PITTSBURGH — The Flyers on Monday night will try to take a 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven first-round playoff series against the Penguins.
Rick Tocchet’s club has had a businesslike approach in Pittsburgh. The Flyers took Game 1 with a 3-2 decision Saturday night. They know they have plenty of more work to do against a Penguins team with all kinds of pedigree.
“Hall of Famers over there, right?” Trevor Zegras said Sunday. “We didn’t do much so far. We played a good game and won. Obviously we love winning and that’s what we’re trying to do, but far from over and far from what the main goal is here, for sure.”
Puck drop at PPG Paints Arena is scheduled for around 7 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Philadelphia. Coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. ET with Flyers Pregame Live.
Here are some updates and visuals from the last few days.
Rick Tocchet said Flyers got back to their hotel, ate, got therapy and had a mindset of get ready for Game 2. Seems like he really likes the all business kind of approach. pic.twitter.com/Yp1sxgjRDv
Rick Tocchet really liked Porter Martone’s maturity. Once again the 19-year-old got better as the game went on, stuck with it. pic.twitter.com/HLJPKCBDhB
Former player P. K. Subban skates during the 2023 NHL All-Star Skills Competition at FLA Live Arena on February 3, 2023 in Sunrise, Florida.
P.K. Subban’s pants stole the spotlight during ESPN’s coverage of Round 1 of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs on Sunday.
The former 13-year defenseman, who played for the Montreal Canadiens, Nashville Predators and New Jersey Devils, donned a pair of oversized wide leg pants and the internet had a field a day.
“You could park a Chevy Suburban in each one of PK Subban’s pant legs right now,” wrote Rob Gucci, a social media personality and podcast host, in a now-viral X post. “This is insane.”
You could park a Chevy Suburban in each one of PK Subban’s pant legs right now. This is insane. pic.twitter.com/pnORgPvqQ8
Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy added, “Totally normal pants on @PKSubban1. Find a new slant.”
In a reply tweet to Portnoy, Subban wrote: “F–king rights Dave! Wooo! u can borrow ’em anytime.”
Subban, known for his eccentric fashion style, paired the pants with a long sleeve black fitted shirt.
P.K. Subban’s pants stole the spotlight during ESPN’s coverage of Round 1 of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs on Sunday. X
While his pants were a hot topic online, Subban was posting Instagram videos of his live reaction during Sunday’s games.
The NHL analyst was a part of an ESPN doubleheader, with the Boston Bruins taking on the Buffalo Sabres and the Utah Mammoth facing the Vegas Golden Knights.
P.K. Subban arrives for the 2024 Navy Federal Credit Union Stadium Series at MetLife Stadium on February 17, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Getty ImagesFormer player P. K. Subban skates during the 2023 NHL All-Star Skills Competition at FLA Live Arena on February 3, 2023 in Sunrise, Florida. Getty Images
The Sabres defeated the Bruins in a 4-3 thriller, while the Knights beat the Mammoth 4-2 in the best-of-7 first-round series.
There are plenty of storylines across this year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Buffalo is in the postseason for the first time since 2011.
Utah Mammoth center Nick Schmaltz (8) and Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Jeremy Lauzon (5) battle for the puck during the third period in Game 1 of a first-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series Sunday, April 19, 2026, in Las Vegas. AP
Utah is making their first-ever postseason appearance after joining the NHL in 2024.
Boston are making their 16th postseason appearance in 20 years, while Vegas are making their eighth postseason appearance in the past nine seasons.
DENVER, COLORADO - APRIL 19: Scott Wedgewood #41 of the Colorado Avalanche skates in the spotlight ahead of for Game One of the First Round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Los Angeles Kings at Ball Arena on April 19, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Ashley Potts/NHLI)
Colorado Avalanche News
Leaders around the NHL reflect on Gabriel Landeskog’s return to the Avalanche lineup. [NHL]
The Anaheim Ducks are about to embark on a journey into waters uncharted for the better part of a decade for their franchise: the Stanley Cup Playoffs. For their first series in eight years, they didn’t do themselves any favors, backing into third place in the Pacific Division, after holding a five-point lead with ten games to go.
They will now be in the crosshairs of a juggernaut club with Stanley Cup aspirations that represented the Western Conference in each of the last two Stanley Cup Finals. They’ll have to defeat Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and the Edmonton Oilers four times in the next seven games if they’re to continue playing hockey this spring.
For the Ducks to escape this series with four wins, head coach Joel Quenneville will have to be on the winning side of (at least) three specific matchups:
Jackson LaCombe and Jacob Trouba vs Connor McDavid
Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
Quenneville typically doesn’t elect to hard-match a forward line against an opposing top line. When called for, he has instead deployed his top pair (LaCombe-Trouba) against an opposing top line or player.
