength for him to make an evaluation.

“I’m not in a position right now to really make any decisions in terms of lineup for next game,” Muse said after the loss. “That’s something— we’ll look at film, we’ll speak as a staff. We’ll make those decisions later.”

The Chinakhov-Malkin and Rakell-Crosby combos worked well down the stretch of the regular season. Given how much the Penguins have struggled to put together any offense through two playoff games, those combos could be worth trying again.

3. Dress Justin Brazeau.

Few of the forwards have been standouts through two games. The Penguins could try scratching a bottom-six forward and shuffling Brazeau into the lineup to see if he is able to find any more success.

4. Dress Jack St. Ivany.

The Ryan Shea-Connor Clifton pairing was on the ice for nine Penguins shot attempts and 10 shot attempts against on Monday night, by far the worst ratio among the defense pairings, per MoneyPuck. St. Ivany has experience skating alongside Shea from earlier this season and could be an option if the Penguins decide to swap out Clifton.

5. Figure out zone entries.

The Flyers have the Penguins’ number in terms of how Muse’s team usually likes to bring the puck into the zone. Even on the power play the Penguins regularly relied on wrapping the puck along the boards on Monday night, often at the cost of an immediate Flyers clear.

The Pens will need to figure out how to make their usual controlled breakouts work against Tocchet’s aggressive defensive system in order to get some more offensive momentum in Game 3.

Penguins went HEAVY on dump-and-chase at 5-on-5 in the first period, per my tracking:

Pittsburgh controlled entries: 3
Pittsburgh dump-ins: 16

— Charlie O'Connor (@charlieo_conn) April 21, 2026

The Penguins aren’t practicing tomorrow. Maybe they’ll have the opportunity to watch some tape, and hopefully make some adjustments, before Wednesday’s 7 p.m. ET puck drop.

Just the facts

• When: Tonight, 7:30 PM
• Where: KeyBank Center – Buffalo, NY
• How to follow: NESN, ESPN, 98.5 The Sports Hub
• Opposing perspective:Die by the Blade

Know your enemy

• Sabres lead series, 1-0
• Tage Thompson: 2G-1A-3PTS; Alex Tuch: 1G-1A-2PTS; Mattias Samuelsson: 1G-0A-1PT
• Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: 1-0-0, 3.01 GAA, .850 save percentage

Game notes

• After a calamitous five-minute stretch saw them lose control of Game 1, the Bruins will be looking to bounce back with a more solid all-around effort in Game 2. 60 minutes of good play instead of 52, or something like that.
• Marco Sturm has called on his group to regroup and recharge after Game 1, saying that his team is ready for a long series. He also got philosophical, according to NHL.com, saying “yesterday was yesterday, today is today. It’s actually sunny here in Buffalo.” Valid points, Marco.
• Performance at the face-off dot was supposed to be a strength for the Bruins in this series: they had the fourth-best team winning percentage in the league during the regular season, while Buffalo was the worst face-off team in the NHL. In Game 1, however, the teams were just about even: the Bruins won 32 face-offs, while the Sabres won 31.
• Sturm didn’t mention any lineup changes in his media availability on Monday, though that doesn’t necessarily mean he doesn’t have any up his sleeve. It seems a little early to be bringing in a new body on defense or up front, but he may have to consider some line-juggling if the second line struggles again tonight.
• The Bruins can make things significantly easier on themselves if they take care of the puck better, particularly below their own goal line. While Buffalo certainly deserves credit for seizing their opportunities (and forcing those turnovers), the Bruins’ own carelessness with the puck led directly to Buffalo’s three non-empty-net goals in Game 1.
• The B’s will also need to adjust to Buffalo’s tenacious forecheck, which seemed to wear the Bruins defensemen down as the game progressed. After dealing with it for 60 minutes, the Bruins will need to be better equipped to handle the pressure or this will be a short series.
• While shots on net aren’t everything, it’s worth pointing out that the Bruins failed to land double-digit shots on net in any period on Sunday: they went 9-4-7 across the three periods, with that second period particularly woeful.

See ya tonight!

The day after their 4-3 overtime win over the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Montreal Canadiens were back at work at the Benchmark International Arena. What was originally supposed to be an optional skate turned into a regular practice an hour before the time.  A regular practice, but a short one.