Shutting down Connor McDavid is a fool’s errand, as one can only hope to contain the greatest offensive player to ever lace up a pair of skates. It will be a five-man effort, over the entire 200-foot sheet, to deny him pucks as much as possible and minimize his ability to gain speed.
By the time McDavid has the puck in LaCombe and/or Trouba’s vicinity, it would benefit their focus to be on, to the best of their abilities, keeping him away from the middle of the ice with clever angles and maintaining steady gaps, not committing too much or allowing too much ice between.
Smart and quick sticks to influence, take lanes away, and disrupt shot or pass attempts will be key when LaCombe or Trouba is engaged with McDavid. In plain terms, they have to be perfect.
“You don’t want to play run-and-gun hockey with this team,” Trouba said. “They got a lot of high talented offensive players. Defending is going to be a key part for us in the series.”
Against the San Jose Sharks on home ice, Quenneville deployed center Ryan Poehling against Macklin Celebrini, notching a rare pointless night for the phenomenal Sharks sophomore. That’s a card Quenneville can play should he see fit, when the series returns to Honda Center for game three.
Then, of course, even if the Ducks successfully contain McDavid, Leon Draisaitl will be waiting in the wings to pick up any slack left behind by #97. One shudders to speculate on what McDavid can accomplish given how motivated and determined he will be heading into these playoffs, following back-to-back Stanley Cup finals losses and losing in the 2026 Olympic gold medal game.
“The regular season has become a little bit monotonous for this group,” McDavid said. “I think you see that through the day-to-day. But this is what we get excited for.”
Lukas Dostal vs An Offensive Onslaught
Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
If there’s an “x-factor” in this series for the Ducks, it will be goaltender Lukas Dostal. Though numbers would suggest his season was unspectacular and his play faltered toward the end of the regular season, the Ducks simply would not be where they are, in the playoffs for the first time since 2018, had it not been for Dostal’s heroics earlier in the season.
With a new coach, a new defensive system was implemented. That new system, compounded with a lack of overall defensive talent and habits on the Ducks’ roster, gave way to one of the worst environments in the NHL for a goaltender.
On a nightly basis, the Ducks were allowing a variety of high-danger chances to their opponents, whether those chances were born from poor pinches in the offensive zone, poor backchecking effort, poor backchecking technique, d-zone coverage lapses, lost net-front battles, etc.
Dostal made more saves and more difficult saves than should have been required, kept the Ducks in more games than they deserved, allowing them to “outscore their problems,” and get needed wins to achieve their goal of making the playoffs.
“It’s a different experience,” Dostal said. “I’ve had a chance to play in big games before, but this is a little different because you get to play the same team on multiple occasions. You’re going to try to expose them. They’re going to try to expose you. It’s going to be a fun experience.”
He’s traditionally performed his best when the lights are brightest, whether that be the Olympics, World Championships, or World Juniors. This will be a completely different challenge for Dostal, playing in the Stanley Cup playoffs against two of the most potent offensive centers in this generation (McDavid and Draisaitl), a Norris-caliber offensive defenseman (Evan Bouchard), and one of the deepest teams the Oilers’ front office has surrounded them with in their cup-contending era.
Ducks Power Play vs Oilers Penalty Kill
Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
The instinct would be to fixate on the Oilers’ power play and how to contain, neutralize, or limit it. However, Edmonton’s power play is such a well-oiled (pun intended) machine that seems to be firing on all cylinders every spring. In their last three playoff runs, the Oilers have converted on 31.6% of the power play opportunities, and in the 2025-26 regular season, they were the NHL’s best, converting at 30.6%.
Edmonton’s power play is going to score, and probably score a lot. Their penalty kill, however, is an area the Ducks will need to exploit in order to put goals back on the board. In the 2025-26 regular season, Edmonton’s penalty kill was successful 77.8% of the time, good enough for 20th in the NHL. Their underlying numbers reflect similarly, as their 9.57 expected goals allowed per 60 minutes ranked 24th in the NHL.
Over their last three postseason appearances, the Oilers PK has killed 79.5% of penalties taken. That number is roughly league-average annually. However, how they got to that total could give pause, as in the 2022-23 playoffs, they killed 34 of 45 (75.5%), in the 2024-25 playoffs, they killed 66 of 70 (94.3%), and last year, they killed just 47 of 70 (67.1%). To call their PK “inconsistent” would be an understatement.
Despite having plentiful talent and a potent 5v5 offense, Anaheim’s power play didn’t convert at an encouraging rate this season, despite a quality process at times and generating roughly league-average underlying numbers.
The Ducks 18.6% conversion rate on the power play was good enough to rank 23rd in the NHL and was their best since the 2021-22 season (21.9%). They generated 8.68 expected goals per 60, ranking 18th of the 32 teams in the NHL.
Anaheim has the talent and has shown flashes of deploying a lethal power play, but have inexplicably been unable to put the pieces together. They’ll have to figure it out quickly, as a few extra power play goals could be the difference in a playoff series like this one.
This series will be the last to begin and will see the first puck drop at 7 PM PST in Edmonton, Alberta.
Kyle Dubas' number-one trade he regrets was while he was general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The current Pittsburgh Penguins president of hockey operations and GM joined Spittin' Chiclets last week to chat about the Penguins as they get ready for their playoff run, as well as some interesting tidbits about his time in Toronto.
He also divulged what trade he regrets most in his career as an NHL GM, and it's the move which sent Mason Marchment to the Florida Panthers in exchange for Denis Malgin on Feb. 19, 2020.
"To me, the one that I regret most is — I've said this before openly — Mason Marchment," Dubas told Spittin' Chiclets.
"We traded Mason to Florida. He had come up with us the whole way. We signed him to minor-league deal after his overage season in major junior. He was in Orlando in the ECHL for most of the first year. He didn't play for three months, like, just working with the development team, and that was my responsibility then.
"It was 2016-17 with the Leafs, working for Lou (Lamiorello), and he came so far, helped us win a Calder Cup in 2018, was a huge part of that," Dubas continued. "Made his NHL debut the next year, which was awesome. And then he was 25, I think at the time, or 24, and we moved him to Florida. We needed the skill at that point. We had some guys out of the lineup, and it was a younger, skill guy that came in (Malgin).
"Every time I see Mason play, like no matter where he is, I just kick myself because we really needed that style of player throughout. Just the competitiveness, the ability to score, the ability to get under people's skin, the physicality, the ability to get to the net. I always kick myself about that one."
Marchment truly established his NHL career after being traded away from the Maple Leafs.
After his first season in Florida (where he scored 10 points in 33 games), Marchment began to find his game at the NHL level, finishing the 2021-22 season with 18 goals and 47 points in 54 games.
Following two years with the Panthers, Marchment became an unrestricted free agent and signed a four-year, $18 million contract with the Dallas Stars in July 2022. He played three seasons with the Stars and then was traded to the Seattle Kraken last summer.
Marchment struggled to find his game with Seattle and was eventually moved to the Columbus Blue Jackets in mid-December. After being moved, the 30-year-old found his game again, scoring 15 goals and 32 points in 39 games.
Meanwhile, we all know what occurred once the Maple Leafs acquired Malgin.
He played only eight games with Toronto during the 2019-20 season. Once the year concluded, Malgin returned to his home country of Switzerland and played two seasons in the Swiss League, tallying over a point per game in 93 matches.
In 2022-23, Malgin returned to the Maple Leafs to try and give the NHL another go. He scored two goals and two assists in 23 games with Toronto before the club traded him to the Colorado Avalanche for Dryden Hunt in mid-December 2022.
The Colorado Avalanche picked up a hard-fought 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings in Game 1 of the first round. A former Montreal Canadiens forward played a role in the Avalanche's victory, as Artturi Lehkonen put together a strong performance.
At the 15:29 mark of the second period, Lehkonen scored the game-opening goal to give the Avalanche a 1-0 lead. It was a nice goal from the former Canadiens forward, too, as he picked up Nathan MacKinnon's rebound in front before beating Kings goaltender Anton Forsberg with a wrist shot in front of the net.
With this game being a low-scoring one, there is no question that Lehkonen's goal ended up being an incredibly important one. It was just the latest strong game from the former Canadiens forward this year, as he had another good season for the Avalanche in 2025-26. In 70 games this season with the Central Division club, he had 21 goals, 287 assists, 48 points, and a plus-32 rating.
Lehkonen was selected by the Canadiens with the 55th overall pick of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. In 396 games over six seasons with the Habs from 2016-17 to 2021-22, he had 74 goals, 75 assists, and 149 points.
Cal and friends will skate for Bridgeport. | NHLI via Getty Images
The playoffs kicked off with some good ones over the weekend. The only series yet to begin is Ducks-Oilers, which is the late game among four tonight.
No playoff news for the big Islanders, of course, but Bridgeport begins their final playoff on Tuesday.