While the Canadiens came out on top on Sunday, they did so by scoring three power-play goals; if you take special teams out of the equation, the score would have been 1-1 after 60 minutes. Of course, nobody will complain about a power play that strikes as often, but you cannot take for granted that you’ll get so many calls every night, especially not in the playoffs, when the referees do tend to put the whistle away.

Canadiens’ Blueline Had A Big Game
Former Canadiens Forward Kicks Off Playoffs With Strong Game
Slafkovsky Steals The Show and The Canadiens Steal Home-Ice Advantage With Win

Both Martin St-Louis and Cole Caufield were asked about the Nick Suzuki line being kept in check by the Anthony Cirelli line, and neither had a magic formula for the Habs’ top line to produce at even strength. The sniper was up front saying: There’s a lot to talk about five-on-five that we could do better at, and we’ll do that for game two. Asked if there was a workaround for the Cirelli line, the American simply replied:

Yeah, we’re going to have to figure it out. It’s the first game; there’s a little feeling-out process. It’s a line you can’t take any risk, and they don’t give up much, so we’re going to find ways, we’re going to find the answers, and hopefully, we’ll find some ways to do it.

As for the coach, when asked about that, he simply replied that they’d keep on going, as they have all season. Of course, if they did find a magical way to solve that line, they wouldn’t come out and say it, but so early in a series, it’s far from surprising that some adjustments have to be made, especially between two teams so evenly matched.

Once again, the coach spoke about the importance of playing the right way, of being calculated on both sides of the puck, which can lead to more offensive opportunities. That’s nothing new; that’s what he’s been selling to his players all season, and to be fair, for the most part, that’s how they played on Sunday.

The fact is, though, the Tampa Bay Lightning is the team on the other side, and they, too, are playing the right way. It wasn’t easy to come away with the win, but it wasn’t supposed to be easy; this is the Stanley Cup playoffs, and nothing comes easy.

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Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.  

Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens.

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Monday night was a chance for the Pittsburgh Penguins to make things right after a lackluster showing in Game 1 and tie up this first round series before heading to the road for Games 3 and 4. That was not at all how Game 2 went for the Penguins as they turned in another letdown performance in a 3-0 defeat to the Philadelphia Flyers and will now head east trailing 2-0 in the series. It was another scoreless first period between the two sides before the Flyers notched a pair of second period goals to take complete control of the game. Dan Vladar was at his very best and turned away all 27 shots the Penguins threw his way to register his first career playoff shutout. [Pensburgh]

Now the series shifts to Philadelphia with Game 3 scheduled for Wednesday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

Pens Points…

Justin Brazeau was a surprising healthy scratch for Game 1 of the playoff series against the Flyers and found himself in the same position last night for Game 2. Though this is not the situation he drew up in his mind, if he’s called on at any point, Brazeau knows he will be ready to contribute. [Trib Live]

In case anyone forgot since it hasn’t been a hot topic in a while, the Penguins are in the midst of being sold. That sale between Fenway Sports Group and the Hoffman Family is still in the works but nothing has been finalized and the final vote by the NHL has not been set according to Gary Bettman. [Trib Live]

NHL News and Notes…

One of the biggest questions to be answered across the NHL this offseason will be about the future of Alex Ovechkin. Many think this season was his last in the NHL, but the Washington Capitals are in no rush for an answer for their captain and are giving him all the time he needs to make a decision. [NHL]

Dallas Stars (50-20-12, in the Central Division) vs. Minnesota Wild (46-24-12, in the Central Division)

Saint Paul, Minnesota; Wednesday, 9:30 p.m. EDT

LINE: Wild -128, Stars +108; over/under is 6

NHL PLAYOFFS FIRST ROUND: Series tied 1-1

BOTTOM LINE: The Dallas Stars visit the Minnesota Wild for game three of the first round of the NHL Playoffs with the series tied 1-1. The teams meet Monday for the seventh time this season. The Stars won the last meeting 4-2. Wyatt Johnston scored two goals in the win.

Minnesota has a 46-24-12 record overall and a 14-11-3 record in Central Division games. The Wild are 10th in NHL play with 268 total goals (averaging 3.3 per game).

Dallas is 18-7-3 against the Central Division and 50-20-12 overall. The Stars are first in league play with 71 power-play goals.