Islanders News
Here’s a roundup of several breakup day interviews and quotes, with video. [Isles]
…and a special one just dedicated to Matthew Schaefer’s reflections. [Isles]
The Bridgeport Islanders wrapped up their regular season with a win over Hershey, who is also their first-round (best-of-three) playoff opponent. (Danill Prokhorov made his debut and returned after a tough shot block.) [B-Isles | AHL recap/highlights | GameCenter]
The lottery will be held May 5. What are the odds…
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 18: Nick Seeler #24 of the Philadelphia Flyers exchanges punches with Rickard Rakell #67 of the Pittsburgh Penguins in the third period of Game One of the First Round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PPG PAINTS Arena on April 18, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Here are your Pens Points for this Monday morning…
Anthony Mantha’s strong regular season has made him a very intriguing free agent target this summer, but other teams are now watching to see whether he can produce in the playoffs. His past postseason struggles and Game 1 performance, which included some physicality but also two offensive zone penalties, mean this playoff run could impact how much interest and money he gets if he hits the market. [PensBurgh]
The Penguins will try to stay more disciplined and composed in Game 2 after letting the Flyers’ physical, scrappy style frustrate them in Game 1’s loss. [Trib Live]
Rookie forward Ben Kindel, who just turned 19, is impressing the Penguins not just with his skill, but with unusual maturity and a willingness to play physically despite his stature. [Trib Live]
News and notes from around the NHL…
The Anaheim Ducks have signed forward prospect Roger McQueen, the 10th overall selection in the 2025 NHL draft, to a three-year, entry-level contract beginning in the 2026-27 season. [TSN]
San Jose Sharks breakout star Macklin Celebrini made it clear he wants to stay with the team long term, saying he plans to commit after a breakout season. [TSN]
After firing Patrik Allvin, Vancouver Canucks president Jim Rutherford said the Canucks’ next general manager will have much more authority over the franchise, including in all hockey and coaching matters, signaling that Rutherford himself may be ready to hand over the reins. [Sportsnet]
The Buffalo Sabres have provided yet another tangible example of how magical playoff hockey can be. In front of their home fans, playing postseason hockey for the first time since Barack Obama was president, the Sabres rallied from a 2-0 third-period deficit to defeat the Boston Bruins 4-3, earning the franchise’s first playoff victory in 15 years. [ESPN]
The 2025-26 NHL regular season is in the books, and what a campaign it was. You'd be hard-pressed to find people going into the season who were willing to predict that the Buffalo Sabres would be among the league's top teams, while the Florida Panthers would be one of the worst. That alone represents a dramatic realignment of the league, but it's far from the only eyebrow raiser, so let's take a minute to step back and appreciate the 2025-26 biggest surprises and disappointments.
Connor Hellebuyck, G, Jets
After back-to-back Vezina Trophy-winning campaigns, Hellebuyck was mediocre in 2025-26, as he posted a 23-23-11 record, 2.86 GAA and .895 save percentage across 57 starts. His decline corresponded with Winnipeg crashing from an incredible 56-22-4 record in 2024-25 to missing the playoffs entirely this season. That begs the obvious question, however: How much of Winnipeg's struggles were due to Hellebuyck, and how much of Hellebuyck's struggles were a product of the team in front of him?
After all, a goaltender's raw numbers are heavily influenced by his team, so it can be hard to know which side deserved more of the blame. For what it's worth, Hellebuyck did have a plus-5.5 goals-saved above expected in 2025-26, per Moneypuck. That suggests he was at least better than average, but it was also far below his plus-39.6 from the 2024-25 regular season, so while Hellebuyck wasn't the core of Winnipeg's problem, he did fail to carry the team on his back as much as he had in the prior year.
Adin Hill, G, Golden Knights
It'd be a bit unfair to suggest that Hellebuyck let his team down by simply being less dominant than he usually is, but Hill's decline was certainly a big part of Vegas' weird season. After finishing the 2024-25 regular season with a 32-13-5 record, 2.47 GAA and .906 save percentage in 50 starts, Hill was limited to a 10-9-6 record, 3.04 GAA and .870 save percentage in 27 regular-season starts in 2025-26. A brief glimpse at the fancy stats shows Hill was minus-14.2 in goals saved above expected, which was the sixth-worst in the league. Akira Schmid also left plenty to be desired as the backup, but Schmid had just 48 regular-season appearances under his belt going into 2025-26, so it was never reasonable to expect him to carry Vegas.
That collapse in goaltending is the big reason Vegas underperformed for most of the campaign, leading to Bruce Cassidy being ousted for new head coach John Tortorella. Tortorella's hiring also largely coincided with Carter Hart returning from a lower-body injury and stabilizing the situation in net. The end result is Vegas went from a team in danger of missing the playoffs to claiming the Pacific Division title.