TOP PERFORMERS: Kirill Kaprizov has 45 goals and 44 assists for the Wild. Ryan Hartman has six goals and four assists over the last 10 games.

Jason Robertson has 45 goals and 51 assists for the Stars. Johnston has scored seven goals with four assists over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Wild: 6-4-0, averaging 3.8 goals, six assists, 4.3 penalties and 10.2 penalty minutes while giving up 2.7 goals per game.

Stars: 7-3-0, averaging 3.1 goals, 5.2 assists, 4.7 penalties and 10.8 penalty minutes while giving up 2.7 goals per game.

INJURIES: Wild: Yakov Trenin: day to day (upper-body), Mats Zuccarello: day to day (upper-body).

Stars: Nathan Bastian: out (hand), Roope Hintz: out (lower body), Tyler Seguin: out for season (acl).

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

"I was on such a high there for two minutes."

After a tense, back-and-forth thriller, the Carolina Hurricanes scored the overtime game winner in Game 2 of their first-round series on a delayed penalty, as Mark Jankowski jumped over the boards as an extra skater and banged home a rebound past Linus Ullmark.

At least, that's what the team thought had happened.

As the team mobbed around Jankowski, the on-ice officials started to gather around the penalty box and the Ottawa Senators weren't leaving the bench either.

Soon enough, it became clear to the nearly 20,000 attendees at Lenovo Center's Monday night game that the goal was under review.

After five minutes of deliberation, official Furman South broke from the huddle and took to center ice.

He flipped on his microphone and, much to the dismay of the home crowd, announced that the play had originally been offside 30 seconds earlier and that the goal was being rescinded. 

The NHL situation room had deemed that while Jordan Staal had possession of the puck as he crossed the blueline, he did not have full control of puck, thereby making the play offside.

"I pick up the puck, I look up where Marty is and apparently I lost control of it," Staal said. "And then I make a nice pass to Marty for a breakaway... I don’t really get it. To call back an overtime goal for that is..."

However, it wasn't all for naught, as Jordan Martinook was to be awarded a penalty shot for the call he had initially drawn, just the fifth time ever in NHL history that one had been awarded in overtime of a playoff game.

As "Rockstar" by Nickelback blared across the speakers, Martinook composed himself at the opposite blueline, waiting for the official's signal.

Once he got it, he collected the puck, cut to the left, cut back to the middle and snapped one glove-side on Ullmark. 

But it wasn't to be, as the big Swede stymied the Hurricanes alternate captain, keeping the game alive.

"I felt pretty bad when I didn't score that one," Martinook said. "I was trying to tell them we needed the power play and not the penalty shot."

Fate has a funny way of showing itself though and after nearly another full overtime period, Martinook would once again be given the chance to end it and this time, he delivered. 

"I'd be lying if I said I picked my head up and looked and picked the corner," Martinook said. "At that point, you're just trying top put as many pucks on net as you can. I felt we kind of had them on the run a little bit and Fly made a great play in the middle and I just got it and ripped it. Luckily it went in."

From the terrible low of thinking you may have just cost your team to the jubilant highs of your first ever playoff overtime goal.

"I didn't feel very good about myself after that penalty shot," Martinook said. "The intermission felt really long and it was going to be a long night if that penalty shot came back to bite me. That was cool though. I'm happy it worked out that way. Hockey's crazy. Sport's are crazy. Being able to score after that, I'll tell my grandkids about that one, that's for sure."

"You couldn’t have written it any better," Staal said. "What a shot. The place was electric, so it was super fun. Definitely in the memory bank."

"Just happy for Marty," Brind'Amour said. "It's nice to see him get that recognition for a game like that.

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Game 2 of the Carolina Hurricanes' first-round series against the Ottawa Senators couldn't have been more different than Game 1.

After a tight, but straight forward 2-0 shutout, the Canes and Sens flipped the script en route to a double overtime thriller.

In Game 1, the two teams combined for two goals, 51 shots on goal and 114 shot attempts.

In Game 2, both teams found themselves all of a sudden with a lot more space and a lot more time as the final counts were five total goals, 85 shots on goal and 208 shot attempts.

The trio of Logan Stankoven, Jackson Blake and Taylor Hall were once again doing their thing — as the three combined for the Canes' first goal on the power play, with Stankoven notching his second of the postseason — and even Sebastian Aho got involved too as he scored off of a nice rush play set up by Staal. 