Brayden Point, C, Lightning
Can you name every player who scored at least 40 goals and 80 points in all three regular seasons between 2022-23 and 2024-25? It's not a long list: Leon Draisaitl, William Nylander, David Pastrnak and Brayden Point. None of them repeated that feat in 2025-26, but Nylander and Draisaitl still had great campaigns despite missing time due to injury, and Pastrnak's 100-point finish more than compensates for his decline to 29 goals.
Point took a major step back this campaign. Sure, he also had injury trouble, appearing in just 63 regular-season outings, but he also left something to be desired when healthy, recording 18 goals and 50 points. His decline was primarily due to a drop in his shooting percentage to 14% compared to an average of 21.4% over the previous three regular seasons, and a collapse in his power-play output to 11 points in 2025-26 from a minimum of 30 in each of those regular seasons from 2022-23 through 2024-25. The silver lining is he's still just 30 years old, making him a very tempting buy-low candidate next season.
Victor Hedman/Darren Raddysh, D, Lightning
Between injury, illness and a personal matter, Hedman logged just 33 regular-season games in 2025-26. You'd think losing the cornerstone of your blueline for most of the year would destroy a team, but instead Tampa Bay finished the regular season with 106 points, up from 102 in 2024-25. A big reason the Lightning were able to work through it was Raddysh.
A 30-year-old defenseman who set a career high in the 2024-25 regular season with 37 points (six goals), Raddysh went from playing in just seven of Tampa Bay's first 13 games in 2025-26 (averaging 14:49 of ice time when he was utilized) to being thrust into a role on the top pairing and top power-play unit. He not only adapted to the situation, he thrived, going on to record 22 goals and 70 points in 73 outings by the end of the regular season. You'd be hard-pressed to find many examples of a blueliner in the middle of his career who enjoyed a breakout like that.
Jordan Binnington, G, Blues
Remember how Hill had the sixth-worst goals saved above expected record in the 2025-26 regular season? The absolute bottom of the barrel belongs to Binnington at minus-22.4. He was a disaster with his 3.33 GAA and .873 save percentage in 41 outings with St. Louis in 2025-26, and unquestionably worse than his Blues counterpart, Joel Hofer, who finished the regular season with a 2.61 GAA and a .909 save percentage in 46 appearances. Binnington is a weird goaltender. He was the hero behind St. Louis' startling 2019 Stanley Cup Championship. The netminder also led Canada to victory in the Four Nations Face-Off, and while Canada did fall short in the 2026 Winter Olympics, Binnington still performed rather well in that tournament.
However, you never seem to know what you're getting with him, and while there's an argument to be made that the quality of the players in front of him matters, Binnington's horrific goals allowed above expected, coupled with how much better Hofer did under the same circumstances, makes it hard to say that his NHL struggles this season are solely the fault of St. Louis. If anything, it's entirely plausible that he's the reason the Blues aren't in the playoffs.
Ducks Young Forward Group
If you want to know why Anaheim is in the postseason, the young trio of Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier and Beckett Sennecke is certainly a big part of the cause. They're all former top-five picks, so they didn't come out of nowhere, but to see them all take such a big leap forward this season was a pleasant surprise. Each of them recorded at least 20 goals and 60 points in the 2025-26 regular season, and Gauthier was especially dominant, tallying 41 goals in his sophomore campaign to more than double his rookie output of 20 markers.
Anthony Stolarz/Joseph Woll, G, Maple Leafs
What cost Toronto a playoff berth this season? You might be tempted to point to the loss of Mitch Marner, and while losing a top forward like that is going to leave its mark, Toronto's offense didn't decline too much, falling to an average of 3.07 goals per game in 2025-26, down from 3.26 in the 2024-25 regular season. By contrast, it plummeted in goals allowed per game, surrendering an average of 3.60 this year versus 2.79 in the previous regular season.
Injuries to the defensive core were a factor, but Stolarz and Woll, who were such a huge part of the 2024-25 success, also fell off. Stolarz and Woll missed time due to injury in 2025-26 and were rough when healthy, with Stolarz posting a 3.28 GAA and an .893 save percentage in 26 appearances, and Woll finishing with a 3.34 GAA and an .898 save percentage in 39 outings. Both are set to come back for 2026-27, and the Leafs can only hope for a return to their 2024-25 form.
Sergei Bobrovsky, G, Panthers
Florida's biggest issue in 2025-26 was injuries, but among those players who remained, Bobrovsky was the biggest disappointment with a 3.07 GAA and an .877 save percentage in 52 appearances, down from a 2.44 GAA and a .906 save percentage in 54 regular-season outings in 2024-25. Bobrovsky and the Panthers had gone to the Stanley Cup Final in each of the previous three seasons, so fatigue probably didn't help matters. Still, he'll be 38 years old before the start of 2026-27, so a comeback is far from guaranteed at this stage of his career.
Anthony Mantha, RW, Penguins
The Penguins making the playoffs this season was a pleasant surprise, and while Mantha wasn't the biggest contributor to it, he certainly punched above his weight. Mantha set career highs with 33 goals and 64 points in 81 appearances in 2025-26, completely revitalizing his career after recording four goals and seven points in just 13 appearances with Calgary in 2024-25. Not bad for a guy who signed a one-year, $2.5 million contract with Pittsburgh in the summer of 2025.
Steven Stamkos, C, Predators
There had to have been part of Stamkos who wanted to prove Tampa Bay wrong for letting him go. However, in the first campaign of Stamkos' four-year, $32 million contract, the Lightning seemed vindicated, with him scoring 27 goals and 53 points in 82 outings with Nashville, a far cry from his 40-goal, 81-point showing in Tampa Bay in the 2023-24 regular season. It seemed Tampa Bay might have correctly predicted the beginning of Stamkos' decline, but in 2025-26, the center showed he still had something left in the tank. He ended up with 42 goals and 66 points with Nashville in 2025-26 in his age-35 campaign. It wasn't enough to get Nashville into the playoffs, but clearly the reports of his demise were greatly exaggerated.
Utah Mammoth (43-33-6, in the Central Division) vs. Vegas Golden Knights (39-26-17, in the Pacific Division)
Paradise, Nevada; Tuesday, 9:30 p.m. EDT
LINE: Golden Knights -161, Mammoth +135; over/under is 6
NHL PLAYOFFS FIRST ROUND: Golden Knights lead series 1-0
BOTTOM LINE: The Vegas Golden Knights host the Utah Mammoth in the first round of the NHL Playoffs with a 1-0 lead in the series. The teams meet Sunday for the fifth time this season. The Golden Knights won the previous matchup 4-2.
Vegas has a 39-26-17 record overall and a 21-12-9 record on its home ice. The Golden Knights have a 38-6-11 record when scoring three or more goals.
Utah is 43-33-6 overall and 21-18-3 on the road. The Mammoth have allowed 240 goals while scoring 268 for a +28 scoring differential.
TOP PERFORMERS: Mitchell Marner has 24 goals and 56 assists for the Golden Knights. Mark Stone has six goals and four assists over the last 10 games.
Nick Schmaltz has 33 goals and 40 assists for the Mammoth. Clayton Keller has four goals and 13 assists over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Golden Knights: 8-0-2, averaging 4.1 goals, 6.7 assists, 3.1 penalties and 6.5 penalty minutes while giving up 2.1 goals per game.
Mammoth: 6-4-0, averaging 4.1 goals, 7.1 assists, 3.4 penalties and 7.1 penalty minutes while giving up 3.1 goals per game.
INJURIES: Golden Knights: William Karlsson: out (lower body).
Mammoth: Barrett Hayton: out (upper-body), Sean Durzi: day to day (upper-body), Jack McBain: out (lower-body).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Los Angeles Kings (35-27-20, in the Pacific Division) vs. Colorado Avalanche (55-16-11, in the Central Division)
Denver; Tuesday, 10 p.m. EDT
LINE: Avalanche -275, Kings +224; over/under is 5.5
NHL PLAYOFFS FIRST ROUND: Avalanche lead series 1-0
BOTTOM LINE: The Colorado Avalanche host the Los Angeles Kings in the first round of the NHL Playoffs with a 1-0 lead in the series. The teams meet Sunday for the fifth time this season. The Avalanche won the previous meeting 2-1.
Colorado has a 27-9-6 record at home and a 55-16-11 record overall. The Avalanche have a +101 scoring differential, with 298 total goals scored and 197 allowed.
Los Angeles has gone 20-11-11 on the road and 35-27-20 overall. The Kings have given up 238 goals while scoring 220 for a -18 scoring differential.
TOP PERFORMERS: Nathan MacKinnon has scored 53 goals with 74 assists for the Avalanche. Martin Necas has three goals and five assists over the past 10 games.
Artemi Panarin has 28 goals and 56 assists for the Kings. Adrian Kempe has scored nine goals and added two assists over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Avalanche: 7-2-1, averaging 2.6 goals, 4.3 assists, 3.2 penalties and 6.4 penalty minutes while giving up 1.8 goals per game.