But the tale of the tape for this game was the outstanding performances put on by both netminders.

Frederik Andersen had a little hiccup on the game-tying goal as a Dylan Cozens shot from well outside the circles and from a bad angle beat him five-hole, but outside of that he was tremendous.

"You're gonna make mistakes," Andersen said. "Everyone does. But it's about what's next. Obviously we had to play a lot going forward. Just refocused and get ready for the next one."

Andersen would stop all 15 of the shots he faced in overtime, including multiple in-tight and in-alone looks, and was credited with 2.67 goals saved above expected for the game according to Natural Stat Trick.

On the other side, Linus Ullmark was sensational too, stopping 43 total shots and saving 2.24 goals above expected.

In fact, it was Ullmark's save on Taylor Hall in the second period that was really the turning point of the game for Ottawa.

If Hall scores there, Carolina goes up 3-0 and probably easily wins in regulation.

Instead, the Senators were given life and they scored their first goal just 1:14 after the miraculous save as Drake Batherson got a fortunate bounce.

The Sens would keep pushing from there and eventually tie the game, but Andersen wasn't going to be beat again, setting the stage for Martinook's thrilling goal.

"Every moment matters, and any situation, it's right then and there," Andersen said. "You just prepare like you would any other shot and every time you make a save, you give the boys a new chance to score."

The Hurricanes will now take their 2-0 series lead onto the road as they head to Ottawa to try and steal a game.

'Hockey's Crazy': Jordan Martinook, Logan Stankoven, Frederik Andersen, Jordan Staal, Rod Brind'Amour On Game 2 OT WinStaal, Martinook, Stankoven, Andersen, and Brind'Amour break down the wild Game 2 overtime thriller. Hear their candid reactions.

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Jordan Martinook notched the game-winner in double overtime to lead the Carolina Hurricanes to a 3-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Monday night at the Lenovo Center. The win gives Carolina a 2-0 lead in this playoff series and allows them to keep their home ice advantage.

The Canes thought they had won the game in the first overtime when Mark Jankowski ripped in a goal, but after a long review, it was ruled that Jordan Staal was offsides on the play because the desk in Toronto determined that he did not have control of the puck when he crossed the blueline.

Staal was not happy with the controversial call and said post game that he looked to pass the puck to Martinook, he did not feel like he lost possession or control. Poor Mark Jankowski said that he was on cloud nine for about two minutes when he celebrated his supposed goal.

Martinook had been the victim of a penalty earlier and weirdly enough, was awarded a penalty shot after the offsides decision. He missed the shot so he was certainly looking for redemption afterward and eventually got it.

When asked after the game how difficult was it to recover after celebrating and thinking you had won the game, to settling back down to the business and seriousness of playing hockey, “Try shooting a penalty shot right after that!” Martinook quipped.

The game started off with fast skating and hitting for both teams. The Canes took the lead off another goal by Logan Stankoven, who has been red hot since the Olympic break. He got a perfect pass by Taylor Hall, who set him up on the powerplay.

In the second period, the Hurricanes jumped to a 2-0 lead when Jordan Staal led Sebastian Aho, who made no mistake. This was another shorthanded goal for Carolina, who leads the league with shorties.

The Sens would strike back though with two goals of their own later in that period.

Ottawa came close to scoring several times in this game but had the worse luck as the puck either hit the crossbar or post or stopped just short of the goal line. Fred Andersen let in a goal he wished he didn’t on goal number two, but he was scrambling and played very well afterward, especially in the overtime periods.

In all, he made 37 saves on 39 shots.

Linus Ullmark played lights out in his own right, making several high level saves throughout. He made 43 saves on 46 Carolina shots.

It is late so I’m going to wrap this up and choose a “Player of the Game” later. The Canes will take Tuesday off before a practice on Wednesday and a flight to Ottawa.

Game Summary – https://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20252026/GS030132.HTM

Event Summary – https://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20252026/ES030132.HTM

Interviews –

Postgame notes and interviews from Carolina's 3-2 2OT win over the Ottawa Senators on Monday in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference First Round. https://t.co/MgTISD3788

The Hurricanes will not practice on Tuesday. General Manager Eric Tulsky will be available to the media at…

— Hurricanes PR (@CanesPR) April 21, 2026