Kings: 6-2-2, averaging three goals, 4.5 assists, 3.3 penalties and 7.5 penalty minutes while giving up 2.5 goals per game.
INJURIES: Avalanche: None listed.
Kings: Kevin Fiala: out for season (leg).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Boston Bruins (45-27-10, in the Atlantic Division) vs. Buffalo Sabres (50-23-9, in the Atlantic Division)
Buffalo, New York; Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. EDT
LINE: Sabres -170, Bruins +142; over/under is 6
NHL PLAYOFFS FIRST ROUND: Sabres lead series 1-0
BOTTOM LINE: The Buffalo Sabres host the Boston Bruins in the first round of the NHL Playoffs with a 1-0 lead in the series. The teams meet Sunday for the sixth time this season. The Sabres won the last matchup 4-3. Tage Thompson scored two goals in the win.
Buffalo is 50-23-9 overall and 17-6-4 against the Atlantic Division. The Sabres are fifth in the league with 283 total goals (averaging 3.4 per game).
Boston has gone 45-27-10 overall with an 11-13-3 record in Atlantic Division play. The Bruins have a 38-10-7 record when scoring at least three goals.
TOP PERFORMERS: Rasmus Dahlin has 19 goals and 55 assists for the Sabres. Alex Tuch has five goals and four assists over the past 10 games.
Pavel Zacha has 30 goals and 35 assists for the Bruins. Morgan Geekie has six goals and three assists over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Sabres: 7-2-1, averaging 3.5 goals, 5.7 assists, 4.4 penalties and 11.3 penalty minutes while giving up 2.5 goals per game.
Bruins: 4-4-2, averaging 2.8 goals, five assists, 3.2 penalties and seven penalty minutes while giving up 2.5 goals per game.
INJURIES: Sabres: Jiri Kulich: out for season (ear), Sam Carrick: out (arm), Justin Danforth: day to day (lower body), Noah Ostlund: day to day (upper-body).
Bruins: None listed.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Montreal Canadiens (48-24-10, in the Atlantic Division) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (50-26-6, in the Atlantic Division)
Tampa, Florida; Tuesday, 7 p.m. EDT
LINE: Lightning -191, Canadiens +158; over/under is 6
NHL PLAYOFFS FIRST ROUND: Canadiens lead series 1-0
BOTTOM LINE: The Montreal Canadiens visit the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the NHL Playoffs with a 1-0 lead in the series. The teams meet Sunday for the sixth time this season. The Canadiens won 4-3 in overtime in the last meeting. Juraj Slafkovsky led the Canadiens with three goals.
Tampa Bay is 16-9-2 against the Atlantic Division and 50-26-6 overall. The Lightning have scored 286 total goals (3.5 per game) to rank fourth in league play.
Montreal has gone 48-24-10 overall with a 17-9-1 record in Atlantic Division play. The Canadiens have a 44-8-9 record in games they score at least three goals.
TOP PERFORMERS: Jake Guentzel has 38 goals and 50 assists for the Lightning. Nikita Kucherov has four goals and seven assists over the past 10 games.
Cole Caufield has 51 goals and 37 assists for the Canadiens. Slafkovsky has five goals and seven assists over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Lightning: 4-5-1, averaging 2.6 goals, 4.5 assists, 6.8 penalties and 17.3 penalty minutes while giving up 2.8 goals per game.
Canadiens: 7-3-0, averaging 2.7 goals, 4.6 assists, 5.6 penalties and 14.6 penalty minutes while giving up 2.5 goals per game.
INJURIES: Lightning: Victor Hedman: out (personal), Pontus Holmberg: out (upper-body).
Canadiens: Patrik Laine: out (abdomen), Noah Dobson: out (thumb).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
The Utah Mammoth’s first taste of playoff hockey delivered everything it promised—speed, chaos, physicality—and then ended in a gut punch.
The Vegas Golden Knights rallied from multiple deficits to defeat Utah 4–2 on Sunday night in Game 1 of their first-round series, flipping what felt like a tightly controlled debut into a third-period collapse for the visitors.
Vegas, now unbeaten in regulation in its recent stretch under head coach John Tortorella (8-0-1), once again leaned on relentless pressure and depth scoring to overwhelm Utah late. Colton Sissons led the charge with a goal and an assist, while Mark Stone and Ivan Barbashev also found the back of the net. Carter Hart turned aside 32 shots, and Noah Hanifin chipped in two assists from the blue line.
For Utah, Logan Cooley and Kevin Stenlund provided the offense, and Karel Vejmelka stopped 27 shots in a game that featured momentum swings, heavy contact, and a simmering edge that boiled over several times—including a post-buzzer altercation.
A Playoff Introduction Built On Emotion And Momentum
Utah didn’t just show up—they struck first, and nearly carried that energy into intermission.
Former Golden Knight Nate Schmidt threaded a perfect cross-ice feed to Logan Cooley, who buried a one-timer from the right circle with just 11 seconds left in the opening period. It was the kind of moment that briefly quieted the building and hinted at a dream start for the league’s newest postseason entrant.
The second period, however, belonged to chaos.
Sissons tied the game at 3:44, jamming home a rebound off a Cole Smith feed. Utah responded quickly, reclaiming the lead when a strange sequence near the crease ended with the puck deflecting into the net off a Vegas miscue, officially credited to Kevin Stenlund.
But that edge was fragile.
Vegas Turns The Screw In The Third
The Golden Knights’ response came in waves—and with force.
Mark Stone evened things up on the power play, hammering home a rebound at 5:33 of the third period. From there, the tone of the game shifted entirely. Vegas tilted the ice, leaned on Utah’s defensive zone mistakes, and eventually broke through again when a turnover by MacKenzie Weegar led to a decisive go-ahead goal off a Noah Hanifin shot, finished by Sissons’ presence around the puck.
Ivan Barbashev sealed it with an empty-net goal, putting a punctuation mark on a night where Vegas simply refused to fade.
Utah, meanwhile, was left to absorb the reality of playoff margins—small mistakes, magnified instantly.
The series continues Tuesday night back in Las Vegas, where Utah will try to reset before the moment starts feeling even heavier.
LAS VEGAS -- Like it or not, Carter Hart is deservedly a playoff goaltender in the NHL for the Golden Knights.
The 27-year-old has been the league's best goaltender since the start of the month, and just turned in his first playoff win since Sept. 3, 2020, when he was with the Philadelphia Flyers, in Vegas' 4-2 win over the Utah Mammoth on Sunday.
"We found a way to win a game, and I thought Carter Hart really gave us a chance," Vegas coach John Tortorella said.
Carter Hart in his first NHL playoff game since the 2020 COVID-19 bubble:
After opening his tenure with the Knights by going 5-3-3 with a .871 save percentage and allowing 36 goals in 12 appearances, he returned to the net on April 2 after an injury, went 6-0-0 with a .930 save percentage, and allowed 10 goals in six games.
There was no better goaltender in the NHL during the same stretch.
Sunday, he was the better netminder, as the Golden Knights continued their winning ways under coach John Tortorella, who took over the team March 29, after Bruce Cassidy was fired.
Ironically, in Cassidy's first season with the Knights, he led them to a Stanley Cup after keeping once-starter goalie Logan Thompson in the press box as a healthy scratch during the playoffs and needed to turn to Adin Hill after Laurent Brossoit got injured.
Now, Tortorella has given Hill's net to Hart. And not because Vegas' $6 million goaltender is hurt, but because Hart has outplayed him - and deserves the starting role.
Tortorella was the coach of the Flyers when Hart was stopping pucks in Philly, so there is familiarity. Perhaps that's provided added confidence for both of them.
One, the incoming coach who took over a very talented team that needed a swift kick in the hockey pads with eight games in the regular season.
And two, the young netminder who's been through a lot off the ice, and simply needed to know there is someone who believes in him genuinely.
Aside from Vegas' offense coming around, there's no doubt the goaltending has been the biggest difference.
In Hill's lone start under Tortorella, he took the L in a 4-3 shootout loss at Seattle.
Tortorella has acknowledged he has two quality goaltenders in the locker room, but it's Hart's growth and maturity that have given him the pipes at this point.
"I had him there for a couple of years in Philly, and I watched him grow from the first time I stepped into Philly, and then he had to step out of the league, but I watched how he was growing," Tortorella said. "The greatest compliment I can give to Carter is preparation. That goaltending position, the coaches stay out of it. He has a position coach in (Sean) Burkey, so we stay out of it.
"But I do watch how he prepares. He's one of the guys who leaves no stone unturned. He gets focused. And I think he's mature. I think he's matured mentally. Sometimes we always look at these young kids and you talk about their physical growth, it's more mental. And I think he's really matured that way, and has certainly ... after his injury, found his way to get some good minutes under his belt as we enter the series."
After turning in good minutes in Game 1, it's quite clear who deserves the net at this point.
Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Carter Hart (79) makes a save as Utah Mammoth right wing Dylan Guenther (11) falls in the crease during the second period of game one of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena.
